411 REFERENCE · Wiktionary
Arbeitstier
Reference material by Wiktionary contributors. This retains its source identity and is not 411 news reporting.
German
Etymology
de :af Arbeit<t:work> -s- Tier<t:animal>
de Arbeit work -s- Tier animal
Pronunciation
de /ˈaʁbaɪ̯tsˌtiːʁ/ [ˈʔaʁ.baɪ̯t͡sˌti(ː)ɐ̯] [ˈʔaɐ̯-] [ʔaː-]
de De-Arbeitstier.ogg <<Germany>> (<<Berlin>>)
de Ar beits tier
Noun
n,(e)s
an animal that does labour for people; beast of burden
de Ochsen wurden hauptsächlich als Arbeitstiere gehalten. Oxen were kept predominantly as beasts of burden.
de figurative a person who works exaggeratedly hard
workaholic one who cannot relax
de Er ist so ein Arbeitstier, dass er seine Tabellen noch als Bettlektüre benutzt. He’s such a workaholic that he still reads his tables when he goes to bed.
plodder one who must level out lacking talent
de Es gibt drei Arten von guten Schülern: die Genies, die Schleimer und die Arbeitstiere. There are three kinds of people who are good in school: the geniuses, the teacher’s pets, and the plodders.
de figurative a machine, e.g. a car, kept for practical use rather than for leisure or as a status symbol
de Der Kombi ist ein reines Arbeitstier. Für den Rest hab ich den Porsche. The estate car is just for practical use. For the rest, I’ve got the Porsche.
Declension
n,(e)s
Further reading