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English to German translations [PRO] General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / colloquialism
English term or phrase:geezer
One meaning for geezer in colloquial English is “a decent bloke who is well respected “one of the lads” and generally someone you would gladly pass the time of day/share a beer with”.
So is there a single concept in German that conveys all this?
Thanks all round, looking forward to hearing your thoughts
Dan
Explanation: A suggestion which describes the meaning you are looking for but I agree will the others in the discussion but generally a "geezer" is more of a an "alter Knacker".....
I agree with Claus. "Feiner Kerl" (or also "anständiger Kerl") could be a good rendering for "geezer" in the sense of "decent bloke", "diamond geezer".
Just be careful using the term 'geezer' around American English speakers - it has a definite negative connotation, just as Camilla in South Africa has said. In US English, it is commonly used as 'old geezer' for an older male who is cranky, set in his ways, possibly eccentric or doesn't pay attention to personal hygiene, and is certainly unpleasant to be around!
This is all good stuff - Nicola has nailed the up-to-date concept perfectly by the way. As far as context goes, we were discussing our German colleague who we all acknowledge as a thoroughly decent bloke - definitely not "alter Knacker" - and "geezer" is the perfect, complimentary way to describe him in English (north London/Essex). My own vocabulary let me down, hence my question. Because he is from the bayrischer Wald, Spezi starts to make sense - thanks Thomas. In fact he's just come into the room - if it's an inappropriate usage I'll return with a black eye.
In recent years, in the London area at least ,"to be a bit of a geezer" has become something of a compliment among young men, meaning someone who is fun to hang out with, good for a laugh, with a certain amount of confidence, probably a bit of flirt, or a ladies man, just generally the kind of bloke you want to be around if you enjoy a bit of fun (and if he's a diamond geezer he'll probably also help you out of a tight spot) . "Kumpel" was my first thought, but it's weak in comparison.
According to Collins "geezer" gis "a man, esp. an old one regarded as eccentric." This would be a "komischer Kauz" "alter Knacker" or something like that in German. I certainly have never heard of "geezer" being used to described a "decent bloke".... and "one of the lads" - but we would have to have a little more context.
It would help if you could give some indication of the sentence in which it is used. I can think of several colloquial variants used here that might fit the bill, but without the full context it is difficult to know which would be most appropriate.
Explanation: A suggestion which describes the meaning you are looking for but I agree will the others in the discussion but generally a "geezer" is more of a an "alter Knacker".....
The translation workplace 
peer agreement (net): +2
