The English word "jerk" can mean an idiot or a fool, especially in informal or colloquial usage. Historically, "jerk" originally meant an inept or pathetic person, a fool or idiot, but its meaning has evolved to often describe an objectionable or obnoxious person, sometimes a cruel or rude individual. In German, equivalents for "jerk" meaning idiot or fool include "Idiot" or "Trottel," which both carry the sense of someone foolish or contemptible. "Jerk" can also translate to "Arschloch" (asshole) or "Wichser" (w****r) depending on the severity of the insult in slang contexts, but for the more general sense of idiot or fool, "Idiot" and "Trottel" are appropriate translations.

Thus, the phrase "jerk" as the English word for "idiot" or "trottel" can be understood as:

• jerk = Idiot (Idiot)
• jerk = Trottel (fool, simpleton)

These capture the roughly equivalent informal insults used in both languages.