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nounnoun

die Patsche, -n

mess

Ein umgangssprachliches Wort für eine kleine Hand eines Kindes oder eine schwierige Situation, aus der man nur schwer wieder herauskommt.

Definition & meaning

Die Patsche is a colloquial German noun meaning a difficult, unpleasant, or embarrassing situation, roughly “a mess,” “a predicament,” or “trouble.”

It is most commonly used in fixed expressions:

  • in der Patsche sitzen — to be in a difficult situation
  • in der Patsche stecken — to be stuck in trouble
  • jemandem aus der Patsche helfen — to help someone out of a difficult situation
  • jemanden in die Patsche bringen — to get someone into trouble

In a less common, regional or colloquial sense, Patsche can also refer to mud, slush, or a wet, messy substance. This sense is connected with the verb patschen , “to splash” or “to make a wet smacking sound.”

Grammar & Word origin

  • Gender: feminine
  • Article: die
  • Plural: die Patschen, though the singular is much more common in the idiom
  • Pronunciation: approximately PAHT-sheh

The word is probably related to the onomatopoeic verb patschen , describing a wet, slapping or splashing sound. The image behind the idiom is possibly someone being stuck in mud or a messy place.

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms

  • die Klemme — a difficult situation; very common in in der Klemme stecken . It is a close synonym but somewhat more neutral.
  • der Schlamassel — a mess or unfortunate situation; more colloquial and often implies that someone has caused or mishandled the situation.
  • die Bredouille — a predicament; slightly more formal or literary.
  • die Notlage — an emergency or serious difficult situation; more formal and usually more severe than Patsche.
  • die Zwickmühle — a dilemma in which every available choice has disadvantages. This is more specific than Patsche.

Antonyms

There is no exact one-word antonym. Depending on the context, possible opposites include:

  • der Ausweg — a way out of a difficult situation
  • die Rettung — rescue or salvation
  • die Lösung — a solution to the problem

Common phrases & collocations

  • in der Patsche sitzen — to be in trouble
  • in der Patsche stecken — to be stuck in a predicament
  • aus der Patsche helfen — to help out of trouble
  • sich selbst in die Patsche bringen — to get oneself into trouble
  • jemanden in die Patsche bringen — to get someone into trouble

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Examples

Das Kind steckt in der Patsche.noun

The child is in a mess.

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