der Mistkerl
bastard
A crude colloquial term for an unpleasant, mean, or contemptible man.
EXAMPLE
Dieser Mistkerl hat mich schon wieder angelogen.
That bastard has lied to me again.
der Mistkerl
bastard
der Mistkerl, die Mistkerle
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Meanings
Forms
Forms adapted from the German Wiktionary entry Mistkerl, by Wiktionary contributors, licence CC BY-SA 4.0.
At a glance
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Mistkerle |
| genitive | des Mistkerls |
The four cases
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Mistkerl | die Mistkerle |
| accusative | den Mistkerl | die Mistkerle |
| dative | dem Mistkerl | den Mistkerlen |
| genitive | des Mistkerls | der Mistkerle |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
Usage tips
Word formation
'Mistkerl' is made up of 'Mist' (manure) and 'Kerl' (guy). Here, 'Mist' is not meant literally; it gives the word its strongly negative connotation.
EXAMPLE
Ich hatte ihm vertraut, aber der Mistkerl hat mein Geld gestohlen.
I trusted him, but the bastard stole my money.
Direct address
As a direct insult, 'Mistkerl' is often used with 'du' (you) and without an article. The form of address is separated from the rest of the sentence by a comma.
EXAMPLE
Du Mistkerl, warum hast du mich betrogen?
You bastard, why did you betray me?
Typical collocations
Common expressions include 'so ein Mistkerl' (such a bastard), 'ein mieser Mistkerl' (a lousy bastard), and 'ein verdammter Mistkerl' (a damn bastard). These express particularly strong anger or contempt on the part of the speaker.
EXAMPLE
Er hat die ganze Schuld auf seine Kollegin geschoben – so ein Mistkerl!
He blamed the whole thing on his colleague — what a bastard!
In real life
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