Schmäh: A lesson in Austrian humor

The word Schmäh (pronounced 'shmay') has many meanings: it can denote a joke, a trick or a lie but also regional or personal charm, sense of humour and wit. It is a good-natured yet snide kind of banter with a subversive historical background: Schmäh has its roots below stairs, originating from servants' mockery of the high-strung, pseudo-courtly lifestyle of their burgeois masters. Part melancholy, part comedy, it often mixes gallantry with persiflage, flattery with ridicule.

Every region and every Austrian has a unique type of Schmäh. It is sometimes mistaken for moodiness or impertinence, but it has always been a friendly, ironic sort of naughtiness, with very simple rules of engagement: roll with the punches and enjoy a harmless - if slightly anarchic - battle of the wits.