Why was Hitler called a carpet chewer?

Why was Hitler called a ‘carpet chewer’?

"Teppichfresser!” muttered my German companion, an editor who secretly despised the Nazis. And he explained that Hitler had been in such a maniacal mood over the Czechs the last few days that on more than one occasion he had lost control of himself completely, hurling himself to the floor and chewing the edge of the carpet.”

- William Shirer, Rise and Fall of the Third Reich

Oh boy, this is a funny one.

While I’ve been unable to find the original source for how this nickname came about the anecdote told in Rise and Fall of the Third Reich, by William L. Shirer, is definitely what popularized the saying. But why? Was the Fuhrer really getting down and munching the carpet in a fit of rage? No, no he wasn’t.

Teppichfresser translates to “carpet-chewer” or “eating the carpet” and is German slang for someone who is easily angered. The English equivalent would be “fire-eater”. Another possibility is that people may have used it to reference Hitler's habit of pacing up and down a room He did it feverishly and without pause so people began to refer to it as him“chewing up the carpet”. Incidentally, he often paced while angry, anxious, or in the throes of a passionate monologue.

The fact that this phrase was often used for Allied propaganda purposes can not be dismissed, however, it’s entirely possible that a mistranslation of the phrase was used and simply never corrected. After all, Hitler eating carpet is far more discrediting than him having a bad temper.

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That is an interesting explanation. I had never heard of the term "Teppichfresser" before, but it makes sense that it would be used as a metaphor for someone who is easily angered. It is also possible that the phrase was mistranslated, as you mentioned.

It is important to remember that Hitler was a complex and contradictory figure. He was capable of great evil, but he also had some human qualities. His habit of pacing up and down while angry may have been a way of trying to control his temper. Or, it may have been a way of releasing his pent-up anger in a somewhat harmless way.

Ultimately, we may never know for sure why Hitler was called a "carpet chewer." But the story is a reminder that even the most evil people can have some human qualities.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chew_the_fat