# What is your favourite word in the Americano/English language?



## Rhisiart (Jul 12, 2006)

Bollocks


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## symphonix (Jul 14, 2006)

Americano?

Gumption. Nobody uses it anymore.


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## Rhisiart (Jul 15, 2006)

symphonix said:


> Americano?


Sorry, I wasn't dismissing Anzac English (or Sud African etc.). It's just that so much English spoken these days uses Americano expressions. Try Bill Bryson's 'Made In America' (probably available at Fullers in Hobart). It makes interesting reading.

Curiously though, some über Brits these days find it fashionable to try and speak Oz. It never comes off of course. I think it's an envy thing.



symphonix said:


> Gumption. Nobody uses it anymore.


I don't have this. I can't spell either.


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## adambyte (Jul 15, 2006)

"Smock"


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## reed (Jul 15, 2006)

what ever happened to the word fop? Funny word. Favorite? Let me dwell on that a moment. Very tough question.


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## Rhisiart (Jul 15, 2006)

A bit dour to say the least, but how about 'SCHADENFREUDE' (pleasure derived from the misfortunes of others)?

Caveat; OK, not exactly Angleski/Americano/Anzac, but a popular word in neswpapers, such as the London Times, Irish Times and the Washington Post.


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## Qion (Jul 15, 2006)

Gaggle maybe? It's definitely not my favorite or oddest word, but that's something that I see in my newspapers a lot..

I see it used as in "A gaggle of geese was shot by a Washington man of 37." I find it a bit redundant to add the phrase "of geese", because gaggle itself means "a flock of geese".

EDIT: Aha! I think I know my favorite word. It's short, sweet, and means only one thing: *cis*.


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## Rogue_Tr00per (Jul 18, 2006)

"flannel", who used this?, two meanings one a face cloth, the other for slang for talking rubbish....


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## fryke (Jul 18, 2006)

I don't get it. If you start including German words ("Schadenfreude")... What's this about? Just "your favourite word of any language"?


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## Qion (Jul 18, 2006)

...schadenfreude is an English word, with origins in German.


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## Mobius Rex (Jul 18, 2006)

No, schadenfreude is a German word that's been hijacked by the the English language.  Most languages steal words from other languages.


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## fryke (Jul 18, 2006)

Yep. While it's probably found its way into dictionaries that doesn't make it an "English" word. Just like Zeitgeist and kindergarden (although the latter somehow got a "d" instead of a "t" in garden), it's simply a German word. We have lotsa English words in the German language.


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## Rhisiart (Jul 18, 2006)

fryke said:


> I don't get it. If you start including German words ("Schadenfreude")......


'Schadenfreude' is in the Collins English Dictionary, as is 'ambulance' (a French word).



fryke said:


> ... What's this about? Just "your favourite word of any language"?


Hmm.... do I detect a little agression here?


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## fryke (Jul 18, 2006)

Detect the smiley.


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## Rhisiart (Jul 18, 2006)

I saw it.


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## lurk (Jul 18, 2006)

Ah, well the smiley was just a little blue square with a "?" in it here, I blame the revision of the site! ;-)

As for favorite word, today I am particularly fond of 'fettle' don't know way.

... my Mac appears to be in fine fettle today.


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## Rhisiart (Jul 18, 2006)

Come to think of it, isn't 'lurk' a great word?



lurk said:


> Wenn ist das Nunstruck git und Slotermeyer? Ja!...
> Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!


That's easy for you to say!


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## reed (Jul 18, 2006)

The word "Love" has gone many many miles. I don't know if it my favorite but it's a good "classic"


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## lurk (Jul 19, 2006)

rhisiart said:


> Come to think of it, isn't 'lurk' a great word?


I am quite fond of it myself ;-)



rhisiart said:


> That's easy for you to say!



I have been waiting for some comment on it but I don't think many people recognize what my sig says or where it is from.  I blame the sorry state of cultural education in the English speaking world!

Edit: And now no signatures show up.  Man will this confuse people.  My signature was:
_Wenn ist das Nunstruck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ... Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput._


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## Ferdinand (Jul 20, 2006)

What does your signature mean anyway? Has a bit of German in it, that's all I could notice...


