In Other Words by Mary Dutta

Like all writers, I love words. A new favorite is a Korean one I recently learned--umchina. Its literal translation is “mother’s friend’s son,” but it means something much more. It refers to the hypothetical perfect child to whom a mother is always comparing her own offspring. Her friend’s son is so academically high-achieving, so good at his sport, so respectful of his parents. You get the idea. The way in which a word or phrase like this can so perfectly encompass a larger concept sent me searching the world for other examples.

The French expression l’esprit de l’escalier translates literally as “stairwell wit.” It means the clever retort you think of only after it’s too late. Perhaps when you’re heading down the stairs on your way out. The phrase is French, but the experience is universal.

I’m not the only one enamored of such words. Grammy-nominated singer Halsey has a song called Ya’aburnee, an Arabic word meaning “you bury me.” Its larger meaning is the hope that a loved one will outlive you, so you never have to suffer living without them. That’s a lot of emotion packed into one word.

Emotion also plays a role in one of my favorite examples--the German word kummerspeck. That’s “grief bacon” in English. They aren’t talking about some sort of post-funeral repast, but rather the excess weight gained from emotional eating. Another common experience. 

Some words’ meanings are more easily understood than others, at least to those of us who have spent some time in the Northeast. The Icelandic gluggavedur translates to “window-weather,” alluding to weather that’s nice to look at through a window but not so nice to actually experience outside. 

Such words and their metaphorical meanings sometimes overlap in different languages. The Italian attaccabottoni literally means “button attacher.” It also refers, however, to someone who attaches themself to you and won’t stop talking. In English, we would say that person buttonholed us.

All these words and phrases are both specific to their cultures and universal in their significance. People everywhere have parents, experience emotions, etc. Writers strive to capture those human experiences, and sometimes they are lucky enough to find just the right words with which to do it.

Have you discovered words or phrases that perfectly encapsulate a feeling?