kolossalische Skandal

[Helen Halva]

Dutch was possibility #1, obviously not correct.
Possibility #2 potentially describes  the German in the original conjecture.

Peter Houtzagers wrote:
> There is nothing Dutch about "kolossalische Skandal". My Duden lists 
> "kolossalisch" as a synonym of "kolossal", qualifying it as "gehoben". 
> The only "strange" thing is the lacking final -r, which is no problem 
> if the adjective is preceded by a definite article. Why shouldn't it 
> just be German?
>
> Peter Houtzagers
>
>>
>> I do not know anything about Chekhov's "The man in a case", but 
>> "kolossalische Skandal" is not a correct German expression.
>> From my (totally unprofessional) experience with German and 
>> neighbouring literature, I could imagine two possibilities
>>
>> 1) it is a Dutch phrase, either old-fashioned or contemporary
>> 2) it could be a phrase used around 1900, but mocking the 
>> (grammatically correct) expression "kolossaler Skandal"
>> The word "kolossal" (meaning the same as "colossal") was used mainly 
>> in Berlin and surrounding areas at the beginning of the 20th century. 
>> Nowadays, it would be used in a non-serious context only.
>> It is possible that the expression "kolossalischer Skandal" in a book 
>> would be used by a lower-class (uneducated) person, who would have 
>> misconstructed the correct expression in a vain attempt to use a 
>> fashionable term. By making this mistake, the person's low level of 
>> education would have become obvious to everybody.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Wladimir Shatsev wrote:
>>
>>> Dear
>>> Seelangers,
>>>
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> Does anyone
>>> know about the German or pseudo-German phrase  from Chekhov�s The 
>>> Man in a Case?  �
>>>
>>>
>>> < �>����
>>> �� ����� �� ��������� kolossalische  Skandal�.
>>>
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> Do you think
>>> it can be a quotation or whatever? If this is a quotation where do 
>>> you think it
>>> is from? Any suggestions about the origin of the phrase? How this could
>>> charcterize the person saying it?
>>>
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> I
>>> understand that  Dear
>>> Seelangers,
>>>
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> Does anyone
>>> know about the German or pseudo-German phrase  from Chekhov�s The 
>>> Man in a Case?  �
>>>
>>>
>>> < �>����
>>> �� ����� �� ��������� kolossalische  Skandal�.
>>>
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> Do you think
>>> it can be a quotation or whatever? If this is a quotation where do 
>>> you think it
>>> is from? Any suggestions about the origin of the phrase? How this could
>>> charcterize the person saying it?
>>>
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> I
>>> understand that  kolossalische   Skandal sounds not quite Grammatical.
>>> Is such an expression as kolossalle Skandal really exist ?
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you in advance.
>>>
>>> Regards, Vladimir Shatsev.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Regards,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Vladimir Shatsev
>>>  sounds not quite Grammatical.
>>> Is such an expression as kolossalle Skandal really exist ?
>>>
>>>  
>>>
>>>
>>> Thank you in advance.
>>>
>>> Regards, Vladimir Shatsev.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>>   
>>
>>
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