The Persian word "mahj" means that someone looks beautiful after a disease; when pregnant women faint, they get their own verb, "tafarrus." "Nakhur" means "a camel who won't give milk until her nostrils have been tickled."
The Japanese term for the phrase, "to break one's heart" (harawata o tatsu) literally translates as, "to sever one's intestines."
The people of Easter Island delineate the stages of babyhood with "kaukau" (a newborn discovering its hands and feet), "puepue" (when the child begins to recognize people and objects), "tahuri" (when it starts the side-to-side baby roll), "totoro" (crawling), and "mahaga" (standing by itself).
When a Chinese person is so happy with something that they can barely refrain from fondling it, they are experiencing "ai bu shi shou."
The Tok Pisin of Papau New Guinea call a beard "gras bilong fes"--"grass belonging to the face."
After the invention of the computer, the French assigned a translative ("ordinateur") because the English word sounded like "con" and "pute"--meaning "vagina" and "whore", respectively.
Albanains have 27 words for eyebrows and an additional 27 words for mustaches.
For other wonderful words from around the world, check out The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World by Adam Jacot de Boinod.
The Japanese term for the phrase, "to break one's heart" (harawata o tatsu) literally translates as, "to sever one's intestines."
The people of Easter Island delineate the stages of babyhood with "kaukau" (a newborn discovering its hands and feet), "puepue" (when the child begins to recognize people and objects), "tahuri" (when it starts the side-to-side baby roll), "totoro" (crawling), and "mahaga" (standing by itself).
When a Chinese person is so happy with something that they can barely refrain from fondling it, they are experiencing "ai bu shi shou."
The Tok Pisin of Papau New Guinea call a beard "gras bilong fes"--"grass belonging to the face."
After the invention of the computer, the French assigned a translative ("ordinateur") because the English word sounded like "con" and "pute"--meaning "vagina" and "whore", respectively.
Albanains have 27 words for eyebrows and an additional 27 words for mustaches.
For other wonderful words from around the world, check out The Meaning of Tingo and Other Extraordinary Words from Around the World by Adam Jacot de Boinod.
3 comments:
Aaahhhh...I am in great happiness at your post, my clever one. I had no idea about the reason for "ordinateur," but I shall no never forget. Huggles!
as i read, i thought i sensed the tingo book at work...
Me heart Tingo for lingo! Bingo!
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