Tuesday, January 13, 2004


They Have a Word For It


"Finding a name for something," says Howard Rheingold, "is a way of conjuring its existence."

torschlüsspanik: the German word for "the frantic anxiety experienced by unmarried women as they race against the 'biological clock.'"

kyoikumama: The Japanese word for "mother who pushes her children into academic achievement."

bol: The Mayan word for "stupid in-laws."

treppenwitz: The German word that refers to the "clever remark that comes to mind when it is too late to utter it."

- from "They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words & Phrases," by Howard Rheingold.

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