Today i learned a new word

For me,

In Castilian: «emprestar»
SOURCE: WR Forums!

In English: «the clap»
SOURCE: a novel from C.Miret.

Roi

I loved your idea!
In the beginning of this week I was rereading a classic novel
from a very famous Brazilian writer (Machado de Assis) and
came across this word: hégira. As I’m proud of my vast
vocabulary I was astonished, because I even couldn’t
guess it by context. So the first thing I did when I arrived
at home was looking up the dictionary:
hégira: [Fom arab. ha1ra (t), lit., ’emigração’.]
In the figurative use (as it was used in the book): escape,
flight.

Today I learned a new word in my own language!
Catalan: valona. It is the rounded plate placed in a extreme of a beam. It keeps the threads to remain in the beam instead of falling away.
Source: in my job.

New word for me in English: kickback
Source: the news

I’ve learned a new expression in English today from Panj:

bad cess

I agree with Gustavoang. This thread would be much more useful to all if each contributor would kindly add the meaning and/or definition of their discovery, so then everyone could benefit from these wonderful «new acquisitions.»

Roi Marphille set the right example in his post about Valona. (even though he forgot to explain «kickback.» )

Gustavoang said:

Hi, Vanda.

What does it mean?

Thanks in advanced!

Sorry , I thought I had mentioned it!

bad cess= falta de sorte

to be unlucky

Yesterday I learned this Spanish word:

ínterin (meanwhile). I hadn’t heard it before, but now I understand why interino means provisional, like presidente interino = acting president.

Saludos,

Today, I’ve learned what I think will be my favorite word for quite some time.

quixotic — impractical in silly manner

Edher

Gustavoang said:

Why don’t we post our new discovery (or any word/phrase we’d like to share), by submitting a new thread?
What do you think about this?

Hello Gustavo,

I like your idea of encouraging people to write down new «discoveries» in their own language.

However I don’t think opening a new thread for each new word is a very practical way of doing it here in the Culture Forum.

The Culture Forum is for linguistic and cultural debate and discussion, rather than vocabulary. So if every new word discovered is posted in a separate thread, your project will lose its continuity and people won’t understand what the discussion is about. They’ll just see the word out of context and think it’s in the wrong forum.

Let’s just stick to one thread, what do you think?

Thanks for your cooperation,
zebedee
Culture Moderator

Juca said:

Isn’t it «Bitte korrigiere mich erbarmungslos»?

That’s singular. «Bitte korrigiert mich erbarmungslos» is plural. I’m talking to the whole German forum «crew», so I use the plural form.

I learned a new verb during travels back home this summer.

It’s actually a noun that has been «corrupted» and is now being used as a verb in AE:

English: Officing. To office.

As in: «I»m officing with Mr. Peters now» or «Joe and I used to office downtown», or «Who are you officing with these says?»

That really surprised me, but I heard it several times, so I guess it is slipping into common usage…

Gustavoang said:

Hello, zebedee.

I agree with everything you said, but… What else can we do in order to make these «interesting» words/phrases easy to reach when doing a simple search on the site?

On the other hand, when I want to share a word or phrase with you… Which forum should I use? I ask this question because I know you’re right when you say «They’ll just see the word out of context and think it’s in the wrong forum».

Best regards.

I’ll answer you by PM to keep this thread free.

I’ve learned through orkut this word in English

outercourse (definitions in here)

because of an alleged affair involving the governor of California. Outercourse used to be called «strike out» and is anything that isn’t intercourse.

GenJen54 said:

Roi Marphille set the right example in his post about Valona. (even though he forgot to explain «kickback.» )

yes, sorry..

English:
I learned «kickback» in the news. It was regarding the «oil for food» program of the United Nations.
A «kickback» is a commercial bribe paid by a seller to a purchasing agent. BTW, I learned «bribe» not long time ago in a Dilbert comic.

Today I learned another word in English: «beckon»
Source: the news
WR definition: signal with the hands or nod.

Thanks to all
Roi

Hoy en el trabajo, una compañera me ha dicho: mejor no lo hago, porque después me haran chirigotas.
Chirigotas ????. No lo havia oido nunca! Ella me ha dicho que era una palabra muy común…
Definición RAE:
chirigota.(De or. inc.; cf.port. gíria, jerga).1. f. Conjunto que en carnaval canta canciones humorísticas.
(group that in carnival sings humorous songs)

But my surprise It has arrived with the colloquial word for say «chirigota»:
2. f. coloq. cuchufleta.
It sounds you? but it hasn’t male gender…
A+

Vanda said:

In the beginning of this week I was rereading a classic novel from a very famous Brazilian writer (Machado de Assis) and
came across this word: hégira. As I’m proud of my vast
vocabulary I was astonished, because I even couldn’t
guess it by context. So the first thing I did when I arrived
at home was looking up the dictionary:
hégira: [Fom arab. ha1ra (t), lit., ’emigração’.]
In the figurative use (as it was used in the book): escape,
flight.

