So What is a Schnopfinfix anyway?

[spacecrow]

It's time to clear this up!

Early in the movie "The Blue Max" it is suggested that Lt. Bruno Stachel might fit this description.

"just another Schnopfinfix"

Capitalized since it appears to be a noun.

Hopefully not too bad a pejorative.

and how do you spell that?

[Scott]

According to Perplexity:

In the context of the movie "The Blue Max," the term "Schnopenfix" is not explicitly defined or explained. However, based on the context of the film and the character of Lt. Bruno Stachel, we can infer its meaning:

Interpretation of "Schnopenfix"

The term "Schnopenfix" appears to be a derogatory or dismissive label used by the aristocratic officers to describe pilots like Stachel who come from lower-class backgrounds. It likely implies:

1. Social Climber: Someone of humble origins trying to rise above their station.
2. Opportunist: A person who takes advantage of circumstances with little regard for principles or consequences.
3. Outsider: Someone who doesn't fit in with the established social order of the aristocratic officer class.

Context in "The Blue Max"

• Class Conflict: The movie heavily emphasizes the clash between Stachel's working-class background and the aristocratic air force officers.
• Ambition vs. Chivalry: Stachel's relentless pursuit of the Blue Max medal contrasts with the more chivalrous attitudes of his peers.
• Prejudice: The term likely reflects the prejudice Stachel faces from his fellow officers who view him as an upstart or interloper.

Stachel's Character

• Ambitious: Stachel is portrayed as highly ambitious, willing to do whatever it takes to earn the Blue Max and prove himself.
• Outsider: He struggles to fit in with the aristocratic culture of the air force.
• Controversial: His tactics and attitude offend his comrades, leading to conflict within the squadron.
• By suggesting Stachel might be "just another Schnopenfix," the other characters are likely dismissing him as yet another lower-class opportunist trying to rise above his station, implying that he lacks the noble qualities they associate with their class and profession.

[HoHun]

Hi,

Originally Posted by spacecrow

It's time to clear this up!

Early in the movie "The Blue Max" it is suggested that Lt. Bruno Stachel might fit this description.

"just another Schnopfinfix"

I can't quite decipher it, but I suppose it's a compound noun with the second part being "Fex", a South German/Austrian term for a person obsessesed with something.

This 1899 book on soldier slang notes that in Austria, the "dandy of the class" was called "Jahrgangsfex" (as classes were organized by year):

https://archive.org/details/diedeuts...e/n28/mode/2up

Kluges "Etymologisches Wörterbuch der deutschen Sprache" notes that the etymology of "Fex" is unclear, but it might have been inspired by the much older humorous terms "Narrifex" and "Versifex", which imitate the Latin "Pontifex".

This German Wikipedia article notes it was originally used in a denigrating sense for people from the lower classes, or for the patients of an asylum (for the insane):

https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fex

It also notes that compound nouns with "Vexier-" stem from the Fex root, but that's according to Kluge actually derived from Latin "vexare" ('torment, tease').

For the first half of the compound noun, if you had a link to a clip from the movie, I'd have to listen to it to see if it I can connect it to any word.

The German names in "The Blue Max" were obviously chosen by someone with a good grasp of German, so potentially, the authors used a real but obscure German term :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[spacecrow]

i heard schnoppenfit on the video. I looked at the book and could not find this word or even the event. I appears to have been written in the movie script by the screen play writer.

[Volker_Nemsch]

.
I tried to find the term "Schnopfinfix" or "Schnopfinfex" within the German section of the internet - with no result at all. I know about the (outdated) word "Fex" and admit, that no one I know uses it any more.

That is strange, especially since you easily find old German words from the last Millenium, if it ever was written down.

So could you provide me with a "soundpiece" of this word from "The Blue Max"? Maybe my German ears hear something different...

.

[spacecrow]

"And Stachel?

Let's hope you get to like us.

He could have been lying

about the five bedrooms.

- His father was probably only a waiter.

- Just another snob in fact.

Willi, there's something I haven't told you.

I have an uncle in the hotel business.

I admit he's a baron,

and the hotel has 500 bedrooms,

but you do see the position it places me in."

https://www.scripts.com/script.php?id=the_blue_max_4373

I am not entirely convinced of the accuracy of this. Looks machine created rather than an authentic script. When I was doing theatrics, the scripts I was given specified the character delivering the lines. This does not. I saw the movie twice in theaters, a few times on television and many times on video. It did not sound English. A line can be changed on the set.

My impression has been it was an off color wise crack that was not permitted under the standards of the 1960's, so it was delivered in a foreign language to get around that. The movie was banned in some theaters because of the sex scene.

[HoHun]

Hi,

Originally Posted by spacecrow

I am not entirely convinced of the accuracy of this. Looks machine created rather than an authentic script.

Agreed. "Snob" wouldn't make all that much sense, considering that the situation that was meant to be conveyed probably was that Stachel was aspiring to be seen as equal despite probably being from a socially lower background. I don't think aristicratic officers wouldn't have considered someone as equal solely based on wealth anyway, which might be the point the hotel-owner uncle story was meant to convey (though I'm not entirely sure about that).

I wouldn't rule out that the actor didn't quite manage to properly pronounce whatever original German word might have been in the script, especially if it was an unusual compound noun. I wouldn't expect a censor-worthy term here since the dialogue looks like exposition of aristocratic officers looking down on a non-aristocratic tyro, so there would be no need for forceful and potentially profane vocabulary.

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[MASTIFF]

How about "Schnopfinisch" ... roughly interpreted as a snotty-faced low class child trying to be equal to the aristocratic members of the squadron.

Cheers,
Tony

[HoHun]

Hi Tony,

Originally Posted by MASTIFF

How about "Schnopfinisch" ... roughly interpreted as a snotty-faced low class child trying to be equal to the aristocratic members of the squadron.

I recognize neither the morphems nor the method of joining them from my knowledge of German.

At the moment, I'm quite out of ideas.

"Schnapper..." perhaps? "Someone who snaps", might imply greed and opportunism in a (probably made-up) compound noun.

As a noun by itself, it might only be used to describe several species of fish, apparently called "snappers" in English, too :-)

Regards,

Henning (HoHun)

[spacecrow]

13:35

http://https://youtu.be/zMKlkKvBOug?t=810