Halve Hahn

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Central Franconian

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Noun

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Halve Hahn m

  1. (chiefly Kölsch) a cheese sandwich, cut in half

German

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Etymology

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Borrowed from Kölsch halve Hahn (literally half a cock/rooster). The origin is possibly an order like Kölsch Kann ich ne Halve hann? (Can I get half [a sandwich]?), the last two words of which were then re-interpreted (either by foreigners or jokingly) as halve Hahn.

Pronunciation

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Noun

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Halve Hahn m

  1. (regional, in the Rhineland) a cheese sandwich, cut in half

Usage notes

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  • The expression is rare in actual usage. Even in thick Ripuarian dialect one generally uses the plain and simple word Kiesbrütche ("cheese sandwich"). However, Halve Hahn is occasionally used as a shibboleth among Rhineland people and can be found on the menus of traditional Colognian pubs (as a humorous knowledge test for foreigners).
  • The term is either uninflected, e.g. (accusative) den Halve Hahn, or the first part behaves like a normal German adjective, thus den Halven Hahn, and so on.