from the East German judge

prepositional phrase

Used with an imaginary low score in a competition.

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Meanings

prepositional phrase
  1. humorousUsed with an imaginary low score in a competition.

    “Nice pop, Aldo.” “Well, I guess a five-point-six from the East German judge. Let’s get moving.”

    2003, Tom Clancy, The Teeth of the Tiger, The Berkley Publishing Group, page 444
    2 more examples

    The Birdman receives straight 6-figure contracts across the board except from the East German judge, who makes him pay for his own lunch and won't even validate parking.

    1988, Linda Frye Burnham, High Performance

    The Camry interior styling and fit and finish get eights, even from the East German judge, but the Kia's pull solid nines.

    2007, Car and Driver, volume 52, page 72

Origin

Because of the reputation of East German judges for giving low scores to West Germans at sporting events.

Full word history & related roots →
Cite this entry
APA

from the East German judge. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 5, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/from%20the%20East%20German%20judge

MLA

“from the East German judge.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/from%20the%20East%20German%20judge. Accessed November 5, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “from the East German judge,” accessed November 5, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/from%20the%20East%20German%20judge.

Source: from the East German judge on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.