Pfeife
loser, incompetent (jocular-derogatory; lit. 'whistle/pipe')
Origin
Literally a 'Pfeife' is a musical or signalling whistle/pipe; etymologically the word goes back via Middle High German 'pfīfe' and Old High German 'pfīfa' to Vulgar/Classical Latin 'pipāre' (to whistle, to peep). Colloquially and pejoratively, Wiktionary glosses 'Pfeife' as 'Versager' (failure), i.e. an incompetent or cowardly person ('to be a real Pfeife'). The insult is mild and more mocking than coarse.
Building blocks
Words in this expression
Examples
Der Schiri war eine Pfeife.
The ref today was a real dud.