fressen
FRESS-enverbColloquial
A German slang term. Browse all German slang.
What it means
Properly the verb for animals eating — German keeps essen and fressen strictly apart, and a cow never isst. Applied to a person it means to shovel, scoff or gorge, and is deliberately insulting or jokey.
Also 'to swallow' figuratively: 'das hat er gefressen' means he has finally got it into his head; 'ich hab die Nase voll' is a different idiom, but 'einen Narren an jemandem gefressen haben' means to have taken an inexplicable liking to someone.
Examples with translations
Friss nicht so, das ist ja widerlich.
Don't wolf it down like that, it's revolting.
Note: Said between family or close friends. To a stranger it would be a flat insult.
Gib mir was zu fressen, ich sterbe.
Give me something to eat, I'm dying.
Note: Self-applied, it is just jokey exaggeration and perfectly friendly.
Where it comes from
Old High German freʒʒan, from ver- plus eʒʒan — literally 'eat up, eat away'. The animal/human split is one of the oldest live distinctions in the German lexicon, which is exactly what makes the crossover insulting.
Other forms
- Similar terms:
- reinhauen, schlingen