(no subject)

[mangosteen]

Note: I found this in a comment I wrote several months ago, and thought it deserved an entry of its own.

Observation:The German language is based on the principle that if you run enough words together, you'll eventually end up saying what you meant to say (even if the verb has to dive and hold its breath for three minutes to swim to the end of the sentence).

Given this, magid came up with a few states of being that had no really succinct description within the English language. German seemed like the correct language to use for this purpose. So, with the help of babelfish, and a bit too much free time, I came up with the following:

"the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy"
Enttaeuschungzufreidenheit -- "disappointing satisfaction"

"intimations of mortality brought on by aging family members"
Anderesterblichkeitfurcht -- "others aging fear"

"the hatred of mirrors that begins in middle age"
Alternspiegelangst -- "aging mirror dread" (extra points for "angst")

"the sadness inspired by failing restaurants"
Traurigaenderung -- "sad change" (went more general here)

"the excitement of getting a room with a minibar"
(can't think of one. "excitement" and "minibar" don't usually occur in the same sentence for me.)

There ya go.

Your turn.

Comments

Meaning of Liff

[passionandsoul.livejournal.com]

This is wht Douglas Adams and John Lloyd wrote "the Meaning of Liff"- to explain all those things taht there just aren't words in the endlish languuage for.

For words like:

DOCKERY (n.)

Facetious behaviour adopted by an accused man in the mistaken belief that this will endear him to the judge.

MEATH (adj.)

Warm and very slightly clammy. Descriptive of the texture of your hands after the automatic drying machine has turned itself off, just damp enough to make it embarrassing if you have to shake hands with someone immediately afterwards.

SCOSTHROP (vb.)

To make vague opening or cutting movements with the hands when wandering about looking for a tin opener, scissors, etc. in the hope that this will help in some way.

VALLETTA (n.)

On ornate head-dress or loose garment worn by a person in the belief that it renders then invisibly native and not like a tourist at all. People who don huge conial staw collie hats with 'I Luv Lagos' on them in Nigeria, or fat solicitors from Tonbridge on holiday in Malaya who insist on appearing in the hotel lobby wearing a sarong know wat we're on about.

JUST A FEW EXAMPLES- but yes, the Germans have good ones.

[skreeky]

The odd mixture of triumph, confusion, surprise, and frustration, when you finally acheive line of sight to your elusive destination and sail past it in your car, with absolutely no discernable path from you to it.

[mangosteen]

There's a perfect English term for that: "Boston driving."

Observation: One of the things that makes Boston driving truly unique in the US is that you constantly require about 10% of your driving attention for emergency re-routing.

Now, that being said, how about "Wegablehnung" = "path denial"

[skreeky]

Actually, my most notable instance of this was in Seattle - I could SEE my hotel, but there was this extremely large impassible freeway between me and it.

The New York version of this is trying to get onto an expressway from the Bronx. You can drive along under it for an hour with no entrance ramps... yet once you are on it there are all these cars entering. Where do they come from?

[ceo]

The feeling you get when someone you find extremely annoying does you a major unsolicited favor.