Strange German words for body parts

The unusual electric shock-like feeling that occurs when you hit your ulnar nerve, better known as the funny bone, has inspired Germans to call it the "Musikantenknochen" (musician's bone) or "Musikknochen." It might be related to the way the whole arm and fingers seem to vibrate when you hit that nerve near the elbow, or maybe because of the (melodious?) cries of pain it also usually provokes.

It has become trendy to eat your placenta after giving birth. Those who don't want to eat it raw can find recipes for placenta smoothies, lasagna or chocolate truffles. Placentophagy advocates say it is really healthy for a new mother - yet many find it simply gross. In any case, way before US stars began doing it, Germans affectionately called placentas "Mutterkuchen," or mother's cake.

Germans use the pear, "Birne," in different slang expressions to describe the head. If you have something in the pear, you're smart, if you have something on it or it's soft, you're considered dumb. Even though his family name means cabbage, former German Chancellor Helmut Kohl (pictured) was also nicknamed "Birne" in satire, and cartoonists would draw his head that way.

Like for the head, different vegetables can be used to designate a nose in German. Someone who has a "Kartoffel" (potato) usually has a big nose, perhaps because of rosacea that is not uncommon among older males. From the vegetable world, "Gurke" (cucumber) and "Knolle" (spud) can also be used.

Fat uncle - "dicker Onkel" - is a nickname for the big toe in certain German dialects. Although the term definitely adds personality to the foot's main appendage, it actually comes from the French word for fingernail, "ongle."

The "Kauleiste," which literally translates as the "chewing strip," is German slang for teeth - usually not the most beautiful ones. You likely wouldn't hear Kauleiste in reference to a movie star's smile.

Germans try to cheer up people with a receding hairline by implying that it makes them look wise. "Geheimratsecken" directly translates as "privy counselor's corners" - the typical hairstyle of a monarch's closest adviser.

This slang word often lands on lists of terms considered difficult to translate in English. It literally translates as "sorrow bacon" and refers to the excess weight you could gain if eating is your response to negative emotions.

If you work out hard enough to get rid of your "sorrow bacon," you might be able to show off your "Waschbrettbauch" - literally, your washboard stomach. Germans also use the English "sixpack" to describe the toned abs we go to the gym for.

Black censor bars are called "Pornobalken" in German. The term is also slang for a thin short mustache, also known as a pornstache in English. Perhaps in the hope of distracting the eye from a receding hairline (aka Geheimratsecken), the style was popular in the 1970s - and among some hipsters nowadays. Luckily, it's a "body part" you can easily get rid of.