brief (German) letter
fart (French) ski wax
gong (Balinese) orchestra
war-side (Somali) newspaper
urinator (Latin) diver
rust (Dutch) rest or tranquillity
Cucumber troop
There are all kinds of things one can do with time off. What about watching some football? Fans would surely agree that few players can be a peleon (Puerto Rican Spanish), one who plays like Pele, but the Germans have gathered an evocative vocabulary for the highs (and lows) of watching a match:
der Schlachtenbummler a football fan who travels to support his team at home and away (literally, battle stroller)
der Hexenkessel a football stadium of the opposing team, with the fans creating a heated atmosphere (literally, witch’s cauldron)
kleinklein passing the ball from player to player without a plan (literally, small small)
Blutgratsche a nasty tackle
die Gurkentruppe a team that plays badly and unprofessionally, a disaster area, incompetent bunch of players (literally, cucumber troop)
Aggro
Or one could take up a heavier or more demanding sport:
bariga (Tagalog, Philippines) being thrown down in wrestling (literally, the bigger end of an egg)
atuila (Yamana, Chile) to press down on someone and make his legs give way so that he can be held down
munasat (Persian) taking hold of one another’s forelocks when fighting
binti (Manobo, Philippines) a test of strength in which one man stands with his legs apart and his opponent runs from behind and kicks him in the calf of the leg with his shin in an attempt to knock him over; they then change places and continue until one is clearly defeated or gives up because of the pain
Ski – lane terror
Up in the mountains, it’s fast, dangerous, but always fun:
Pistenschreck (German) a skier you have to watch out for (literally, ski-lane terrorist)
tulee! (Finnish) look out! I’m skiing/sledging down towards you at high speed! (literally, it’s coming!)
ahterijarrut (Finnish) falling off your skis and using your tail-end to stop (literally, arse-brakes)
Fackelabfahrt (German) a flaming-torchlight ski-run down the side of a steep snowy mountain, undertaken at night by around fifty skiers
The sound of your heart racing
Every language has onomatopoeic words, whose sound and rhythm vividly describe the sound or action they describe:
hara hara doki doki (Japanese) the feeling of your heart racing when you’re scared or nervous
nyurrugu (Yidiny, Australia) the noise of talking heard a long way off when the words cannot be made out
vuhubya-hubya (Tsonga, South Africa) the flapping of pendulous breasts of a woman hurrying
krog-krog (Tibetan) a sound produced by grinding hard brittle objects together
empap (Malay) the sound of a flat object falling on a soft surface
mswatswa (Chichewa, Malawi) the sound of footsteps on dry grass
ndlangandzandlangandza (Tsonga, South Africa) the sound of drums during an exorcism ritual, beaten to cure a possessed person
geeuw (Dutch) a yawn
guntak (Malay) the rattle of pips in a dry fruit
gwarlingo (Welsh) the rushing sound a grandfather clock makes before striking the hour
phut (Vietnamese) the noise of string or rope that snaps
zhaghzhagh (Persian) the noise made by almonds or by other nuts shaken together in a bag
schwupp (German) quick as a flash (short for schwuppdiwupp)
szelescic (Polish) the sound when someone folds paper (pronounced scheleshchich)
Taking a dip
Down by the sea, river or lakeside, the activity on our day off is altogether gentler:
nchala-nchala-nchala (Tsonga, South Africa) to swim noise-lessly and swiftly
zaplyvats (Byelorussian) to swim far out
maulep (Maguindanaon, Philippines) a diver who can stay underwater for a long time, holding his breath
kataobairi (Gilbertese, Oceania) to go under the surface of the water with only one’s nostrils above
terkapai-kapai (Malay) nervously moving the arms about (said of a bad swimmer)
tankah (Hawaiian Pidgin) a surfboard that seats six
limilimi (Hawaiian) to be turned over and over in the surf
Dizzy dancing
In many parts of the world, though, resources dictate that they have to make their own fun:
akkharikā (Pali, India) a game recognizing syllables written in the air or on one’s back
antyākshrī (Hindi) a poetic competition in which a contestant recites a couplet beginning with the last letter recited by the previous contestant and which is then carried on by rival teams
kapana (Setswana, Botswana) to catch each other with both hands when taking turns to fall from a height
pitz/pokolpok (Mayan, Central America) a game in which the object is to put a rubber ball through a stone ring using only hips, knees and elbows
mmamadikwadikwane (Setswana, Botswana) a game in which a child spins round until dizzy; it’s also the term for ballroom dancing
Taking part
The Tagalog language of the Philippines has some great words to describe how – literally speaking – to play the game:
salimpusà asking someone to participate in a game to appease him, although he is not necessarily wanted
perdegana an agreement in certain games whereby the loser wins
haplít the final burst of energy when trying to win a race
Suits and tricks
If you’re grebleyi na kon’kakh (Russian) incompetent at sports (literally, to row on skates), perhaps it’s wiser to seek alternative thrills:
