25

I've heard that my favourite word "dingsbums" might not be acceptable in some circumstances due to it being related to "bumsen" which, I'm told, is some kind of a word for intimate relations.

Yet when I've visited friends' families in Germany, Austria, and Switzerland, people only found it funny that I should know such a word.

So is this really where the word comes from and how acceptable is it under various circumstances, in various places, with various audiences?

Also, is "dingsda" a more acceptable variant?

Improve this question
7
  • 3
    If you like "dingsbums", you might also like "Dingenskirchen" (de.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dingenskirchen). This way you can be more specific about the word you cannot remember at the moment.
    – bjoernz
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 11:38
  • 12
    Was ist der Unterschied zwischen einem Plastiksackerl und einer Blondine? Das eine ist ein Dingsbums, das andere ein Bumsdings. I wouldn't consider it rude, but not part of the high language, which also reflects in this joke and pun on words.
    – Samuel Herzog
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 15:16
  • 10
    Dingsbums is informal and cute, and doesn't have any sexual connotation at all.
    – fzwo
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 16:42
  • 6
    It is not children's language. It is a kind of lazy talk, but not child-ish. I think it is close in style to "thingy" as used in "Men in black".
    – TheBlastOne
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 18:04
  • 2
    Maybe related: Bumsfidel sein. (to be bumsfidel).
    – user unknown
    Commented Jun 4, 2011 at 4:50

13 Answers 13

Reset to default
31

I have never connected dingsbums with bumsen. I don't think this connection is usually made.

To me dingsbums is a perfectly fine word to use, albeit very colloquial and hence not necessarily appropriate in serious situations. It's only rude if you keep referring to somebody as dingsbums whose name you should know. ;-)

Dingsda, dingenskirchen and hastenichgesehen are nice variations.

Improve this answer
4
  • 5
    Or schlachmichtot.
    – starblue
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 14:38
  • 3
    Shortest alternative: Dings
    – oleschri
    Commented Jun 3, 2011 at 17:26
  • 3
    Shortest alternative for locations (Wir fahren nach Dingsbums) would be JWD*, alias 'janz weit draußen', janz := ganz. *speak: Jot We De.
    – user unknown
    Commented Jun 4, 2011 at 4:49
  • @userunknown: Maybe you would like to look at german.stackexchange.com/questions/9428/…
    – fifaltra
    Commented Jan 2, 2014 at 15:15
13

Absolutely not. Even though "Dingsbums" is colloquial, it is widely used when you don't know how to call a thing, which you might not be able to point at. "Dingsda" is more used if there is an object that you can point at but forgot how to call it.

Improve this answer
10

dingsbums

is not offensive, rude or vulgar. It's mostly funny, don't worry about using it.

Just avoid it in the most formal discussions. ;-)

Improve this answer
7

It's not rude, most people wouldn't associate it with 'bumsen'. But it is definitely a very very informal word (if it can be called a word at all) and would seem very sloppy or even clumsy in any kind of formal setting. So just keep using it to score with German friends and otherwise don't use it at all. :)

Same is true for 'dingsda' that's even more of a non-word, I reckon.

Improve this answer
1
  • 4
    Well, both words are in the Duden. Depends on your definition of "word". ;)
    – musiKk
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 11:55
7

Definitely doesn't have any sexual connotations, at least not when I was growing up in Austria over 20 years ago. Where did you hear that it might be unacceptable? It's very informal, perhaps child-like, but in no way offensive. So use it with abandon in informal contexts, but not in a boardroom. The closest I can come off the top of my head to an equivalent in English is something along the lines of "thingamabob".

Improve this answer
2
  • I can't remember where I heard that. Perhaps on the internet since I wasn't aware of the word bumsen before and in fact have never used it since either. I only learned about bumsen in my quest to find out all about Dingsbums. I learned dingsbums from friends or friends of friends in Germany or Switzerland about ten years ago but I have also collected synonyms and translations of thingamabob in other languages (-:
    – hippietrail
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 18:18
  • Granted, if you reverse the 2 pieces, and said "Bumsdings" instead, you can imagine an entirely different image popping up in people's minds. A mistake you'd want to avoid.
    – Philipp Hanes
    Commented Dec 16, 2012 at 22:05
6

The connection between dingsbums and bumsen (informal for having intercourse) is normally not made. As noted before it's informal.

Improve this answer
5

Bums is an onomatopoetic word for the sound of a collision, somewhat equivalent to the English crash or boom. It’s commonly used in children’s speak and was in fact one of the very first words my son could say. If boom or crash is used in an English children’s comic, it is likely to be translated as bums without anybody thinking about complaining. Going by this ngram, it’s probably older than bumsen or Dingsbums.

From this, you get bumsen, whose primary use is to describe a noisy collision or the sound made by it. I would strongly guess that the secondary use for sexual intercourse originated from the primary use (as a noisy collision of two people).

Dingsbums finally is a fusion of Dings (thingy) and bums. Here, I would guess that the choice of bums has no deeper meaning and was just made for the sound of the final product. Whatever, its origin may be, it’s lost nowadays and thus Dingsbums is as meaningful as the English doohickey or thingamob (unless I missed some special meaning of the latter two).

To conclude, the word Dingsbums has as much sexual connotation as the word fingernail or fishbone. Either way, it’s rather colloquial but (in my experience) not much more than other words with that function and it is not much less or better accepted than Dingsda or just Dings.

Improve this answer
1
  • 3
    The english "bang" may have a similar history or origin as "bums"/"bumsen".
    – persson
    Commented Dec 16, 2014 at 13:56
1

There is an operetta Der Vetter aus Dingsda where "Dingsda" is used as a place name.

Improve this answer
1
  • 1
    interesting, but completely irrelevant to the question...
    – Vogel612
    Commented Dec 15, 2014 at 20:27
1

"Dingsbums" (like "Dingsda") is a lazy paraphrase of a noun. Often used, if the talker can't remember the correct name of an object.

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/Dingsbums

Improve this answer
1

It's more childish than rude. It's definitely informal.

Improve this answer
1

I do agree that dingsbums is slang and even though not rude or offensive should not be used in a formal or official setting.

My favourite to use in that place would be Ding:

Was ist denn das für ein Ding?

Ich möchte mir dieses Ding da näher ansehen.

By using Ding any adverse or funny reactions can be avoided.

Using Ding or Dingsbums in respect to a person may be disrespectful:

Das hat doch der Dings[bums] immer gesagt

Improve this answer
2
  • 1
    Dingsbums does imply that you know the proper name, you just can't think of it right now. As such, a proper "formal alternative" would be something along the lines of "Der Name ist mir gerade entfallen, aber dieses [Gerät] ist…". Simply Ding doesn't quite catch that.
    – deceze
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 12:11
  • As it indeed is better to name a thing (e.g. Gerät), it's accepted to only use Ding even when in a formal setting. This way it keeps your expression short and you don't distract from the point you want ot make.
    – Takkat
    Commented Jun 2, 2011 at 13:36
1

When I lived in Germany, I had a friend who used "Ohne Dings, Keine Bums" as a catchphrase. So I can only hear it as vulgar.

Improve this answer
1
  • 3
    But that in itself was a play on the non-vulgar word. As has been said many times: it might be colloquial, slang even, inappropriate in a number of contexts, but never, to the best of my knowledge, considered offensive.
    – Ingmar
    Commented Oct 19, 2021 at 15:59
0

Think of "dingsbums" and its variants as being filler words just like "whatchamacallit" is in English.

Improve this answer

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.