GRiM
The Living Force
Weird and wonderful foreign phrases..
English is a rich and wonderful language - but sometimes it's just not good enough.
For example, have you ever searched around in vain for a word to describe someone who gets excited by eating garlic?
Or wondered why there isn't a nice pithy term for a person who is only attractive if they're standing quite far away?
Other languages do have such words. The extraordinary variety of international speech is captured in Toujours Tingo, a new book which draws on more than 300 languages exploring the areas where English fails us.
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So try these words for size...
Kaelling - Danish: a woman who stands on her doorstep yelling obscenities at her kids.
Pesamenteiro - Portuguese: one who joins groups of mourners at the home of a dead person, apparently to offer condolences but in reality is just there for the refreshments.
Okuri-OKAMI - Japanese: literally a "see-you-home-wolf". A man who feigns thoughtfulness by offering to see a girl home only to try to molest her once he gets in the door.
Jayus - Indonesian: someone who tells a joke so unfunny you can't help laughing.
Spesenritter - German: a person who shows off by paying the bill on the firm's money, literally "an expense knight".
Kamaki - Greek: the young local guys strolling up and down beaches hunting for female tourists, literally "harpoons".
Kanjus Makkhicus - Hindi: a person so miserly that if a fly falls into his cup of tea, he'll fish it out and suck it dry before throwing it away.
Giri-GIRI - Hawaiian pidgin: the place where two or three hairs stick up, no matter what.
Pelinti - Buli, Ghana: to move very hot food around inside one's mouth.
Dii-KOYNA - Ndebele, South Africa: to destroy one's property in anger.
Hanyauku - Rukwangali, Namibia: walking on tiptoes across warm sand.
Tartle - Scottish: to hesitate when you are introducing someone whose name you can't quite remember.
Vovohe Tahtsenaotse - Cheyenne, US: to prepare the mouth before speaking by moving or licking one's lips.
Prozvonit - Czech and Slovak: to call someone's mobile from your own to leave your number in their memory without them picking it up.
Hira Hira - Japanese: the feeling you get when you walk into a dark and decrepit old house in the middle of the night.
Koi No Yokan - Japanese: a sense on first meeting someone that it is going to evolve into love.
Cafune - Brazilian Portuguese: the tender running of one's fingers through the hair of one's mate.
Shnourkovat Sya - Russian: when drivers change lanes frequently and unreasonably.
Gadrii Nombor Shulen Jongu - Tibetan: giving an answer that is unrelated to the question, literally "to give a green answer to a blue question".
Biritululo - Kiriwani, Papua New Guinea: comparing yams to settle a dispute.
Poronkusema - Finnish: the distance equal to how far a reindeer can travel without a comfort break.
Gamadj - Obibway, North America: dancing with a scalp in one's hands, in order to receive presents.
Baling - Manobo, Philippines: the action of a woman who, when she wants to marry a man, goes to his house and refuses to leave until marriage is agreed upon.
Dona - Yamana, Chile: to take lice from a person's head and squash between one's teeth.
Oka/SHETE - Ndonga, Nigeria: urination difficulties caused by eating frogs before the rain has duly fallen.
Pisan Zapra - Malay: the time needed to eat a banana.
Physiggoomai - Ancient Greek: excited by eating garlic.
Baffona - Italian: an attractive moustachioed woman.
Layogenic - Tagalog, Philippines: a person who is only goodlooking from a distance.
Rhwe - South Africa: to sleep on the floor without a mat while drunk and naked.
Shvitzer - Yiddish: someone who sweats a lot, especially a nervous seducer.
Gattara - Italian: a woman, often old and lonely, who devotes herself to stray cats.
Creerse La Ultima Coca-COLA EN EL DESIERTO - Central American Spanish: to have a very high opinion of oneself, literally to "think one is the last Coca-Cola in the desert".
Vrane Su Mu Popile Mozak - Croatian: crazy, literally "crows have drunk his brain".
*see post below.
Du Kannst Mir Gern Den Buckel Runterrutschen Und Mit Der Zunge Bremsen - Austrian German: abusive insult, literally "you can slide down my hunchback using your tongue as a brake".
Tener Una Cara De Telefono Ocupado - Puerto Rican Spanish: to be angry, literally "to have a face like a busy telephone".
Bablat - Hebrew: baloney, but is an acronym of "beelbool beytseem le-lo takhleet" which means "bothering someone's testicles for no reason".
Vai A Fava - Portuguese: get lost, literally "go to the fava bean".
Rombhoru - Bengali: a woman having thighs as shapely as banana trees.
Tako-NYODU - Japanese: a baldy, literally an "octopus monk".
Snyavshi Shtany, PO VOLOSAM NE GLADYAT - Russian: once you've taken off your pants it's too late to look at your hair.
Mariteddu Tamant'e Un Ditu Ieddu Voli Essa Rivaritu - Corsican: a husband must be respected even if he is very short.
Bayram Degil (SEYRAN DEGIL ENISTE BENI NIYE OPTU? - Turkish: there must be something behind this. Literally "it's not festival time, it's not a pleasure trip, so why did my brother-in-law kiss me"?
You can order a copy of Toujours Tingo: More Extraordinary Words To Change The Way We See The World by Adam Jacot de Boinod - published by Penguin Books - for the special price of £8.99 (rrp £10.99) inc FREE p&p. Call Mirror Direct on 0870 070 3200 or send a cheque/postal order to Mirror Direct PO Box 60 Helston, Cornwall TR13 0TP or order online at www.mirrorshopping.co.uk
English is a rich and wonderful language - but sometimes it's just not good enough.
