GERMAN WORD OF THE DAY: PLATZHIRSCH

Friedrich I King in Prussia (former Elector Friedrich III)

A word that made it from hunting lingo into everyday German, and meaning “a dominant stag” in the former and “a bigwig” in the latter.

The occasionally used translation “an alpha male”, misses an important aspect of the Platzhirsch - namely the slight ridicule and mocking that the person deserves through their apparent delusions of grandeur. Or because of the way they monopolise conversations by being louder and interrupting others at will.

Platzhirsch is also a term used for big companies not allowing smaller entities to hold foot on the market.