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## Rhisiart (Jul 20, 2006)

Ferdinand said:


> What does your signature mean anyway? Has a bit of German in it, that's all I could notice...


Yes, I got my German speaking father on to this and he couldn't quite make it out. Of course, you could keep it a mystery, which will add a little fission of excitment to this thread .

However, what is the providence of your handle, Lurk?


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## mw84 (Jul 20, 2006)

Wenn ist das Nunstruck git und Slotermeyer? Ja! ... Beiherhund das Oder die Flipperwaldt gersput.

I made out: When is the something something and something? Yes!.. the beerdog(?) or something something.

As you can probably tell I speak fluent German.. 


My favourite word is cushty. I'm not sure if it features in the dictionary, probably not but I've loved the word ever since I first heard it used on Only Fools And Horses years ago.


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## Ferdinand (Jul 20, 2006)

Good work - I'm Austrian and speak fluent German too and still couldnt figure it out ...


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## Qion (Jul 20, 2006)

Well, I cheated. 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:155.84.57.253

Search for "Wenn"

(And I hope you were just joking about the lack of cultural education thing; I don't really see where this would fit into "Important European History" )


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## lurk (Jul 20, 2006)

Qion said:


> (And I hope you were just joking about the lack of cultural education thing; I don't really see where this would fit into "Important European History" )



That is the problem with kids these days they just don't understand the touchstones of their culture!!  Now if they just spent some time in the... comfy chair!!! Then maybe they would appreciate what their elders have to say. 

[In all honesty I put that in there to make a joke in the word associate thread, alas it went unnoticed at which point I had become kind of fond of it myself.]


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## Mobius Rex (Jul 20, 2006)

*flummox* is a nice one, as is *lummox* ......"You've got to use simple words otherwise you'll flummox that pathetic lummox standing over there."


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## Rhisiart (Jul 20, 2006)

Capricious


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## CaptainQuark (Jul 20, 2006)

I've always had a fondness for the word *drub*. Couldn't tell ya why&#8230;


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## reed (Jul 21, 2006)

gesundheit
 (speaking of German)  

 funny word in "American" English usage.


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## CaptainQuark (Jul 21, 2006)

And speaking even more of German, why does everyone use the word _Angst_, when the Swedish _ångest_ expresses so much more angst?


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## Rhisiart (Jul 21, 2006)

CaptainQuark said:


> And speaking even more of German, why does everyone use the word _Angst_, when the Swedish _ångest_ expresses so much more angst?


Sounds like the Swedish pronounce it with more conviction.

P.S. I am currently learning German. I never thought of it as an attractive language (let's face it, it can sound harsh), but once you start speaking it, it sort of flows nicely.


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## CaptainQuark (Jul 21, 2006)

It's pronounced ONG-est, with the stress on the first syllable, which means that you can put _so_ much more expression into it, where as Angst, with just one syllable is too flat and measured to express what is is supposed to describe.

I did German for a year at school, but their convoluted grammar and rigid sentence structure just didn't appeal to me and stifled my ability to express myself. I didn't feel that it flowed at all &#8211; way too stilted.

Vive la France!


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## Mobius Rex (Jul 21, 2006)

Well, if "foreign" words in english usage are fair play, then *Weltschmertz* (world weariness)  is one that tickles my fancy.
Anyway, I'm feeling rather world weary right now, so I think I'll go blow my f*ckin' brains out.  See ya later.


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## reed (Jul 21, 2006)

Mobius Rex. If you blow your brains out, how can we see you later? Take five. Ciao....oops foreign word again!


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## Mobius Rex (Jul 21, 2006)

> Mobius Rex. If you blow your brains out, how can we see you later?



Well, this " cat" has most of his nine lives still intact. 

*carbuncle* is amusing.  "Oh, Christ, I've got a
carbuncle on my left buttock!


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## lurk (Jul 21, 2006)

*Flibbertigibbet* seams particularly appealing today, don't know why though. It just has a nice rhythm I guess.


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## Rhisiart (Jul 24, 2006)

Floccinaucinihilipilification (an instance of judging something to be worthless or trivial).

