German strength comes across as brutality in modern America. The propaganda of the early 19'th century did its work. At one point, German was the second most spoken language, and American propaganda created a disgust of Germany during the first world war.
The word "grim" is Old English and means "fierce".
Isengrim - "fierce iron".
The meaning seems to have slightly shifted from there to come to mean serious/depressing.
German strength comes across as brutality in modern America. The propaganda of the early 19'th century did its work. At one point, German was the second most spoken language, and American propaganda created a disgust of Germany during the first world war.