der Ritz
scratch
A fine, superficial scratch, crack, or narrow notch in a surface.
EXAMPLE
Beim Verschieben des Schranks habe ich einen Ritz ins Parkett gemacht.
When moving the cabinet, I made a scratch in the parquet floor.
der Ritz
scratch
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Meanings
Usage tips
Word family
'Der Ritz' is closely related to the verb 'ritzen' (to scratch or cut a fine line into a surface). If you know the verb, you can easily work out the meaning of the noun.
EXAMPLE
Er ritzte seine Initialen in die Baumrinde.
He scratched his initials into the tree bark.
Typical collocations
The word is often mentioned together with the surface that was damaged. Typical examples are 'ein Ritz im Lack' (a scratch in the paint), 'ein Ritz im Glas' (a scratch in the glass), or 'ein Ritz in der CD' (a scratch on the CD).
EXAMPLE
Vorsicht, das neue Handy hat schon einen Ritz im Display!
Careful, the new phone already has a scratch on the display!
Sentence structure and usage
People often use the construction 'einen Ritz in etwas (Akkusativ) machen' (to make a scratch in something). If you did not cause the scratch yourself, you can also say 'etwas hat einen Ritz' (something has a scratch).
EXAMPLE
Mit dem Schlüssel habe ich aus Versehen einen Ritz in den Tisch gemacht.
I accidentally made a scratch in the table with the key.
Compare with
Ritz vs Riss
crack / rift
Der Riss and der Ritz can both refer to damage to a surface. A Riss is usually a more noticeable line of breakage that opens up or extends deeper, while a Ritz is only a fine, superficial mark. For a small scratch, Ritz is therefore usually the better choice.
Ritz
Auf dem Glas sieht man nur einen feinen Ritz.
There is only a fine scratch on the glass.
Riss
Das Glas hat einen Riss, durch den Wasser eindringen könnte.
The glass has a crack that water could seep through.
In real life
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