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Definition 2024

bjørnetjeneste

bjørnetjeneste

Danish

Noun

bjørnetjeneste c (singular definite bjørnetjenesten, plural indefinite bjørnetjenester)

  1. A well-intentioned disservice.
  2. (proscribed) A very great service.

Declension

References

  1. ↑ http://dsn.dk/nyt/nyt-fra-sprognaevnet/2006-4.pdf

Etymology

bjørn ‎(“bear”) +‎ tjeneste ‎(“service”), with reference to w:the Bear and the Gardener, in which a bear inadvertently kills his friend when trying to keep away flies.

The second sense is known from 1992, and might be an allusion to the size and (perceived kind) disposition of a bear.[1]

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