01
spicken
to cheat
Colloquial for the unauthorized use of aids such as a cheat sheet during an exam or test.
example
Wer beim Spicken erwischt wird, bekommt die Note Sechs.
Anyone caught cheating gets a failing grade.
spicken
to cheat / to lard
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Meanings
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Usage tips
Context clues
You can recognize the meaning of 'spicken' from context: In connection with school or exams, it means 'schummeln' (to cheat). In the kitchen, it means to prepare meat in a specific way. The fixed expression 'gespickt sein mit' means 'to be full of'.
EXAMPLE
Er hat in der Prüfung gespickt und wurde erwischt.
He cheated in the exam and was caught.
Register: colloquial
In the meaning 'schummeln' (to cheat), 'spicken' is a colloquial word. It is mainly used in informal conversations about school or university.
EXAMPLE
Hast du für den Vokabeltest auch gespickt?
Did you cheat on the vocabulary test too?
Sentence structure for cheating
When 'spicken' is used in the sense of cheating, it often appears with the preposition 'bei' (during/in, as in an exam) or 'von' (from, as in from the person sitting next to you).
EXAMPLE
Es ist nicht erlaubt, bei der Klassenarbeit vom Sitznachbarn zu spicken.
It is not allowed to cheat off the person sitting next to you during the class test.
Fixed expression
The figurative meaning occurs almost only in the fixed expression 'mit etwas gespickt sein' (to be peppered with something). The preposition 'mit' requires the dative here. The expression describes something as being abundantly interspersed with something.
EXAMPLE
Die E-Mail war mit ironischen Bemerkungen gespickt.
The email was peppered with ironic remarks.
Register: technical term
The meaning 'Fleisch bearbeiten' (to prepare meat) is a technical term from cooking. It is used to describe how meat is made juicier with bacon or herbs.
EXAMPLE
Im Kochkurs haben wir gelernt, wie man einen Braten richtig spickt.
In the cooking class, we learned how to lard a roast properly.
Register: outdated
The meaning 'heimlich schauen' (to look secretly) or 'spähen' (to peer) is outdated. It is hardly used in modern German.
EXAMPLE
Neugierig spickte er durch das Schlüsselloch.
Curiously, he peeked through the keyhole.
Compare with
spicken vs füllen
to fill
'füllen' and 'spicken' can both mean that something is provided with or interspersed with something else. 'füllen' is general and neutral: you fill a container, a room, or even a text with content. 'spicken' is much more specific. With food, you can 'Fleisch mit Speck oder Kräutern spicken' (lard meat with bacon or herbs). In the figurative meaning, 'gespickt mit' means that something contains many particular elements, such as mistakes, numbers, or technical terms. Learners may confuse the words because 'gespickt mit' can seem similar to 'gefüllt mit'. 'füllen' fits normal filling; 'gespickt mit' emphasizes many scattered details.
spicken
Der Bericht ist mit vielen Fachwörtern gespickt.
The report is peppered with many technical terms.
füllen
Zu Hause füllt ihr die Kisten mit Büchern und alten Heften.
At home, you fill the boxes with books and old notebooks.
In real life
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