I ran into this expression in Germany and no-one would tell me what it meant. They all seemed to think I was making some kind of joke when I asked and avoided answering. The closest thing I got to an answer was 'You tell me, you speak English' which didn't help, at all.
NB: In German there are no silent letters. The K is pronounced so it sounds like Kinoff Hoff
2006-09-19 06:30:28 · 10 answers · asked by Frog Five 5 in Society & Culture ➔ Languages
Knoff-Hoff is the idiom that is used to say Know-How in German and it is a book that was written by Joachim Bublath.
2006-09-19 06:33:53 · answer #1 · answered by Barkley Hound 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
It's a TV show in Germany where people ask how certain things work and then the telly-people explain them. Well, I don't know if the show is still on...anyway.
Bit like 'Tickle TV'.
'Knoff Hoff' is how you would pronounce 'know how' with a strong German accent.
2006-09-19 07:46:29 · answer #2 · answered by jupiter FIVE 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
After being bombarded all day long with badly pronounced and hardly understood anglicisms, because some people think that's cool, the Germans have made a joke out of it.
It stands for know how, the way a German with no knowledge at all of English would pronounce it.
2006-09-19 09:48:48 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
That's nonsense. Hoff... hope is "hoffen" in german. Hoff' is the imperative. Knoff is really nonsense.
2006-09-19 06:34:30 · answer #4 · answered by nics 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Know how. It's also a cool program from Germany about Science and other cool things like magic....
2006-09-19 06:58:51 · answer #5 · answered by goodchessactor 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Night Magic has had over 350 of the world's top magicians appear on its stage. Below is a partial list of some of the performers that have graced the stage of the historic SoHo Playhouse.)
Performers
DAVID ACER
JEN ADAMS
THIN AIR
DANNY ALAN
JUST ALAN
ALBA
JON ALLEN
FRED ANDERSON
GENE ANDERSON
RAY ANDERSON
JOHN ANDREJACK
CARL ANDREWS, JR.
DANNY ARCHER
ORI ASHKENAZY
MAGICK BALAY
2006-09-19 06:35:39 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
Could be their way of pronouncing "naff off". Commonly used in UK without knowledge of its derivation from "polari" - 'not available for fu**ing'
2006-09-19 06:49:07 · answer #7 · answered by cooperman 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it's the joke german pronounciation of know how. :-)
2006-09-19 06:37:38 · answer #8 · answered by nerdyhermione 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Take your pick.........http://uk.search.yahoo.com/search?fr=ybr_bt&y=y&p=KNOFF%20HOFF
2006-09-19 06:35:51 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
"KNOCK IT OF" means stop what you'r saying, or doing!
2006-09-19 06:34:19 · answer #10 · answered by alfonso 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