My dad, who never cursed around us when we were kids, used a funny German phrase instead when he felt like saying something spicy in a polite company: "donner wetter." I always thought it was something that he made up or read in a book (he'd studied German when he was in school).

However, now that I know that there's a definite Volga German lineage in our DNA, I'm actually curious if he'd heard it himself as a kid, as a kind of linguistic family heirloom.

Is "donner wetter" a real thing Germans say, or is it just some kind of "gosh darn" equivalent of a heftier swear?

@monsieuricon Donnerwetter ("thunder weather") is usually something surprising but also IMO more positive than negative. E.g. "gosh, that's impressive!".

You can also get a "Donnerwetter", then it's a telling off: "na warte, das wird noch ein Donnerwetter geben" ("you wait, I will tell you off later")

@monsieuricon It is a common, but old saying in Germany and said in disbelief of magnitude. Like "Holy cow!" would be a proper equivalent in english.

@monsieuricon yup. we say that. :) it's literal usage is to describe thunder storm ("donner" - thunder, "wetter" = weather). But it can be used, usually by older folks, as a swear to indicate one is angry or as an expression of astonishment.

@monsieuricon yes Germans use "donner wetter" which means thunder weather or thunderstorm. It is often used when there are children within hearing so likely they are saying it where they want to say "verdammt" which is like damn it!

I've heard my wife and her mother use it before.

@monsieuricon "Donnerwetter" is a real thing Germans say.
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donnerwetter

@monsieuricon I’ve heard my parents say it when they were surprised or annoyed at something even when I was little. It’s not a particularly spicy curse and I don’t think it’s used much in my generation (or maybe just not in my social circle) anymore.

@jankatins @monsieuricon Yes, "Donnerwetter!" is often used when something impressive happened, but there is also "zum Donnerwetter!" to express frustration.

German speakers will understand it, but it is a rather old-fashioned phrase.

@monsieuricon The “Donnerwetter“ is likely a nicer way of saying “verdammt” (damn it). I also love “alte Schwede” (old swedish man) which makes no sense, but is phonetically close to “Scheiße” (shit). A little like “shut the front door!”

@monsieuricon

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Himmeldonnerwetter#German

"Gosh!" is a very mild translation. Here in Czechia it is not used any more (because we thrown them out after WWII, there are no Germans here) and it is terribly old-fashioned, but it is rather passionate swearing in German.

@ac Gee willikers?

@monsieuricon Not german speaker, but "doner veter krumcajs element" (sp) would be something recognized here :-)

@monsieuricon Yeah that may fit as well. I think it's connotation is too positive though.

"Donnerwetter" can also be used sarcastically, eye rolling in german. That's why "holy cow" came to mind.

Literally it's Donner = thunder, Wetter = weather. Which translates to thunderstrom.

@monsieuricon Also Volga-German and I heard it occasionally.

@monsieuricon I would rate “Donnerwetter!” as a word in more or less everyday usage. Perhaps a bit old fashioned.

But nobody would bat an eye if you used it.

@monsieuricon @ac I think an additional Meiningen to the 2 already Mentoren in the thread is
„Zum Donnerwetter!“ which is an alternative to „verdammt!“ (yes, related to “damn”)

@monsieuricon my German grand mother would say shievencliester(at least that’s how I would type what I remember hearing). And us kids were told it meant vacuum cleaner.

@chergert my father's Volga German lineage was a surprise to him, but it's not really surprising -- he was born mid-1940's when mentioning any German origins of your relatives to your children was unsafe.

@monsieuricon my dads side as well. Even before the wars they were just seen as “dirty thieving ‘rooshans’” as my great, great aunt wrote in her books about the experience.

@monsieuricon but yeah there were reasons to avoid it at life or death. My ancestors that immigrated here decided to go back to the Volga, only to be put in a camp upon returning and sent to Siberia cause they “couldn’t trust the Germans”.

@monsieuricon yes, I would say it is a standard, albeit likely a bit more oldfashioned possibly, way to say "thunder weather" aka "oh shit" ;)

@jankatins @monsieuricon Indeed, it is not a curse word, more something you say when you are surprised. SFW