die Kippe
Translation
cigarette butt, fag end, brink, edge
Examples
Wirf die Kippe nicht auf die Straße.
Don't throw the cigarette butt on the street.
Seine Firma steht auf der Kippe.
His company is on the brink of collapse.
Grammar Patterns
((et4)) to throw away/extinguish sth. He threw the butt away.
((auf der Kippe stehen)) to be on the brink The relationship is on the brink.
Similar Words
Synonyms: der Zigarettenstummel (cigarette butt)
Etymology
From the verb 'kippen' (to tip, to tilt). A cigarette butt is what's left after 'tipping' out the ash. The brink is the 'tipping point'.
Memory Tips
Imagine something 'tipping' over an 'edge' (Kippe). This image works for both the physical edge and the metaphorical 'on the brink' meaning.