Originally published under the title in Great Britain in 1977 and adopted from the French edition (Flammarion, 1975). What is the ? Adrienne begins by explaining what the Gimmick is not. It is not a serious scholarly book. It the answer to your problems in speaking and understanding German—a method of acquiring an international vocabulary. There is a basic vocabulary of words and expressions which is the same in any language. The Gimmicks are expressly designed to supply the essentials, and an internationally valid method of learning them—hence, their great success in every country in which they have appeared.