The 10 Coolest Foreign Words The English Language Needs

[niyad]

The 10 Coolest Foreign Words The English Language Needs


Have you ever blurted out, "Wow, that guy is just so...so..." and then were left floundering with nothing to say? Well, it's not always your fault. English doesn't have words for every situation, or even the ones that happen every damned day.

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#9. Espirit d'escalier (French)


Means:

When you think of the perfect verbal comeback... much too late.

So you're at a social gathering and a friend, in front of your peers, points at your chest and says, "Good sir, is that your shirt, or did you just vomit on your torso?"

The sting of his insult renders you wordless. Then, mere moments later, just as you've exited the room to the cacophony of humiliating laughter that will be the soundtrack to the rest of your life, you come up with the perfect comeback. Only moments later, but still much, much too late (note, the correct comeback was, "Neither, this is a special shirt created by scientists at the FBI to identify pedophiles, as it is specifically designed to offend their sensibilities to the point that they must comment. You will now be added to a sex offender registry&quot .


"Oh, excuse me, it looks like you dropped your pride. Better grab it."

The French have come up with a term for your belated wit, Esprit d'escalier. Literally "the wit of the staircase," meaning you couldn't think up anything sassy until walking down the stairs afterward.

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#8. Mamihlapinatapai (Yaghan)


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http://www.cracked.com/article_17251_the-10-coolest-foreign-words-english-language-needs.html

[3catwoman3]

1. Well, I am a master of...

...esprit d'escalier. I win my best arguments all alone in my car.

[Xipe Totec]

2. #11 - Órale!

[niyad]

4. now that is a very useful word. thanks for adding it!

[LiberalElite]

8. I like it! nt

[DFW]

3. Here in Germany, there are a lot of words for which English doesn't have direct counterparts

One of the describes about half posts on DU these days: "streitsüchtig."

As with many German words, it is made from two smaller ones. "Streit" means fight or conflict. "Süchtig" means "addicted." You don't need a PhD in Linguistics to figure out what "streitsüchtig" means!

[niyad]

5. that, sadly, is quite true.

[hifiguy]

6. "Backpfeifengesicht" is a wonderful word.

Last edited Fri Nov 27, 2015, 08:15 PM - Edit history (1)

[LiberalElite]

7. #9 in English is known as "staircase wit" nt