Alles klar...

Depending on the context and your audience, dropping a few French words and phrases into your conversation may make you sound sophisticated or may make you sound like a bit of a pretentious twat. Dropping a German word or phrase will make you sound even more sophisticated... or maybe an even bigger twat with more pretensions.

Sometimes though, nothing else quite captures the moment as well as one of those German words that seem to sum up what we mean better than anything English could dream up. Where would we be without:

Doppelgänger: taken from German Doppel (double) and Gänger (goer). A ghostly counterpart of a living person. A double or an alter ego.

Lebensraum: from the German Leben (living, life) and Raum (space). The space required for life, growth, or activity. Brought to prominence again by Adolf Hitler in his book Mein Kampf.

Realpolitik: from German real (realistic, practical or actual); and Politik politics. Politics based on practical and material factors rather than on theoretical or ethical objectives.

Schadenfreude: derives from the German Schaden (adversity, harm) and Freude (joy). Pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others.

Wanderlust: from the German words wandern (to hike) and Lust (desire). A strong, innate desire to rove or travel about.

Zeitgeist: a loanword from German Zeit (time) and Geist (spirit). Spirit of an age.

And you couldn't really entitle a post Alles Klar without a word from The League of Gentlemen's Herr Lipp