Even foreign dignitaries can be plagued with the age-old problem of standing around in public: what do you do with your hands? German Chancellor Angela Merkel has taken to holding her hands in a certain way so often that it’s been named the Merkel-Raute, or Merkel rhombus, which pretty accurately describes the shape she’s making. This is part of a complete episode.
Transcript of “The Merkel-Raute”
A new German expression I just learned is Merkel-Rauter.
So Angela Merkel something.
Yes, yes, yes.
Rauter?
Yes, Rauter.
Rauter?
Path?
I don’t know.
I have no idea.
Rauter means rhombus.
Rhombus?
Or like a diamond shape.
I have no idea what this is.
The shape of her lectern when she gives speeches?
You’re so close.
She stands there. She’s got this gesture that’s been widely, widely reproduced and parodied.
And it’s the Merkel rauta or the Merkel rhombus.
And it’s her fingers together, pointing down and the thumbs together.
They form sort of this little parallelogram.
And she holds them just sort of in front of her belly there.
And she’s been asked about it and said, yeah, it’s difficult to know what to do with your hands.
That’s the problem for all of us.
Yeah.
She needs some business, like a cup or something, right?
Yeah, exactly.
And Bob Dole in his pen or something.
Yeah, that would work.
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