TresSugar

15 Foreign Words Americans Could Use For Dating

TresSugar — Thu, 30 Dec 2010 12:03:00 PST

There are so many perfect and weird words to describe complicated emotions in other languages that I wish someone would go on a crusade to educate everyone. I went through a few hundred words with no direct English translation, which oddly there seems to be no word for. Perhaps Jeffrey Eugenides explained it best in Middlesex.

Emotions, in my experience aren't covered by single words. I don't believe in "sadness," "joy," or "regret." … I'd like to have at my disposal complicated hybrid emotions, Germanic traincar constructions like, say, "the happiness that attends disaster." Or: "the disappointment of sleeping with one's fantasy." ... I'd like to have a word for "the sadness inspired by failing restaurants" as well as for "the excitement of getting a room with a minibar."

Ahh, yes, the Germans seem to do it best. My favorite so far is "handschuhschneeballwerfer," which is German for coward, and literally means one who wears gloves to throw snowballs. And while that could feasibly be used to describe a guy, here are 15 words we could use while dating in the English language.

Koi no yokan: Japanese for the feeling that a relationship will evolve into love after the first meeting.
Nedotipva: Czech for one who finds it difficult to take the hint.
Mahj: Persian for looking beautiful after a disease.
Spesenritter: German for a person who shows off by paying the bill on his company's money.
Prozvonit: Czech and Slovak for calling someone's cell so they have your number.

Get the other 10 below

10 Phrases That Make French a Language Worth Preserving

TresSugar — Wed, 14 Jul 2010 13:21:35 PDT

I don't like hearing about any languages disappearing, but the idea of French's demise seems intolerable. Fortunately, it is also probably impossible, at least in the near future, but French is a language in decline. Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) is an organization dedicated to promoting democracy, peace, and human rights in the 70 French-speaking countries and also to preserving the French language.

The OIF threw a gala in New York last night to celebrate its mission and history. But if there's one thing we need no convincing of, it's that the French language must prevail. Here are 10 words and phrases with no English equivalents that make the unmistakable case for Français.

Dépaysement: The sensation of being in another country.
La douleur exquise: The heart-wrenching pain of wanting someone you can't have. Even a Sex in the City episode was named after it!
Chômer: To be unemployed, but because it's a verb, it makes the state active.
Profiter: To make the most of or take advantage of.
Flâneur: As defined in the book Elegant Wits and Grand Horizontals, it's "the deliberately aimless pedestrian, unencumbered by any obligation or sense of urgency, who, being French and therefore frugal, wastes nothing, including his time which he spends with the leisurely discrimination of a gourmet, savoring the multiple flavors of his city."

To see the rest,

Esprit d'escalier: The literal translation is staircase wit, but it means to think of a comeback when it's too late.
Retrouvailles: The happiness of meeting again after a long time.
Sortable: An adjective for someone you can take anywhere without being embarrassed.
Voila/voici: It's so necessary that we use it all the time. "Voila" literally means "there it is" and "voici means "here it is."
Empêchement: An unexpected last-minute change of plans. A great excuse without having to be specific.

Anything to add?

Source: Flickr User Olivier Bareau

Buzz's 20 Favorite Movies of the Decade

BuzzSugar — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 16:44:26 PST

As we come to the close of another year, I've been counting down the best in entertainment from over the past 12 months. But let's not forget that we're also celebrating the end of the decade, so you know what that means - a recap of the top music, movies, and TV from 2000-2009! There have been so many creative, smart, and fun choices to keep me busy that it's hard to decide which ones deserve top honors. So beginning with films, here are my favorites, in no particular order. (If you don't agree - or if you'd like to submit your own top five, 10, or 20 - you can do so in the Buzz Best of the Decade Group)!

Ewww!

GiggleSugar — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 10:00:00 PST

Thanks, but no thanks.

Source

(Hopelessly) Lost in Translation

GiggleSugar — Sun, 16 Nov 2008 04:00:00 PST

There just aren't enough translators in this world to go around - and thank goodness for that, because these bizarre foreign interpretations are an endless source of WTF and LOL. So spritz on some anus perfume and check out some of my favorite incomprehensible signs.

Source

There's a Government Agency for Everything These Days

GiggleSugar — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 01:00:00 PDT

Don't act like you don't know what they're talking about.

Source

Listen Up! New Company Policy

GiggleSugar — Fri, 16 May 2008 02:00:00 PDT

As you can see, everything we do here is a collaborative enterprise.

Source

Two Great Tastes That Taste Great Together!

GiggleSugar — Wed, 23 Apr 2008 10:30:00 PDT

Oh, wait. Ewwwwww!

Source

Buzz Brainteaser

BuzzSugar — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 04:30:00 PDT

Welcome to Buzz Brainteaser, the trivia feature on BuzzSugar! Every weekday I'll test your knowledge about TV shows, music and movies. If you enter in the correct answer, you win points! In Lost in Translation, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson) sings a song at karaoke titled "Brass in Pocket." Name the original artist or band that put out this song.

Mariah Carey Say What?

GiggleSugar — Mon, 10 Mar 2008 09:20:00 PDT

The show we call American Idol is called Music Idol in Bulgaria. No different from AI, the Bulgarian show attracts its fair share of hopeless hopefuls during the pre-season audition process. The diva below may not speak English, but she's opted to bust her best Mariah Carey during the audition. Her song? "Ken Lee." Trust me, you've heard it. . .