My favorite word with no English equivalent is schadenfreude, a German word which means the pleasure one gets at another's misery: my definition: going to one's class reunion and everyone there is heavier or more wrinkled than you.
I also like the Yiddish words chutzpah, schlimazel, and verklempt. Chutzpah: I like Mel Brooks' definition: "A guy who kills both his parents and then throws himself on the mercy of the court because he's an orphan!" Schlimazel: I like the definition of a person who, if he didn't have bad luck, would have no luck at all. Verlempt: I like Barbra Streisand's definition: "Feeling all whipped-cream inside."
CLICK HERE to read the article on '14 Wonderful Words With No English Equivalent'.
1 comment:
VERKLEMPT is misspelled on the second usage! ML
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