English Language

Words for everything?

By some accounts, there are one-million words in the English language

By some estimates, someone with a university education understandings about 20,000 words

A few examples from

Alba

In Italian The day you leave prison after

serving a sentence.

Ajane

In Tulu (a language in India) The noise of a thief

kyoikumama

In Japanese A woman who makes her children

study so that they will do well academically.

Dejar con el paquete

Spanish Abandoning a woman you

have made pregnant Literally: To drop with the

parcel

biodegradabile

In Italian Someone who falls in love easily and

often

Leibestod

In German Dying for love

Pau heoheo

In Hawaiian A person who returns from fishing

without any fish

And some silly examples from

Meaning of Liff

This silly book takes the names of small towns and attaches them to concepts without words

Epsom (n)

An entry in a dairy (such as a date or set of initials) which you don’t have any idea what is doing there.

Ewelme (n)

The smile bestowed on you by an air hostess

Foping (v)

Refusing the say what you’re looking so bloody wistful about

Kerry (n)

The small twist of skin that separates each sausage in a string

Some of our own

A word for?

A door that closes too quickly

A word for?

A freshly washed dog

A word for?

A chip that is just warm enough to still eat

A word for?

Water too cold to swim in

Finally

List five concepts in English that don’t have a word in their own (but you think they should)