An “Austrian for beginners” guidebook will be distributed during the Euro 2008 tournament this June in Vienna to soccer fans. But instead of going for simple phrases about finding the library or buying fish, the dictionary will let hooligans know the important things in life, like where to get sugared pancakes and um, “hot kittens.”

Essential phrases such as “Ham Se an Kaiserschmoan mit Zwetschknroesta?”, “Do you have a sliced sugared pancake with plum compote?” or “Fia mi bitte no a Soizguakn”, “another gherkin for me please”, are listed with English and German translations.

Greetings include “Moagn”, “Good morning”, and “Kuess die Hand, gnae Frau”, the phrase to be uttered when kissing a woman’s hand at a first meeting — a traditional Austrian gesture.

For an initial approach to a member of the opposite sex, the book suggests: “Servas, fesche Katz”, literally “greetings, hot kitten” but translated as “Hello princess”.

Both sound really lame to us, but what do we know? We’re still thinking about those sugared pancakes.

Dialect Guide to Assist Euro Fans on Food,Flirting [Javno]
Image [toytowngermany.com]