# German goiter

idiom

Source: https://englishreference.com/idiom/german-goiter
Updated: 2026-08-10

## Meaning

A protruding stomach, especially one supposed to be indicative of excessive consumption of beer.

## Examples

- He developed a German goiter after drinking too much beer.
- After years of visiting the local pub every night, he found he could no longer hide his growing German goiter.
- The older gentleman patted his prominent German goiter, a physical testament to decades of enthusiastic indulgence in the local brewery's finest offerings.

## Origin

From German + goiter, from the stereotype that Germans drink a lot of beer, and from the similarity of a protruding stomach to a protruding goiter.

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