What does "schön blöd" mean?
Is it offending, but meant as a joke? Or does it mean someone is awfully stupid? In which situation would/could Germans use it?
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I think more context is needed here.– user508Jul 14, 2011 at 18:52
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@Gigili i read it in a chat, so someone was calling somebody to be "schön blöd". Looks to me like being "abnormaly stupid". But "schön" is confusing me. Can it only be used for persons?– HauserJul 14, 2011 at 19:00
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3@Gigili: Actually, no context is needed here. I like the question! But I'm having difficulty to explain the expression ...– Hendrik VogtJul 14, 2011 at 19:23
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@Hendrik Vogt: According to dict, it has levels of being offensive. that's what I mean. how can you say it's a joke or insult without context?– user508Jul 14, 2011 at 19:50
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3@Gigili: "blöd" may be offensive. "schön blöd" is a set expression and may be used to make fun of someone, but it's not really insulting.– OregonGhostJul 14, 2011 at 19:54
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2 Answers
Someone is schön blöd by doing something stupid; though the person should/could have known better, or because of being stubborn. It's always his/her own fault. For example:
- when you pay more for something than necessary because you are too lazy to walk a few meters.
- when you let a great opportunity slip.
- when you do more work than necessary.
- when you lose a lottery prize because you forgot to turn in your ticket in time.
- when you miss a train because you had to get going last-minute.
These are just a few I could come up with. Schön blöd is similar to selbst schuld, or often used together. I think the Schönheit (beauty) is in the expression because it is kind of entertaining for others, as a great example of what not to do - a great example for stupidity. The adjective is often used to express that something is great to watch - for example, after a great goal, you may say schönes Tor.
Because you asked when or how Germans use it, here are some examples, in the spirit of the situations I already listed:
Du hattest sechs Richtige im Lotto, hast aber nicht rechtzeitig abgegeben? Schön blöd.
Du hast den ganzen Tag geschuftet, um zehn Euro zu sparen? Schön blöd.
In both examples, Selbst schuld could have been used instead.
Both are typically used only informally. They are not really insulting, but may express Spott und Häme (mockery).
In chats, you might also encounter sskm, which means Selbst schuld, kein Mitleid.
answered Jul 14, 2011 at 19:50
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so could you also say that an idea is schön blöd? Or does it always relate to a person or action of a person?– HauserJul 14, 2011 at 20:14
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@Hauser: If implementing the idea will result in the implementer being schön blöd, I guess you could say so. It is not a schön blöde Idee though, you can only say die Idee ist schön blöd. It is mostly, however, applied to a person or the action. Jul 14, 2011 at 20:32
'Schön' doesn't mean beautiful here, but 'pretty'. You can say 'schön dick', 'schön krank', 'schön schmutzig' too - it just means as much as 'recht dick', 'recht krank', 'recht schmutzig' oder 'recht blöd' - or 'ziemlich'.
Isn't 'pretty' used the same way? It was pretty stupid to lose the lottery ticket! But: the pretty girl.
answered Jul 15, 2011 at 5:11
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I think "pretty stupid" means "very stupid", which is not the same as "schön blöd". By the way, dict.cc lists "to be pretty stupid" as "einen an der Waffel haben", which is also not the same ;) As an adverb, on the other hand, it is listed as "ziemlich" and "ganz schön". Jul 15, 2011 at 8:44
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1Imho, 'shön blöd' means 'very stupid', of course it does. And what's the problem with 'pretty stupid' as 'einen an der Waffel haben'? Ganz schön verworren? Jul 15, 2011 at 22:58