der Feigling

Recently I've been watching the comedy series Scrubs in German. Why, given all the wonderful German programming, would I choose to watch a dubbed American show? First, the German dubbing for Scrubs is very well done–really top-notch. (Kudos, Axel Malzacher!) It's actually a pleasure for an American Scrubs fan to watch. Second, I know exactly what the English means, and that means I know the intent of the German. That's very important, especially in comedy, because I can look up every word in a German sentence and still not know what it means to a native speaker, but with good dubbing from English, I can catch a break. (Don't race out and order Scrubs in German if you're in the States, though: it's Region 2 and won't play on your American player.)

In the first episode, J.D. is running to answer a Code Blue when he recollects that the doctor who gets there first will be responsible for the life or death of the patient. He immediately veers off into the supply closet. But Elliot is already hiding in the supply closet, so with great indignation, J.D. tells her, "Du Feigling!" Naturally, der Feigling is a coward.