"Mamihlapinatapai"

And Other Cool Words

1. Zapoi – Russian
   We’ve all done it, gone out on a bend for 48hrs of non-stop partying and drinking, only to wake up somewhere utterly random having done something totally unexpected the night before. The Russian’s call this “Zapoi”
2. Ayurnamat – Inuit
   Simply and to the point, it’s a philosophy that you shouldn’t fret about that which you cannot change.
3. Culaccino – Italian
   Trust the biggest coffee drinkers in the world to come up with this one. ‘Culaccino’ is the term used to describe the ring a glass or cup leaves on a table.
4. Tartle - Scottish
   That fleeting moment of hesitation when you’re introducing someone, only to totally forgot their name before composing yourself and remembering.
5. Goya – Urdu
   The suspension of disbelief that can occur through good fiction or storytelling It takes a talented storyteller, to create a sense of ‘Goya’ or as we would called it “disbelief and wonder”
6. Prozvonit – Czech
   If you’re too cheap to pay for a phonecall, you’ll have done this before. It’s a term used to describe the act of calling someone, letting the phone ring out a few times and then hanging up. Thus forcing the other person to call you back on their own dime.
7. Dépaysement – French
   The longing feeling of being homesick.
8. Sobremesa – Spanish
   Those clichéd conversations You’ve just had a delicious dinner with your friends and now you’re all talking about food related subjects and discussing the meal.
9. Ya’aburnee – Arabic
   This might seem like a morbid one, it means “You bury me”, but it’s actually quite romantic. By using the term, you’re inferring that you hope you die first because living without your partner would be too unbearable.
10. Jayus – Indonesian
    A joke or pun that is so bad that you can’t help laughing at how stupid it is.
11. Kyoikumama - Japanese
    The ‘Tiger Mum’ who aggressively pushes her kids to reach ever rising levels of academic achievement.
12. Torschlusspanik – German
    It’s direct translation is “gate-closing panic” but its often used as a metaphor to describe that narrowing of options as you grow older.
13. Tingo – Pascuense (Easter Island)
    Taking objects you want from a person’s house by gradually borrowing all of them.” If you had a friend who had all the cool toys you wish you had, then you might have partaken in a bit of “Tingo” - taking treasured items from someone’s home by “borrowing” them gradually over time…
14. Spaegie – Shetland Dialect
    The soreness you feel in your muscles a day or so after you’ve had a hard workout. Even if you warm down after an intense workout, the chances are you’re going to feel a little sore or “spaegie” the next day.
15. Aşermek – Turkish
    Used to summarise a pregnant woman’s unusual cravings for peculiar food combinations.
16. Nekama – Japanese
    Easy and useful, it describes a deceptive man pretending to be a female on the internet.
17. L’appel du vide – French
    Used to describe a bizarre and yet sudden urge to leap from exceptionally high places something we recommend you avoid, unless you have a parachute.
18. Mamihlapinatapei – Yagan (Indigenous language of Tierra del Fuego)
    Ever made eye contact with a stranger across the room? Or experienced that unspoken magnetic sexual chemistry with someone you know? Whilst not only being a mouthful “Mamihlapinatapei” describes that silent glance between two people who lust after each other but are reluctant to make the first move.