Path: utzoo!censor!geac!torsqnt!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!wuarchive!udel!princeton!siemens!spitfire!tjo
From: tjo@spitfire.siemens.edu (Tom Ostrand)
Newsgroups: rec.birds
Subject: Re: "Titmouse" (Was Re: Contact Notes of Winter Birds in Seattle)
Message-ID: <tjo.660579835@spitfire>
Date: 7 Dec 90 14:23:55 GMT
References: <1990Dec6.151906.24789@ioe.lon.ac.uk>
Sender: news@siemens.siemens.com
Lines: 13


>The German for tit is 'maise' (pronounce moiser, roughly), thus blue
>tit is 'blaumaise' etc. (The German for mouse is 'maus' prnounced
>'mouse')

The German word is "die Meise".  To get approximately the correct
pronounciation, say the English word 'miser' (a stingy person),
and leave off the 'r' sound, but not the 'e'.
There's also a slightly old-fashioned expression "eine Meise
haben", literally "to have a titmouse".  It means "to be a little
nutty".  
--
	--- Tom Ostrand 	Siemens Corp. Research ---