Of course it's not my favourite word, but it's damn more interesting than 'antidisestablishmentarianism', which is widely thought to be the longest word in the English dictionary.

In fact 'floccinaucinihilipilification' is one letter longer.


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## Ferdinand (Jul 25, 2006)

Those are the weirdest words I ever saw...


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## Bluefish (Aug 22, 2006)

"Fuck off" in brittish accent sounds pretty fun.


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## Bluefish (Aug 22, 2006)

CaptainQuark said:


> And speaking even more of German, why does everyone use the word _Angst_, when the Swedish _ångest_ expresses so much more angst?



I think _angst_ means afraidness or something similar, while _ångest_ means dread(a kind of harder worry, you know what i mean..)

sorry for dual post


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## Rhisiart (Aug 22, 2006)

Bluefish said:


> "F*ck off" in British accent sounds pretty fun.


Well, it does and it doesn't. When the Irish use the 'F' word, it never sounds vindictive. 

With the British it can be used quite harmlessly, e.g. "Oh f*ck!" when something goes wrong (alhough I prefer "Oh bollocks!"), but more often than not it is used with venom.

I prefer how the Irish use the 'F' word.


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## Esquilinho (Aug 22, 2006)

I have no English fav, but my Portuguese favourite is "Esbórnia". Actually, it's Brazilian Portuguese


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## Rhisiart (Aug 23, 2006)

Esquilinho said:


> I have no English fav, but my Portuguese favourite is "Esbórnia". Actually, it's Brazilian Portuguese


Meaning?


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## CaptainQuark (Aug 23, 2006)

rhisiart said:


> When the Irish use the 'F' word, it never sounds vindictive.  I prefer how the Irish use the 'F' word.



You've been watch FAR too much Father Ted, "yer great feckin' eejit".


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## Rhisiart (Aug 23, 2006)

CaptainQuark said:


> You've been watch FAR too much Father Ted, "yer great feckin' eejit".


I did better than that. I lived in County Cork for four years. I'm not called a gobshite for nothing.

[Ted: "Chewing gum for the eyes" as he turns off the TV with impatience. Dougal: "No thanks, Ted"].


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## Esquilinho (Aug 23, 2006)

rhisiart said:


> Meaning?



something like "fooling around"


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## CaptainQuark (Aug 24, 2006)

rhisiart said:


> I did better than that. I lived in County Cork for four years. I'm not called a gobshite for nothing.



A Welsh Paddy 
The mind boggles!


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## reed (Aug 24, 2006)

excuse me.

  Is this favourite word or "woids?" As we say in New York.

 If the latter, then there could be some fun stuff out there. That means expressions, joint words or some interesting curses in all languages. Why not. Maybe a nice thread to propose.

Off the top of the head: "pill." Like when you are dealing with somebody at the other end of the phone who is a real creep (nice word too). For me it was a banker today. He was so disagreable and full of himself, the only word that came to mind while talking to this guy was...."what a pill!!!!"  Not a fav. but very useful in one's head. I'll dig down deeper for better ones. If good words come at the right moment (in one's mind)....they become your favourite word? "This prick was such a pill!!!!" I felf better afterwards.


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## Rhisiart (Aug 25, 2006)

Esquilinho said:


> something like "fooling around"&#8230;


"Esbórnia" That'll do for me 

P.S. I spent a week in Slavador de Bahia many years ago. Home of Olodum.



reed said:


> Excuse me. Is this favourite word or "woids?" As we say in New York.
> 
> Off the top of the head: "pill." Like when you are dealing with somebody at the other end of the phone who is a real creep (nice word too). For me it was a banker today. He was so disagreable and full of himself, the only word that came to mind while talking to this guy was...."what a pill!!!!"  Not a fav. but very useful in one's head. I'll dig down deeper for better ones. If good words come at the right moment (in one's mind)....they become your favourite word? "This prick was such a pill!!!!" I felf better afterwards.


I would throw up if I heard that.


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## reed (Aug 29, 2006)

quagmire is a kind of "interesting" word.


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## CaptainQuark (Aug 29, 2006)

Not a patch on *quagga*, though&#8230;


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## reed (Aug 30, 2006)

upchuck (after "the pill?")


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