Frauenversteher

21:00 Apr 22, 2013
German to English translations [PRO]
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
German term or phrase: Frauenversteher
Frauenversteher als Begriff, mit dem man sich über emanzipirte Männer lustig macht
Eszter Bokor
Austria
Local time: 07:07


Summary of answers provided
3mangina
NGK
3women whisperer
MiriamT (X)
3new man
Catherine Wayland
3woman-explainer
Michael Martin, MA
2softies
Jonathan MacKerron
3 -1mansogynist
Ano Jumisa


Discussion entries: 21





  

Answers


19 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
mangina


Explanation:
I can't think of an English term that quite captures the nuance of Frauenversteher.

The closest you'll probably get are various words for "weak / emasculated man." Mangina is a funny one, and then there's sissy, wuss(y), pussy, softy, etc.

A man who is perceived to be under the control of his woman may be called (pussy-)whipped (adjective).

And then there's "woman whisperer" (as in ghost whisperer, horse whisperer) for someone can understand women, but it's not a well-known expression.

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=mangina
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=whipped
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=woman whisper...

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Note added at 3 hrs (2013-04-23 00:31:19 GMT)
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Softy might work, or perhaps wimp or wuss (the latter two being stronger IMO). I don't think any of these terms would be perceived as vulgar. They don't have the subtlety of Frauenversteher, but there may simply not be an equivalent in English.

NGK
United States
Local time: 01:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in GermanGerman
PRO pts in category: 40
Notes to answerer
Asker: I am familiar with all these words, but I am looking for smth less vulgar. Frauenversteher is of course derogatory and even derisive, but it is not abusive. That's why it's so tricky to find an English word for it.


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Cilian O'Tuama: hi n, I've no idea what a mangina is but have to disagree (neutral now) - what you're describing is sth. like a Pantoffelheld. Not the same thing IMO.
40 mins
  -> It could be the same thing or not. "Der Frauenversteher: Bei diesem Männertyp handelt es sich im Grunde genommen um ein Weichei, das sich unterbuttern lässt." http://www.t-online.de/lifestyle/partnerschaft/id_44182008
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10 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
women whisperer


Explanation:
maybe....

MiriamT (X)
Local time: 07:07
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
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17 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5
softies


Explanation:
Though perhaps used more widely in German than in English.

Jonathan MacKerron
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 63

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Cilian O'Tuama: (ntext suggested that hours ago.) Interestingly, though, Asker says "That's why it's so tricky to find an English word for it." Pity she doesn't help us help her (e.g. by providing context).
8 hrs
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21 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
new man


Explanation:
Although this is considered positive in some cultures, the connotations in German are not, so I agree with Kphred.

Example sentence(s):
  • 'Are you a man growing a moustache for charity next month? Do you, like one in seven dads, look after the kids? The new man has triumphed...' from The Guardian, 28 October 2011.
Catherine Wayland
Local time: 07:07
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
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1 day 18 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
mansogynist


Explanation:
This word describes a man who believe that he deserves a good treatment such a good advantage that taken mostly by woman

Ano Jumisa
Indonesia
Local time: 13:07
Native speaker of: Native in IndonesianIndonesian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Kim Metzger: How can "Frauenversteher" have anything to do with how men feel about themselves?
1 day 7 hrs
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1 day 20 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
woman-explainer


Explanation:
With hyphen.. That's the best I can come up with without reading the actual article. In the quote below, they seem to be using the term the right way (neutral-sounding but with potential for sarcasm, much like the German). Except here, the protagonists "explain" their own sex to the other sex (no pun intended).

"We hashed out each other’s days, we told stories, we unraveled the mysteries of the opposite sex with each other. (I was his woman-explainer; he was my man-explainer."


    Reference: http://thesinglecell.wordpress.com/2011/04/26/ode-to-a-neuro...
Michael Martin, MA
United States
Local time: 02:07
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in GermanGerman, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 63
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