this post was submitted on 21 Feb 2025
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Asklemmy

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[–] DerisionConsulting@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (2 children)

In English, it has to be any of the Contronyms. We have so many, and it really makes it hard for newer speakers to understand some things.

You dust a cake by adding powder, you dust a table by removing powder.
You seed a field by adding seeds, you seed a fruit by removing the seeds.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 10 points 1 week ago

Cleave is my personal favorite

[–] poweruser@lemmy.sdf.org 3 points 1 week ago

Shelled and unshelled both also mean unshelled and shelled, respectively

[–] superkret@feddit.org 10 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Klabusterbeeren
Klabusterbeeren are "berries" out of cotton and hair, which you can only harvest from your ass crack.
Also known as Winterkirschen (winter cherries).

[–] mub@lemmy.ml 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)

We call those Clag nuts or Dangle berries.

I'm heard dingle berries, dingle like single

[–] drathvedro@lemm.ee 7 points 1 week ago

Some Russian ones:

недоперепил: недо - not quite, пере - overdid, пил - drank. Sounds weird due to opposing suffixes, basically means "haven't drunk enough to get completely wasted", in my circles we use it to describe displeasure when the alcohol runs dry on events we've set to get wasted all along.

опердень: Due to how it's only used in professional circles and how language is structured, someone hearing it for the first time might think it's a word rooted from "пердеть" (to fart), and based on the suffixes assume it relates to some kind of creature that farts (or get farted) all over. But it's actually a shorthand for Операционный День (processing day) which is how finance guys call their banking software as it basically replaced said processing day in their work.

Same for "опсос" - sounds like "someone who sucks all over something" but is just a shorthand for "оператор сотовой связи" - phone service provider.

[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

The word 'weird' is pretty weird.

[–] davel@lemmy.ml 3 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] Dagwood222@lemm.ee 3 points 1 week ago

I like the idea that Shakespeare was looking for some uncommon word and remembered hearing 'weird' and running with it.

Thanks.

[–] Fleppensteijn@feddit.nl 6 points 1 week ago

English speakers always seem to like mierenneuken: nitpicking, or literally, ant-fucking.

Or maybe fokker, meaning breeder (and a famous last name; and speaking of names, we have first names such as Fokko and Fokje).

[–] PandaDEV@lemmy.ml 6 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)

„Chrüsimüsi“ belief me or not but it means chaos

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 6 points 1 week ago (1 children)

'Zuignapje' -> a little suction cup to attach things to windows.

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Hey, using any Dutch word is cheating!

[–] Akasazh@feddit.nl 3 points 1 week ago (2 children)

We can tie words together like you guys, but our consonant/vowel interaction is better

[–] pet1t@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago
[–] GB19@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago

Learning Norwegian, det kan vi også 😜

[–] ada@lemmy.blahaj.zone 5 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] davel@lemmy.ml 4 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Ya can’t beat a superlative is what I always say.

[–] Hadriscus@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] BumpingFuglies@lemmy.zip 6 points 1 week ago

Or a super-duperlative.

[–] apotheotic 5 points 1 week ago

Worcestershire

[–] auraithx@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago) (1 children)

Scots - I like fannybaws.

(Vagina testicles)

[–] RicoPeru@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago

whoa no way i like fannybaws too

[–] bjoern_tantau@swg-empire.de 4 points 1 week ago

am seltsamsten

[–] Comtief@lemm.ee 2 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] RicoPeru@lemmy.blahaj.zone 2 points 1 week ago

what language? looks like laughter to me ☠️

[–] hossein@lemmy.sdf.org 2 points 1 week ago* (last edited 1 week ago)
[–] Moonguide@lemmy.ml 2 points 1 week ago

I think this is specific to my own neck of the woods, but the words "pija" and "verga". It can be used in a variety of different contexts and will mean anything between the bee's knees to absolute shit.

For example, "la mera pija/verga", literally "the very dick", means "the best"; while "la pija/verga" m, literally "the dick", means "the absolute fucking worst/incapable/incompetent". "Pijin" means rave, "pijeada/verguiada" means either a scuffle that ended with one side getting beaten very badly, or something that is very hard to do.

An example of the last one: "Darle pija a Malenia, Blade of Miquella, es pijeado", meaning "To beat Malenia, Blade of Miquella, is hard".

... Lots of phallic turns of phrase. But its usage probably isn't so different to the versatility of the word "fuck" in the english language.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 2 points 1 week ago

skookum. It's borrowed from, like, old Aboriginal trade language. It means "deal's done" - with its own hand-brushing gesture - but it also means "strong" or "resilient", I think.

And now it's almost a common 'Canadianism' -- if your Newfie buddy says " 'At's a skookum blow we gots, b'iys", you know there's a sad BC Ferry-tale on the way, and you're not getting Over tonight.

[–] DirigibleProtein@aussie.zone 1 points 1 week ago
[–] kimagurevenus 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)

Moist, I just can't stand it.

[–] corsicanguppy@lemmy.ca 1 points 1 week ago (1 children)
[–] kimagurevenus 1 points 1 week ago

Disgustang!