Word Perfect

Sometimes I have a bit of the 'camp counsellor' in my personality. Indeed, if I may say so, I was a decent camp counsellor when I was younger version of myself. We had planned to go to the St. Patrick's Day parade yesterday with our neighbour Tessa and then for a cuppa tea. I decided that we should do some crafts too. A long while back I bought this kit for making leather bracelets. What's unique about these bracelets is that you are given a tube full of four sided beads that have words on them. So you can make up phrases and then string them onto the leather. Because you might want to use a word that they've not included they also give a healthy number of individual letters.

I was thinking about what I'd put on my string, I have some favourite expressions, like 'gob smacked' which I could spell out. Then I thought that as I am of Danish and German heritage maybe I could find some words that are unique to those languages and thereby honour my background - something I never do. So I began looking for cool words in different languages and I found some humdingers. So, today's post is complete and totally just for the fun of it.

Words That I Wish We Used in English (in no particular order)

Litost (Czech)

a state of torment created by the sudden sight of one's own misery.

I have to admit that I burst out laughing, inexplicably, when I read this word. What a wild word to have at your avail! Oh. My. Even knowing that those moments are possible is enough to give me goosebumps.

Handschuhschneebalwerfer (German)

A string of words that translates to 'somebody who wears gloves to throw snowballs' and is used to describe cowards.

Two things here, first, I'm peeing myself imagining what spellcheck is gonna do with that word. Second, I don't know anyone who doesn't wear gloves while making snowballs. I guess I hang with sissies.

Shitta (farsi)

Leftover dinner eaten for breakfast.

And it kinda often tastes shitta too!

Mata ego (Rapa Nui)

Eyes that reveal that someone has been crying.

This got to me out of the sheer poetry of the idea behind the words. I knew immediately the look being referred to ... I'd love to be able to express my concern for someone by describing to other's those eyes.

Didis (Indonesian)

To search and pick up lice from one's own hair

OK, right now you are scratching your scalp aren't you. Icky, icky, icky. What did you do last night? All I got up to was a bit of didis. Is there a words for having them as snacks?

Ngaobera (Pascuense)

A slight inflammation of the throat caused by screaming too much.

Yep, there's someone easy to love.

Now the next section has four sexual words that I thought, OK really, were hysterical. Really, really hysterical!

Marachastra prayoga (Sanskrit)

men who worship their sexual organs

We have a word for that in English too, men.

Koro (Japanese)

The hysterical belief that one's penis is shrinking into one's body.

OK. OK. OK. I can imagine that these guys never get a decent night sleep. Waking up and checking every few minutes. Wild.

But my favourite two words ...

Senzuri (Japanese)

It means male masturbation but it translates literally as 'a hundred rubs'

and

Shiko shiko manzuri (Japanese)

This is female masturbation and it translates literally as 'ten thousand rubs'

And finally, just to have a disability word in the bunch ...

Angushti za'id (Russian)

It means someone with six fingers.

I'm guessing it also means 'someone from Chernobyl'.

I've got maybe 5 pages of this stuff, let me know if you enjoyed it and I can do a couple more over the course of a year.