There’s nothing like the strange details of a foreign language, as I discovered when I found a review of an intriguing book of world vocabulary. Who knew that tsuji-giri is a samurai-era term for “to try out a new sword on a passer-by?” And why do I wish we had a word like qiang jingtou to describe “the fight by a cameraman to get a better vantage point”?
I think finding untranslatable words is part of the joy of learning another language, along with the particular rhythm and manner of speaking. I remember that feeling when I first learned the French verb tutoyer, the act of becoming more friendly with someone by switching from using vous to tu.
Link courtesy of Anatole.