schlagfertig

== German == === Etymology === Mid-17th century, equivalent to Schlag (“hit, blow”) +‎ fertig (“ready, capable”). Probably a calque of Dutch slagvaardig. For this speak the slightly earlier attestation (1625), the invariably nautical context of the earliest German attestations, and the fact that Dutch slag means “battle”. (The proper German form would thus be schlachtfertig, which makes more sense semantically and is indeed attested.) === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈʃlaːkˌfɛʁtɪç/ (standard) IPA(key): /ˈʃla(ː)xˌfɛʁtɪç/ (northern and central Germany, now chiefly colloquial) IPA(key): /ˈʃlaːkˌfɛʁtɪk/ (common in southern Germany, Austria, Switzerland) Hyphenation: schlag‧fer‧tig === Adjective === schlagfertig (strong nominative masculine singular schlagfertiger, comparative schlagfertiger, superlative am schlagfertigsten) (military) ready and capable to strike, attack (figurative) quick-witted, good at repartee (hence of an answer) prompt and witty ==== Declension ==== ==== Derived terms ==== Schlagfertigkeit === Further reading === “schlagfertig”, in Digitales Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache‎[1] (in German) “schlagfertig” in Uni Leipzig: Wortschatz-Lexikon