aéstomêhasené (Cheyenne, USA) to play cards for nothing; that is, to play without betting anything
hila’ (Manobo, Philippines) to take a trick with a winning card
orobairi (Gilbertese, Oceania) to hit the nose of the loser in cards
Kiebitz (German) an onlooker at a card game who interferes with unwanted advice
kofu kofu (Sranan Tongo, Surinam) a bet where the winner gets to hit the loser
Live entertainment
‘Those who have free tickets to the theatre have the most criticism to make,’ say the Chinese, but live entertainment can often be surprisingly enjoyable (for those taking part, that is):
recevoir son morceau de sucre (French) to be applauded the moment one first appears on stage (literally, to receive one’s piece of sugar)
Sitzfleisch (German) the ability to sit through long and boring events without losing concentration (literally, seat meat)
One is fun
For the Japanese, gentler pleasures suffice:
sabi a feeling of quiet grandeur enjoyed in solitude (normally involving the beauty that comes from the natural ageing of things)
shibui a transcendently beautiful and balanced image, such as an autumn garden (literally, sour, astringent)
Stories with bears
Or one could indulge one’s creative urges:
brat s potolka (Russian) to make something up (literally, to take something from the ceiling)
hohátôhta’hàne (Cheyenne, USA) to laugh while storytelling
istories gia arkudes (Greek) narrated events that are so wild and crazy it seems that they can’t possibly be true (literally, stories with bears)
Bookmark
Or just kick back and enjoy the efforts of others:
kioskvältare (Swedish) a bestselling film/book (literally, something that tips over the booth)
hinmekuru (Japanese) to turn a page over violently
ádi (Telugu, India) a mark left in a book to show the place where the reader left off
Drooping tongue
However hard you try to prevent it, our day of recrea
tion draws to its inevitable end:
bantil (Bikol, Philippines) to pinch the back of the neck to relieve weariness
traer la lengua de corbata (Latin American Spanish) to be worn out; to be exhausted (literally, to have your tongue hanging out like a man’s tie)
Nodding off
And in different postures and places we drift into blessed oblivion:
corra-chodal (Gaelic) sleeping on one’s elbow
clavar el pico (Latin American Spanish) to fall asleep in a sitting position
kakkawornendi (Kaurna Warra, Australia) to nod when sleeping
itanochi (Alabama, USA) to go to sleep on the floor or by a fire
yum (Car, Nicobar Islands) to sleep with someone in one’s arms
Staying up
Among the Cheyenne people of the USA, sleep may be the last thing they get up to at night:
vóonâhá’ené to cook all night
vóonâhtóohe to howl all night
vóona’haso’he to ride a horse all night
vóonâše’še to drink all night
vóonêhasené to play cards all night
vóoneméohe to ran all night
vóoneóó’e to stand all night
vóonévánéne to fart all night
vóonóe’ó to float all night
vóonôhtóvá to sell all night
vóono’eétahe to have sex all night
vóonó’eohtsé to travel by wagon all night
vóonotse’ohe to work all night
IDIOMS OF THE WORLD
To take a sledgehammer to crack a nut
mogi jabeeryuda chogasamgan da taewonda (Korean) burning your whole house trying to catch a mosquito
tuo kuzi fang pi (Mandarin) to take your trousers off to fart
pire için yorgan yakmak (Turkish) to burn the duvet because of one flea
kee chang jahb thak-a-thaen (Thai) ride an elephant to catch a grasshopper
met een kanon op een mug schieten (Dutch) to shoot a mosquito with a cannon
gubbi mEle bramhAstravE? (Kannada, India) a nuclear weapon on a sparrow?
18.
Animal Magic
hilm il –’utaat kullu firaan (Arabic)
the dream of cats is all about mice
When humans looked around them and saw the animals that inhabited their world they often came up with names that described what each animal looked or sounded like, or how it behaved. Among the Amerindian tribes the Navaho word for squirrel is the phrase ‘it has a bushy tail’ and the word from the Arapaho for elephant is ‘it has a bent nose’. The Mingo language was particularly expressive in this regard:
uæhkwёönyö’ a peacock (literally, it puts suns all over it)
teyunö’kêôot a sheep (literally, it’s got two horns attached)
kёötanёhkwi a horse (literally, it hauls logs)
teka’nyakáíte’ a mole (literally, both of its hands are slanted)
tewathsistúkwas a firefly (literally, it scatters sparks)
tsyúwё’staka’ a seagull (literally, it is known for being around sea-foam)
uthёhtææhtáne’ a caterpillar (literally, its fuzz itches)
teyu’skwææt a bull (literally, two standing stones – referring to the bull’s testicles)
The great rat with a pocket
Likewise, when Chinese voyagers first saw the kangaroo they described the way it looked to them: dai shu, pocket rat, or great rat with a pocket. The Yoruba of West Africa, unused to zebras, called them ‘striped horses’. The Indian nations of the Americas were astounded at the sight of the horse when it appeared, brought by the early Spanish conquerors. The Aztecs thought it was a hornless deer. The Sioux named it shuñka wakãn, supernatural dog, and the Cheyenne referred to it as mo-eheno’ha, domesticated elk. Another animal new to the Cheyenne, the pig, joined their language as eshkoseesehotame, dog with sharp nose.
