German

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Etymology 1

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Possibly identical with etymology 2, from the sound of fabric being torn in two.

Pronunciation

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Verb

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ratschen (weak, third-person singular present ratscht, past tense ratschte, past participle geratscht, auxiliary haben)

  1. (informal, often reflexive) to snag; to cut accidentally on something pointed or sharp, especially one's skin or clothes
Conjugation
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Derived terms
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Etymology 2

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From Middle High German ratzen, retschen (to make noise, to chatter).

Pronunciation

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Verb

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ratschen (weak, third-person singular present ratscht, past tense ratschte, past participle geratscht, auxiliary haben)

  1. to make noise with a ratchet
  2. (colloquial, Southern Germany, Austria) to chat
    Synonyms: quatschen, schwätzen
    • 2018 December 20, anonymous author, “Horror-Date: Der alternde Skater”, in jetzt[1]:
      Im Park angekommen, war ich mir eigentlich recht sicher, dass ich wusste, was zu tun ist. Wir rollten eine Weile herum, ratschten und hatten an und für sich keine schlechte Zeit.
      (please add an English translation of this quotation)
Conjugation
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Derived terms
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Further reading

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  • ratschen” in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache
  • ratschen” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon