If your German is rusty, it's like the bike you left out in the rain too many times that turned brown and flakey on the metal parts. Like your bike, your German skills became rusty, meaning they're suffering from neglect.
Covered or affected with rust;
Adjective S.
of the color of rust
Adjective S.
ancient; "hoary jokes"
Adjective S.
covered with or consisting of rust; "a rusty machine"; "rusty deposits"
Adjective S.
impaired in skill by neglect
superl.
Covered or affected with rust; as, a rusty knife or
sword; rusty wheat.
superl.
Impaired by inaction, disuse, or neglect.
superl.
Discolored and rancid; reasty; as, rusty bacon.
superl.
Surly; morose; crusty; sullen.
superl.
Rust-colored; dark.
superl.
Discolored; stained; not cleanly kept; filthy.
superl.
Resembling, or covered with a substance resembling,
rust; affected with rust; rubiginous.
Rusty
[Hector,] in this dull and long-continued truce, Is rusty grown.3.
The rustly little schooners that bring fire wood from the Brititsh provinces.7.
Covered or affected with rust;
Usage Examples
Fear tastes like a rusty knife and do not let her into your house.
Misspelled Formrusty, erusty, 4rusty, 5rusty, trusty, frusty, eusty, 4usty, 5usty, tusty, fusty, reusty, r4usty, r5usty, rtusty, rfusty, ryusty, r7usty, r8usty, riusty, rjusty, rysty, r7sty, r8sty, risty, rjsty, ruysty, ru7sty, ru8sty, ruisty, rujsty, ruasty, ruwsty, ruesty, rudsty, ruxsty, ruzsty, ruaty, ruwty, ruety, rudty, ruxty, ruzty, rusaty, ruswty, rusety, rusdty, rusxty, ruszty, rusrty, rus5ty, rus6ty, rusyty, rusgty, rusry, rus5y, rus6y, rusyy, rusgy, rustry, rust5y, rust6y, rustyy, rustgy, rustty, rust6y, rust7y, rustuy, rusthy, rustt, rust6, rust7, rustu, rusth, rustyt, rusty6, rusty7, rustyu, rustyh.
Other Usage ExamplesA rusty nail placed near a faithful compass, will sway it from the truth, and wreck the argosy.