Gigil
The urge to hug something or being overwhelmed by intensely cute but unlikely scenarios; such as a dog and cat cuddling up together. The word comes from Tagalog, an Austronesian language spoken in Luzon, native to Philippines.
Schadenfreude
Do you ever get a feeling of satisfaction when something bad happens to another person and you feel bad about it but laugh nonetheless? Well, the Germans have a word for it – Schadenfreude. Schaden means ‘damage’ and freude means ‘joy.
Mencolek
The sneaky act of tapping someone on the opposite shoulder to get them to look in the wrong direction. An Indonesian word which captures a mischievous, yet basic, act.
Shouganai
This captures the essence of ‘meh, what can you do?’. Also existing as ‘Shikata ga nai’, the word shows a sense of resignation from a situation, accepting the fact that somethings just happen and cannot be changed.
Pena ajena
This Spanish word is very close to the concept of ‘cringe’. It basically means being embarrassed for someone else. Most of us have experienced this, curling our mouth and locking our teeth as someone does something extremely stupid.
Pana po’o”
If you scratched your head when trying to read this word, then you’ve done what it means! Well, not exactly. The Hawaiian refers to when someone scratches their head to remember something forgotten. The performative act of scratching the head seemingly helps one cope with forgetfulness.
Cavoli Riscaldati
This bizarre Italian term which literally translates to ‘reheated cabbage’ is used to refer the attempt to restart a failed relationship. The term highlights how completely messy, unworkable and all round bad idea this act truly is by comparing it to reheating a vegetable.
Razbliuto
Speaking of exes, this Russian word points to that feeling one has towards someone they once loved but no longer do. But hey, we’ll take this over any reheated cabbages any time soon.
#MaltaDaily
