Schmutzfink

Is your bedroom a bomb site? Then you could well be a Schmutzfink (literally, "dirt finch"). Whilst finches like to bathe in sand, they eventually shake it all off in order to rid their feathers of parasites. Schmutzfink is a colloquial term typically used to describe an untidy person, similar to "mucky pup" in English. Schmutzfink should be used with caution, though. In German, the term can also be applied to a person who behaved in a morally reprehensible manner - those with untidy bedrooms or an unkempt appearance may just take offence.

Author: Helen Whittle
Editor: Kate Bowen