- ya’aburnee, of Arabic origin, meaning “you bury me”. It is used to express the hope that one will die before another person as it would be difficult to live without them.
- saudade, of Portuguese origin, referring to the feeling of longing for someone or something loved, but also lost.
- mamihlapinatapai, Yagan (of Tierra del Fuego), used to describe the wordless, yet meaningful look shared by two people who both desire to initiate something but are both reluctant to start.
- cafuné, Brazilian Portuguese, tenderly running your fingers through someone’s hair.
- wabi-sabi, Japanese. “A way of living that focuses on finding beauty within the imperfections of life and accepting peacefully the natural cycle of growth and decay.”
- duende, Spanish, the mysterious power that a work of art has to deeply move a person.
- tartle, – The act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.
- virago (Old English) - A relentlessly scolding woman with a loud voice. A fearless, aggressive woman.
- Épater les bourgeois (French) - To deliberately shock people who have conventional values. Literally “to amaze the middle class”.
- l’appel du vide - (French) “The call of the void” is this French expression’s literal translation, but more significantly it’s used to describe the instinctive urge to jump from high places.
- tingo (Pascuense, Easter Island) – “the act of taking objects one desires from the house of a friend by gradually borrowing all of them.”
- taarradhin - Arabic. It implies a happy solution for everyone, an "I win, you win." It's a way of resolving a problem without anyone losing face.
- esprit de I'escalier - "one only thinks on one's way downstairs of the smart retort one might have made in the drawing room."
- épater les bourgeois - "to shock the middle class"
- jayus - someone who tells a joke so unfunny that you can't help but laugh
oct 12 2011 ∞
may 4 2012 +