earworm
der Ohrwurm, die Ohrwürmer
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earworm
A melody or song that you cannot get out of your head and that you keep hearing or humming internally.
Seit ich das Lied im Radio gehört habe, habe ich einen schrecklichen Ohrwurm.
Ever since I heard the song on the radio, I've had a terrible earworm.
earwig
An elongated, brownish insect with a pincer-like structure at the end of its abdomen (Dermaptera). The name is based on the old superstition that these animals crawl into people's ears.
Unter dem Blumentopf im Garten krabbelte ein Ohrwurm hervor.
An earwig crawled out from under the flowerpot in the garden.
| gender | masculine der |
|---|---|
| plural | die Ohrwürmer |
| genitive | des Ohrwurmes |
| singular | plural | |
|---|---|---|
| nominative | der Ohrwurm | die Ohrwürmer |
| accusative | den Ohrwurm | die Ohrwürmer |
| dative | dem Ohrwurm | den Ohrwürmern |
| genitive | des Ohrwurmes des Ohrwurms | der Ohrwürmer |
The article changes with the case; it is shown in colour.
The word is made up of 'Ohr' (ear) and 'Wurm' (worm). This literal meaning fits both meanings: with the melody, it is a 'worm' that figuratively gets stuck in your ear. With the insect, the name is based on the old superstition that it crawls into ears.
Ich bekomme diese Melodie nicht mehr aus dem Kopf, ein echter Ohrwurm!
I can't get this melody out of my head—such a real earworm!
You can easily recognize which meaning is intended from the context. If it is about music, the radio, or a song, it refers to the melody. If you are talking about the garden, insects, or nature, it refers to the animal.
Dieses Lied aus der Werbung ist ein totaler Ohrwurm.
This song from the advertisement is a total earworm.
When referring to the melody, the verbs 'haben' (to have) or 'bekommen' (to get) are usually used. So you can possess or receive an Ohrwurm like a thing.
Ich habe seit gestern einen Ohrwurm von diesem Popsong.
I've had an earworm from this pop song since yesterday.
