German

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Alternative forms

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Etymology

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From Tollpatsch (clumsy person) (from Hungarian talpas) + -ig.

Pronunciation

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  • IPA(key): [ˈtɔlpatʃɪç] (standard)
  • IPA(key): [ˈtɔlpatʃɪk] (common form in southern Germany, Austria, and Switzerland)
  • Audio:(file)
  • Hyphenation: toll‧pat‧schig

Adjective

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tollpatschig (strong nominative masculine singular tollpatschiger, comparative tollpatschiger, superlative am tollpatschigsten)

  1. clumsy
    Synonyms: ungeschickt, unbeholfen, trampelig
    Antonyms: geschickt, gewandt, gekonnt, fingerfertig

Usage notes

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  • The spelling tollpatschig has been the prescribed spelling since the German spelling reform of 1996 (the Rechtschreibreform). In the affected areas, the previous spelling (tolpatschig) is now less common, and may be regarded as a misspelling.

Declension

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Further reading

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