For example, have you ever searched around in vain for a word to describe someone who gets excited by eating garlic?
Or wondered why there isn't a nice pithy term for a person who is only attractive if they're standing quite far away?
Other languages do have such words. The extraordinary variety of international speech is captured in Toujours Tingo, a new book which draws on more than 300 languages exploring the areas where English fails us.
Advertisement
So try these words for size...
Kaelling - Danish: a woman who stands on her doorstep yelling obscenities at her kids.
Pesamenteiro - Portuguese: one who joins groups of mourners at the home of a dead person, apparently to offer condolences but in reality is just there for the refreshments.
Okuri-OKAMI - Japanese: literally a "see-you-home-wolf". A man who feigns thoughtfulness by offering to see a girl home only to try to molest her once he gets in the door.
Jayus - Indonesian: someone who tells a joke so unfunny you can't help laughing.
Spesenritter - German: a person who shows off by paying the bill on the firm's money, literally "an expense knight".
Kamaki - Greek: the young local guys strolling up and down beaches hunting for female tourists, literally "harpoons".
Kanjus Makkhicus - Hindi: a person so miserly that if a fly falls into his cup of tea, he'll fish it out and suck it dry before throwing it away.
Giri-GIRI - Hawaiian pidgin: the place where two or three hairs stick up, no matter what.
Pelinti - Buli, Ghana: to move very hot food around inside one's mouth.
Dii-KOYNA - Ndebele, South Africa: to destroy one's property in anger.
Hanyauku - Rukwangali, Namibia: walking on tiptoes across warm sand.
Tartle - Scottish: to hesitate when you are introducing someone whose name you can't quite remember.
Vovohe Tahtsenaotse - Cheyenne, US: to prepare the mouth before speaking by moving or licking one's lips.
Prozvonit - Czech and Slovak: to call someone's mobile from your own to leave your number in their memory without them picking it up.
Hira Hira - Japanese: the feeling you get when you walk into a dark and decrepit old house in the middle of the night.
Koi No Yokan - Japanese: a sense on first meeting someone that it is going to evolve into love.
Cafune - Brazilian Portuguese: the tender running of one's fingers through the hair of one's mate.
Shnourkovat Sya - Russian: when drivers change lanes frequently and unreasonably.
Gadrii Nombor Shulen Jongu - Tibetan: giving an answer that is unrelated to the question, literally "to give a green answer to a blue question".
Biritululo - Kiriwani, Papua New Guinea: comparing yams to settle a dispute.
Poronkusema - Finnish: the distance equal to how far a reindeer can travel without a comfort break.
Gamadj - Obibway, North America: dancing with a scalp in one's hands, in order to receive presents.
Baling - Manobo, Philippines: the action of a woman who, when she wants to marry a man, goes to his house and refuses to leave until marriage is agreed upon.
Dona - Yamana, Chile: to take lice from a person's head and squash between one's teeth.
Oka/SHETE - Ndonga, Nigeria: urination difficulties caused by eating frogs before the rain has duly fallen.
Pisan Zapra - Malay: the time needed to eat a banana.
Physiggoomai - Ancient Greek: excited by eating garlic.
Baffona - Italian: an attractive moustachioed woman.
Layogenic - Tagalog, Philippines: a person who is only goodlooking from a distance.
Rhwe - South Africa: to sleep on the floor without a mat while drunk and naked.
Shvitzer - Yiddish: someone who sweats a lot, especially a nervous seducer.
Gattara - Italian: a woman, often old and lonely, who devotes herself to stray cats.
Creerse La Ultima Coca-COLA EN EL DESIERTO - Central American Spanish: to have a very high opinion of oneself, literally to "think one is the last Coca-Cola in the desert".
Vrane Su Mu Popile Mozak - Croatian: crazy, literally "crows have drunk his brain".
*see post below.
Du Kannst Mir Gern Den Buckel Runterrutschen Und Mit Der Zunge Bremsen - Austrian German: abusive insult, literally "you can slide down my hunchback using your tongue as a brake".
Tener Una Cara De Telefono Ocupado - Puerto Rican Spanish: to be angry, literally "to have a face like a busy telephone".
Bablat - Hebrew: baloney, but is an acronym of "beelbool beytseem le-lo takhleet" which means "bothering someone's testicles for no reason".
Vai A Fava - Portuguese: get lost, literally "go to the fava bean".
Rombhoru - Bengali: a woman having thighs as shapely as banana trees.
Tako-NYODU - Japanese: a baldy, literally an "octopus monk".
Snyavshi Shtany, PO VOLOSAM NE GLADYAT - Russian: once you've taken off your pants it's too late to look at your hair.
Mariteddu Tamant'e Un Ditu Ieddu Voli Essa Rivaritu - Corsican: a husband must be respected even if he is very short.
Bayram Degil (SEYRAN DEGIL ENISTE BENI NIYE OPTU? - Turkish: there must be something behind this. Literally "it's not festival time, it's not a pleasure trip, so why did my brother-in-law kiss me"?
You can order a copy of Toujours Tingo: More Extraordinary Words To Change The Way We See The World by Adam Jacot de Boinod - published by Penguin Books - for the special price of £8.99 (rrp £10.99) inc FREE p&p. Call Mirror Direct on 0870 070 3200 or send a cheque/postal order to Mirror Direct PO Box 60 Helston, Cornwall TR13 0TP or order online at www.mirrorshopping.co.uk
