411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Gröfaz
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
Alternative forms
de GröFaZ
Etymology
de größter Feldherr aller Zeiten greatest commander-in-chief of all time. Based on a widely publicized phrase used by Wilhelm Keitel, chief of the Wehrmacht high command, after the French surrender in June 1940: de Mein Führer, Sie sind der größte Feldherr aller Zeiten! My Fuhrer, you are the greatest commander-in-chief of all time!
Said phrase came back to haunt the Nazis when the population increasingly used it in a mocking tone after the failure of the Russian campaign in 1941/42. The acronym de Gröfaz is first attested in 1943 and was surely coined in the same context, as a persiflage of both the military’s and the Nazis’ love of abbreviations. It is possible that the phonetic similarity with de Fatzke arrogant, unctuous man contributed to its popularity.
Pronunciation
de /ˈɡʁøːfats/
de De-Gröfaz.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
Proper noun
m,-.sg.article
de historical humorous Adolf Hitler
Declension
m,-.sg
de Adolf Hitler