What is the german slang for wanderlust or feet won't sit still?

Question

I am writing my 91 yr old grams history and she used a word in german to describe her dad moving them around alot when she was a kid, when I asked she wouldn't spell it for me but said to write that his feet won't sit still, I liked the german better but need help with the word

Answer 1

As has already been pointed out here, "Wanderlust" is originally German. However, I guess it's much less used in German now that the German loanword in English.
Now I don't know your grandmother and I certainly don''t want to suggest that she's a potty mouth; however her reluctance to spell out what she said inadvertently might mean that she used a colloquialism such as "er hatte Ameisen im Hintern" (or even "....im Arsch"), meaning "he had ants in his pants" (literally, "in his behind/ar_se"), i.e. he was a restless person unable to sit/settle down.

Answer 2

Well it's German slang varies greatly from region to region...to the point where you can't understand one another when speaking your regional dialect in other places. I grew up in Bavaria and you could tell people that lived just a few miles away by they spoke. It would make it easier to know where she was from. From the previous answers I like Zigeunerblut the best (Bavarians say that too and pronounce it "Tsigeinerbloat"). or maybe Herumgezogen (in Bavarian "Rumzoga"). ...hope you find what you're looking for!

Answer 3

Wanderlust is originally German.

Answer 4

Another suggestion would be that he had "Zigeunerblut"
(=gypsie blood) in him, which means the same and is more likely to have been used by an old lady than "ants in the pants", but the word "Zigeuner" is seen as derogatory now, maybe thats why she didn't want to tell you.

Answer 5

The word Wanderlust is German and it's pronounced:
"Van-der-loost"

Answer 6

Maybe she used "vagabundieren" = "vagabonding", or just "herumreisen" =" travel about", or perhaps she said " es hat ihn in den Füßen gejuckt" = "he had itchy feet"?