Fun Fact Friday #6: If I Had Words...

Here's another Friday brainteaser / time-waster for you, based on a quiz I compiled at work. It's about words from other languages... words we don't have a direct translation for in English, but we really ought to get one. Because each of these is an excellent word, and would be very useful.

Scott Fitzgerald & Yvonne Keeley - If I Had Words 

What do these words mean in English?

Let's start with one that I'm sure Walter will be familiar with...

1. What does the German word “Backpfeifengesicht” mean in English?

A) A face badly in need of a fist.

B) Looking backwards while walking forwards.

C) Snow that falls after Easter Sunday.

Super Furry Animals - The International Language of Screaming 

2. What does the Italian word “Slampadato” mean in English?

A) The orangey bronze glow that comes from being addicted to tanning salons.

B) The sound that’s made when you drop a sack of potatoes.

C) A car crash where nobody will accept responsibility.

Meat Loaf - You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth

3. What does the French phrase “Chanter en yaourt” mean in English?

A) Ordering yoghurt in a restaurant when it isn’t on the menu.

B) Racing to be first into a concert or gig, to get the best seat or place to stand.

C) Singing made-up words or sounds when you don’t know the lyrics to a song.

The Christians - Words

4. What does the Indonesian Word “Jayus” mean in English?

A) How you feel when the alarm goes off and you’ve been awake all night.

B) The happy feeling you get when you hear birds singing. 

C) A joke that is so unfunny or told so badly you just have to laugh.

Thin Lizzy - Don't Believe A Word

5. What does the Japanese phrase “Age-otori” mean in English?

A) Looking worse after a haircut.

B) Feeling really old when you enter a nightclub.

C) Missing the last bus and having to walk home in the rain. 

My Chemical Romance - Famous Last Words

6. What does the Finnish word “Hyppytyynytyydytys” mean in English?

A) Sleeping all through Sunday after a hectic Saturday night.

B) The pleasure derived from sitting or bouncing on a springy cushion.

C) Sneezing three times in a row.

Scritti Politti featuring Ranking Ann - The Word Girl

7. What does the Hawaiian word “Akihi” mean in English?

A) When you wake up in the morning and you’re not sure where you are.

B) When you go to another room, then can’t remember what you went there for.

C) When you ask someone for directions, walk away, then immediately forget what they said. 

Propaganda - Heaven Give Me Words

8. What does the Easter Island word “Tingo” mean in English?

A) The feeling you get when you suck on a lemon.

B) Borrowing items from a neighbour and not returning them, gradually stealing everything they own.

C) The smell that comes from someone who has fallen into a dung heap.

The Stylistics - Na Na Is The Saddest Word

9. What does the Tagalog word “Gigil” mean in English? (Tagalog is the national language of the Philippines.)

A) The feeling you get when you see something unbearably cute and want to squeeze it.

B) The feeling you get when you’ve climbed a huge mountain and immediately want to go back down.

C) The feeling you get when you want to do something quickly, but everything is going SLOW.

Cameo - Word Up

10. What does the Tulu word “Karelu” mean in English? (Tulu is one of 19,500 languages or dialects spoken in India.)

A) An insect whose bite is only cured by music.

B) A game in which you cover your eyes and have to guess who’s hit you.

C) The mark left on your skin from wearing something tight, such as jeans, socks, or a watch.