Groovy?/Moers

Netzeitung Kultur:

bq. Selbst mancher Intellektuelle ist enthusiastisch: «Das ist heute die einzig richtige Art, mit dem Thema umzugehen», meint etwa der jüdische Publizist Henryk M. Broder. «Dass Hitler ein Mörder war, wissen wir, das muss nicht in jedem Abituraufsatz stehen. Aber Moers zeigt wunderbar, auf was für eine erbärmliche Figur, was für einen Sesselpupser, die Deutschen hereingefallen sind. Und das ist toll.»

Guardian:

bq. But Jewish publicist Henryk M Broder says he thinks the cartoon is a refreshing way of looking at an old topic. “That Hitler was a murderer – we know that, it doesn’t have to be the topic of every thesis. But Moers shows wonderfully what kind of a wretched, useless gasbag the Germans fell for. And that’s groovy.”

I admit Sesselpupser is probably well handled. But groovy?!

Surely they didn’t have Chantré then? (video clip)?

6 thoughts on “Groovy?/Moers

  1. It mostly strikes me just as slightly dated. My Canadian co-workers tend to use it where others would say “cool”. Now “toll” also strikes me as slightly dated, though not quite as much. It doesn’t always mean “excellent”…

    What I wonder is “thesis” for “Abituraufsatz”. I’d have gone for something like “every 6th form composition” — off the top of my head and as a first stab.

  2. Yes, I would have said ‘sixth-form essay’.
    But ‘groovy’ is very dated and a man of Broder’s age would never say it, whereas ‘toll’ is very commonly used and he will have used it. It may be too dated for the young, but Broder isn’t them. It sounds extremely odd. Made my day!

  3. I think he was speaking German, Tommy.
    As someone the same age as Broder who was in London in the sixties and seventies, I’m just speaking from a native speaker’s perception. It was never anything like as common as ‘toll’ – for instance, I don’t think I ever used it even then. Sounds really odd nowadays. I do use ‘toll’, though.
    Any other native speakers out there?

  4. I like to think “Grand!” for “toll”. My Langenscheidt offers “terrific” and “fantastic” which both seem reasonable here.

    Maybe the translater felt he was Austin Powers for a day.

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