I read an article the other day that was so good it might need to become a blog series.
It’s about words.
Stop that.
It’s going to be great, I promise.
English is a funny language and apparently if it’s not your mother tongue, can be quite difficult to learn. So naturally it stands to reason there would be a large collection of foreign words with no direct English equivalent.
Let’s explore that.
- Kummerspeck (German)
Excess weight gained from emotional overeating.
Literally, grief bacon.
Grief bacon!
It’s official.
Kummerspeck is now my new favorite word.
Do I like bacon?
Indeed I do.
Do I care that it’s bad for you?
No. I do not.
2. Mencolek (Indonesian)
The old trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them.
Where was this word when I was young?
I totally slayed Mencolek in the 3rd grade.
3. Seigneur-terraces (French)
Coffee shop dwellers who sit at tables a long time, but spend very little money.
Funny….
In English we just call them cheap.
4. Slampadato (Italian)
Someone addicted to the UV glow of tanning salons.
I think we all know one of those.
And finally..
5. Pana Po’o (Hawaiian)
To scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten.
This is not a technique I’m familiar with, but then I’ve never been to Hawaii so what do I know?
But to hell with remembering where the keys are …
This is pure brilliance.
