von gestern

German

Etymology

Literally, "of/from yesterday".

Adjective

von gestern (indeclinable, predicative only)

1. (idiomatic) outdated

   DVDs sind von gestern. Du brauchst Blu-Ray.

   DVDs are antiquated. You need Blu-ray.

2. (idiomatic, chiefly in negation) born yesterday

   Ich bin doch nicht von gestern!

   I wasn't born yesterday!

Usage notes

• The two senses are contradictory. Sense 1 is based on yesterday meaning “of the past” (and hence “obsolete”), whereas sense 2 is based on the same word meaning “recent” (and hence “inexperienced”). This may lead to some confusion, though rarely to actual misunderstandings.