Tacken

See also: täcken

German

Alternative forms

• Tacke

Etymology

Borrowed from German Low German Tack, Tacken (“jag, tooth”). Cognate with German Zacken (“idem”) and Dutch tak (“branch”). The modern sense is from mechanics, that is from machines in which different steps or stages are set by means of a gear wheel. Compare the German einen Zahn zulegen (“to hurry up”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈtakən/, [ˈtʰakʰ(ə)n], [ˈtʰa.ʔŋ]

• Audio

  (file)

Noun

Tacken m (strong, genitive Tackens, plural Tacken)

1. (colloquial, regional, chiefly Northern Germany) A bit, a tad, a degree, a level (in the context of “more” and “less”)

   Kannste die Heizung ’n Tacken aufdrehen?

   Could you turn the heating up a bit?

   Der kleine Tacken, den sie zu früh gestartet ist, hat ihr vielleicht den Sieg gebracht.

   That little tad she started early, may have given her the victory.

2. (colloquial, regional, chiefly Northern Germany) quid, bucks (a term for money)

   Synonyms: see Thesaurus:Geld

   Dat kost’ 20 Tacken. ― That's 20 quid.

Declension

Declension of Tacken [masculine, strong]

	singular			plural
	indef.	def.	noun	def.	noun
nominative	ein	der	Tacken	die	Tacken
genitive	eines	des	Tackens	der	Tacken
dative	einem	dem	Tacken	den	Tacken
accusative	einen	den	Tacken	die	Tacken