Green’s Dictionary of Slang

1. (US) a fool, an idiot.

1869		C.G. Leland ‘Hans Breitmann’s Christmas’ in Hans Breitmann’s Party 37: Nine vellers tressed like denpins — dey goed to der end’ der ball, / Und dwo Hans Wurst, shack-puddin glowns — dey rolled at em mit a pall.
1871		C.G. Leland ‘Breitsmann in Italy’ in Hans Breitmann in Europe 268: ‘Hans Wurst ist stets ein Deutscher g’west,’ / Das marked der Breitmaun.
1899		Record-Union (Sacramento, CA) 12 Nov. 8/3: Hans Wurst (Jack Sausage), a German.
1925		(con. WWI) Fraser & Gibbons Soldier and Sailor Words 114: Hans Wurst: (German—wurst – sausage). The popular German nickname for a German infantryman [...] ‘Hans Wurst’ is a derisory term ordinarily, equivalent to ‘Silly Billy’, ‘Silly Johnny’, or the former-day ‘Jack Pudding’.
1983		Maledicta VII 25: The old personification, Hans Wurst, rarely was used in American English; Hans Wurst was the traditional buffoon in German folk plays since 1600.
2024		J. Meades Empty Wigs (t/s) 654: [as generic for a German soldier] Then he began to feel parts of my body. Tommy Atkins was no better than Hans Wurst.

2. (also liverwurst) nonsense.

1925		T. Thursday ‘Fiction Is Stranger Than Truth’ in Laughter Oct. 🌐 The complete novel was the worst slice of hanswurst I have ever read.
1940		T. Thursday ‘There’s Hicks In All Trades’ in All Sports Feb. 🌐 The left hook [...] the boy who knows his hanswurst can even lay his playmate on the floor with it.
1956		T. Thursday ‘The Big Squawk’ in Smashing Detective Mag. 15 Apr. 🌐 I’ve had enough of this Jackie Gleason and Burns and Allen liverwurst.