Vanda, that’s wonderful … one of my favourite albums of all time is Hejira by Joni Mitchell, and finally you’ve helped me to understand the title

An expression I learned today is «madd tite», which is apparently African-American Vernacular English and means «very good» or «really cool».

irisheyes0583 said:

I think it’s just «mad tight»…

I believe all the variations are acceptable … madd tite, mad tite, mad tight, madd tight …

E-J said:

I believe all the variations are acceptable … madd tite, mad tite, mad tight, madd tight …

I think the more wrong you spell it, the cooler it is (supposed to be).

Of couse, someone forgot to tell them that if you have to try to be cool, by definition, you aren’t.

Hello everybody!
I’ve been living in the UK for 5 months now and every day I learn new words and expressions, so i’ll just give one or two examples:

«You’re my guinea pig» refering to a person, which means, the object of my experiments, poorly translated perhaps, given the slang context. In portuguese can be translated as «És a minha cobaia».

Another one: «I’m going for a fag», meaning, smoke a cigarette. The only meaning I knew for this «fag» word was «gay». Another word I’ve learn was «jugs» as for jugs of water. Again, I had a diferent definition for «jugs». So, always learning. I get the notion that everyday I enrich my vocabulary and feel a little bit more at ease.

I’m sorry for any mistakes.

Cya!

Alma Mater said:

Another one: «I’m going for a fag», meaning, smoke a cigarette. The only meaning I knew for this «fag» word was «gay». Another word I’ve learn was «jugs» as for jugs of water. Again, I had a diferent definition for «jugs». So, always learning. I get the notion that everyday I enrich my vocabulary and feel a little bit more at ease.

I see you’re posting for the first time. Welcome to the forums, Alma Mater

Interesting thread!! I learn new words in my own language very often, so can you imagine in other ones? Here is one that I’ve already learnt:

pingüe.
(Del lat. pinguis).
1. adj. Craso, gordo, mantecoso.
2. adj. Abundante, copioso, fértil.
Real Academia Española © Todos los derechos reservados

My new discoveries from today:

In Catalan:
xerigot: it is a liquid related to milk which it is used to make cheese, butter and stuff like that.
Source: a conversation with friends when having lunch, talking about «quallada» (Spanish:cuajada)

In English:
bellyful, the expression «to have a bellyful of..» being fed up..etc..
Source: a book from M.Houellebecq. Then a thread in WR.

salut,
Roi

Hola,

Bueno, más que un descubrimiento de una palabra, hace poco me hablaron de un dialecto que se utiliza en los Estados Unidos, el AAVE! La cosa se compica, me encanta! jeje (cuando digo la cosa me refiero al hecho de aprender)

Un ejemplo de este dialecto sería:

Aw shucks, me’am. ‘Twern nuthin’ (Ay, Señora, para nada.) Increíble!!!

‘Twern nuthin’ — It wasn’t nothing — It wasn’t anything — De nada/para nada

Aw shucks — Se dice «aw shucks» cuando se pone con verguenza o humilde.

Me’am — Ma’am — Madame — Señora

(JazzbyChas and VenusEnvy, gracias!)

Saludos

Mei

The whole family was playing a game today and my youngest son (18) won fairly easily. He said something I’d never heard before and which made me laugh
«Je vous ai foutu la misère.»
(meaning something like I beat you flat — literaly : I put you the misery)

Note : we usually say foutre la branlée/la pâtée in the same sense, but la misère was new to me.

Several months ago, when I was curious about its etymology, I learnt that «wazoo» is vulgar. I had no idea. All my life I had considered it merely «colorful.»

Z.

I learn a new word of my own language (Finnish) practically every Tuesday. In my newspaper they have every Tuesday a «language column» where words and expressions are explained. Yesterday it was about St. Stephen’s day and how this martyr became a horseman. The new words I learn here are mostly old words.

New words of foreign languages I learn every day, but it doesn’t matter if I don’t remember the word tomorrow. The best way to remember it is to use it actively when you have learned it for the first time.

English. I’ve learned this word today. So funny! Feel like going to use it everyday…….

sesquipedalian ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn, adjective:
1. Given to or characterized by the use of long words.
2. Long and ponderous; having many syllables.
noun: A long word.