False friends
snog (Danish) grass snake
asp (Pahlavi, Iran) horse
dud (Arabic) caterpillar, worm
formica (Latin) ant
hunt (Estonian) wolf
hunt (Yiddish) dog
lamb (Amharic, Ethiopia) cow
long (Chinese) dragon
moron (Munduruku, Brazil) toad
Fluttering and kicking
Those peoples living closely with animals developed vocabulary to describe all sorts of precisely observed behaviour on land…
vweluka (Mambwe, Zambia) to jump from branch to branch (said of a monkey)
gigigigigi (Tsonga, South Africa) to stand about dispersed and all looking intently at something in the distance, as cattle seeing a lion
telki (Swahili) the quick ambling gait of a donkey, half walk, half run
thakgantse (Setswana, Botswana) to kick in all directions (as an ox when one leg is held by a thong)
glamarsaich (Gaelic) the noisy lapping (as of a hungry dog)
shebwoso (Potawatomi, USA) a rabbit running fast
… of fish and other creatures at sea:
tekab (Maguindanaon, Philippines) a fish opening its mouth and producing
bubbles
siponaina (Yamana, Chile) to go along on the surface of the water and cause a ripple, as fish do
aiagata (Yamana, Chile) to rise up on end and take a deep dive, as the whale when it raises up its flukes
itupi (Mambwe, Zambia) dead fish found floating
hu-q-a (Nuuchahnulth, Canada) a salmon going along with its dorsal fin out of the water
… and of birds and insects on the ground and in the air:
abhinibbijjhati (Pali, India) to break quite through (said of the chick coming through the shell of the egg)
magaatu (Yamana, Chile) to tuck the head under the wing, as birds do when composed for sleep
ava-sam-dīna (Sanskrit) the united downward flight of birds
khpa (Dakota, USA) to be wet or clogged, as mosquitos’ wings with dew
tikutamoamo (Gilbertese, Oceania) to alight everywhere (of a dragonfly)
Scratch, chew, tear, beat
Some actions are common to many creatures:
kwe-swanta (Ganda, Uganda) to lick one’s chops when one has not had enough to eat
kengerhele (Tsonga, South Africa) to stop suddenly in surprise, be on the alert, as animals hearing a noise
kukuta (Swahili) to shake off water after getting wet, in the way a bird or dog does
zeula (Kalanga, Botswana) the chewing of animals late at night
hachistitabatli (Alabama, USA) to beat the tail on the ground
imba (Mambwe, Zambia) to tear away the prey from one another, as animals fighting over food
Wriggle, wriggle
There are words for sounds too, even those surely heard only by those who live cheek by jowl with the fauna of the world:
pasáw (Tagalog, Philippines) the noise offish wriggling in the water
rerejat (Iban, Sarawak and Brunei) the noise made by a cricket on landing
kíchchu (Tamil) the chirping of birds; the whining of infants
ekkaranam (Tamil) a noise which a bull makes when about to attack another
saratata (Buli, Ghana) the sound and behaviour of running animals (leaving a trail of dust in the air)
tyaka-tyaka (Tsonga, South Africa) the noise of cattle crashing through dry bush
gungurhu-gungurhu-gungurhu (Tsonga, South Africa) to clatter like a rat trapped in a box
andala (Arabic) the song of the nightingale
atit (Arabic) the moaning bray of a camel
inchasàaya (Alabama, USA) a rattlesnake’s rattle
Sunday roast
There are words to describe the most detailed aspects of an animal’s appearance…
scory (Scots) the wrinkled texture of a hedgehog’s cheeks
gansuthi (Boro, India) the first-grown feather of a bird’s wing
kapy-āsa (Sanskrit) the buttocks of an ape
sondi (Pali, India) the neck of a tortoise
sprochaille
(Irish) the loose fold of skin between the legs of a turkey
mokadi (Setswana, Botswana) the fat of a bullfrog
kuris (Manobo, Philippines) the fortune of a chicken written
in the scales of its feet
Tucked away
… how they store their food:
bráa-hola (Old Icelandic) a hole where the wild beasts carry their prey
wakhedan (Dakota, USA) the places from which squirrels dig up food
achnátus (Karuk, North America) a place where a rat stores its food
tsembetuta (Chichewa, Malawi) a type of mouse known for saving food for the future
indagitagan (Ojibway, North America) the place where a wild animal goes to eat in the woods
Crocodile skid
… even how they behave in specific and group ways:
kekerikaki (Gilbertese, Oceania) a fish which sometimes swims backwards
teosammul (Estonian) the speed of a snail
atiqtuq (Ifiupiat, Inuit) bears going down to the sea
wosdohedan (Dakota, USA) paths made by squirrels in the grass
pe’mkowe’t (Potawatomi, USA) bear tracks in the snow
lantar (Iban, Sarawak and Brunei) the skidmark left on a riverbank by a boat or crocodile sliding into the water
Wa!
Originally, humans began by treating animals as hostile, to be hunted, chased away or killed:
phongoloxa (Tsonga, South Africa) to throw stones or sticks at an animal to frighten it away
p’isqeyay (Quechuan, Andes) to scare off birds