from Andrew Sullivan, but his site makes you jump around to see them all
Zhaghzhagh (Persian)
The chattering of teeth from the cold or from rage.
Yuputka (Ulwa)
A word made for walking in the woods at night, it’s the phantom sensation of something crawling on your skin.
Slampadato (Italian)
Addicted to the UV glow of tanning salons? This word describes you.
Luftmensch (Yiddish)
There are several Yiddish words to describe social misfits. This one is for an impractical dreamer with no business sense. Literally, air person.
Iktsuarpok (Inuit)
You know that feeling of anticipation when you’re waiting for someone to show up at your house and you keep going outside to see if they’re there yet? This is the word for it.
Cotisuelto (Caribbean Spanish)
A word that would aptly describe the prevailing fashion trend among American men under 40, it means one who wears the shirt tail outside of his trousers.
Pana Po’o (Hawaiian)
“Hmm, now where did I leave those keys?” he said, pana po’oing. It means to scratch your head in order to help you remember something you’ve forgotten.
Gumusservi (Turkish)
Meteorologists can be poets in Turkey with words like this at their disposal. It means moonlight shining on water.
Vybafnout (Czech)
A word tailor-made for annoying older brothers—it means to jump out and say boo.
Mencolek (Indonesian)
You know that old trick where you tap someone lightly on the opposite shoulder from behind to fool them? The Indonesians have a word for it.
Faamiti (Samoan)
To make a squeaking sound by sucking air past the lips in order to gain the attention of a dog or child.
Glas wen (Welsh)
A smile that is insincere or mocking. Literally, a blue smile.
Bakku-shan (Japanese)
The experience of seeing a woman who appears pretty from behind but not from the front.
Boketto (Japanese)
It’s nice to know that the Japanese think enough of the act of gazing vacantly into the distance without thinking to give it a name.
Kummerspeck (German)
Excess weight gained from emotional overeating. Literally, grief bacon.
L'esprit de l'escalier" (French)
to think of a witty response to someone after the moment has passed.
Tocayo (Spanish-Mexican)
It is only used by people with the same name. So that one person named Ricardo might call another person named Ricardo "Tocayo."
biritilulo (Papua, New Guinea)
literally means "to argue over yams" but is actually a great, loud row deliberately started between two angry parties as a way of letting out tension. It allows everyone to realize that the conflict in question is silly and to get on with life.
sobremesa (Spanish)
sitting around the table in leisurely conversation after the meal is over.
saudades (Portuguese)
the pain and the pleasure of missing someone or something. The pain part is obvious; the pleasure is because the realization that you have a connection with a person or place that is so strong it causes you pain. And, more generally, it's joyous to remember what you love. Soldiers looking at pictures of their lovers or family are experiencing saudades.
Fremdschämen (German)
feeling shame or embarrassment on behalf of someone else (versus Schadenfreude, taking pleasure in others' pain)
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