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Ratzfatz

November 29, 2011

Learn a funny, quirky German word each week with DW's Word of the Week feature. This week: ratzfatz.

A chef putting food on plates
Image: picture-alliance/dpa

How fast would you expect a professional chef to cook up a tasty meal? Like lightning? In no time at all? Germans would probably just say "ratzfatz." While there is no deep meaning to this adverb, its fast paced, rhyming nature evokes a feeling of speed and purposefulness. The English synonym would be "in a jiffy." And now that you've read this, have a nice day and get on with whatever you need to do… ratzfatz!

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