Drachenfutter

Today I found this fascinating site via this article on the BBC website.

It is all about language, and those words in foreign languages which describe something very specific for which no exact equivalent word exists in English. Schadenfreud is a well-known example - the only way we can describe the feeling pleasure at someone else's misfortune is to either say "the feeling of pleasure at someone else's misfortune" or just appropriate the German word and have done with it.

The website is basically a plug for a book called The Meaning of Tingo by Adam Jacot de Boinod on the same subject. (Only six quid on Amazon. Got to be worth a look!)

One of the words is the German word drachenfutter, which roughly translates to 'dragon-fodder' and describes "the peace offerings made by guilty husbands to their wives." Its a great concept to have a special word for, and a great name for a band.

Dragon-Fodder would be an equally good name, but I think Drachenfutter would be even better, if adopted by an old-fashioned heavy metal band. They just love teutonic-sounding names like Queensryche, and even in otherwise non-Germanic names they can't resist throwing in an umlaut! (Blue Öyster Cult and Motörhead anyone?)

So they would probably end up as Drachenfütter I suppose.