Dolilyts (Ukranian)

To lie with your face turned down to the ground.

Word donated by Olenka

Foozle (Scandinavian-American)

(FOO-zil), Scandinavian American  specific to the Upper Peninsula  of Michigan.  (Yooper).

The small pieces of lint or hair that stick to clothing or other fabric.  As in, ” here, let me get that foozle off your shirt.”

Word donated by Thea

Bababa ba (Tagalog)

Means is “is (it/he/she/they) going down?”

Example: “Bababa ba si Denise?” “Is Denise going down?”

Word donated by Denise

Hallux (Latin)

“Hallux” (more rightly “hallex,” pronounced /’hal-lεks/) is a rare instance in Indo-European language of a single word for “big toe.” To put it in perspective, consider the more verbose Russian: большой палец ноги (pronounced /bʌl-‘ʃoj ‘pa-lᶦits nʌ-‘gi/, which means “big digit of the foot”.

Etymology: Likely the Greek ἅλλομαι (pronounced /’hal-lo-maj/), meaning “to leap,” as the big toe “seems as though to leap atop the other one next to it” (…quod velut insiluisse in aliumm videtur).

Word donated by Tityrus

Nostalgie de la boue (French)

Nostalgie de la boue: literally, yearning for mud. Used to describe the feeling of being attracted to that which is depraved or below one’s stations.

“He was perversely bound to sink in the social scale, to declass himself. I’m afraid my son had a nostalgie de la boue– a nostalgia for the gutter. He tried to cover it over with fancy talk about re-establishing contact with the Earth, becoming a poet of the people, and such nonsense.”

Word donated by Michela

Holzsparkunst (German)

German for “art of saving wood”; coined in the 17th century.

Word donated by Steen

Zuò Yuè Zi (Chinese)

Literally “sitting the month”.  A Chinese custom where a woman spends a month in bed post-childbirth, traditionally being looked after by her mother-in-law (though in modern times she may stay at one of the “baby hotels” that have become popular).  The woman is only permitted to eat and drink certain foods and liquids, must be kept warm at all times, and is not allowed to wash her hair, amongst other requirements.

Word donated by Wu Di

Aerekjær (Norwegian)

Pronunced: aere-kiaer
Exceedingly proud by personality, often without any particular reason to be so.”The homeless man starved to death, he was too ærekjær for begging.”

Word donated by Ken

Okazu (Japanese)

A side dish that goes with rice.

Word donated by David

Anschlußtreffer (German)

Literally ‘connection hit'; it means, in football, the goal that reduces a team’s deficit from 2 goals to 1 goal.

Word donated by Ed

Bagstiv (Danish)

This word is best translated as “waking up in the morning still drunk from the night before. Either a little or a lot, but generally instead of having a nasty hangover.

It is comprised of two words: “bag” meaning “behind” and “stiv” meaning “stiff”. “Stiv” is a Danish slang for being drunk.


Word donated by Mikael

Vedriti (Slovene)

‘Vedriti': verb, infinitive

To take shelter from the rain and wait for it to finish so you can go on your way.

Word donated by Rok

Sprachgefühl (German)

“Feeling for language” As in, aptitude for it, comfort with it, and talent at learning it.

Word donated by Austin

Vernichtungsschmerz (German)

Literally “pain of annihiliation”.  A medical term describing the horrendous amount of pain some patients with serious diseases feel.

Word donated by Dustin

Døgn (Danish)

Pronunciation: “doyn”.

A period of 24 hours.  Also in Swedish : dygn.

Word donated by Anne Marie