German word of the day: Arschgeweih

If you have a lower back tattoo, or are thinking of getting one, this German word is for you.

Because it literally means "arse antlers" and that's pretty cool right?

Das Arschgeweih, which sounds like this , is the German colloquial term for a lower back tattoo.

It combines Arsch (arse, ass or butt) and Geweih (antlers). It's a humorous, and slightly insulting nickname, for a tattoo placed above someone's butt at the bottom of the back. It is what English speakers sometimes (rather less elegantly) call a "tramp stamp."

These distinctive tattoos, usually featuring a tribal or symmetrical design across the lower back, became hugely fashionable in the late 1990s and early 2000s.

Perfectly matched with low-rise jeans, celebrities from Britney Spears to Angelina Jolie all sported so-called arse antlers.

According to the German newspaper FAZ, the term Arschgeweih was coined in 2002 by the Austrian tattoo artist Pogo. After coming up with the word, he had 5,000 stickers printed with the phrase and handed them out at a tattoo convention.

It then became widespread in popular culture in the German-speaking world. In the summer of 2004, the tabloid Bild even ran a contest to find "the most beautiful Arschgeweih, " with readers sending in photos of their tattoos.

Attempts were made to find more neutral-sounding terms to describe the lower back tattoo, such as Steißgeweih (tailbone antlers) and Steißbeintattoo (tailbone tattoo), but they didn't quite catch on.

Despite the jokes, lower back tattoos are enjoying a resurgence. After years of being mocked in pop culture, Gen Z and younger millennials are diving into Y2K fashion, and getting their own lower back tattoos.

So if you have arse antlers, there is only one thing to do: embrace them.

A post shared by ꒰ა ☆ Jenny ☆ ໒꒱ Auckland Tattoo Artist, NZ (@jenty.tattoo)

Keep in mind that this term can be perceived as rude in some settings so make sure you're using it describe to the tattoo style rather than someone's tattoo (unless you know them well and they're likely to enjoy the joke).