katzenjammer

Alternative forms

• Katzenjammer

Etymology

Borrowed from German Katzenjammer (“hangover”, literally “the wailing of cats”); a determinative compound formed from Katze (“cat”) +‎ -n- +‎ Jammer (“wailing; lamentation”).

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈkætsənd͡ʒæmə(ɹ)/

Noun

katzenjammer (plural katzenjammers)

1. hangover
   • 1936, Henry Miller, Black Spring

     In those days a still-birth brought as high as ten dollars and after riding the shoot-the-chutes we always left a little stale beer for the morning because the finest thing in the world for Katzenjammer is a glass of stale beer.

2. jitters; discord; confusion
3. depression