I’ve just been reading ‘The Meaning of Tingo‘ by Adam Jacot de Boinod, which lists a whole host of words and expressions from around the globe which we just can’t express in English.  I’ve only just started it, but I thought I might pass on a few of my favourites so far, which I think we need to adopt immediately:

• iktsuarpok: To go outside often to see if someone is coming  (Innuit)
• puniu: The skull of a man who resembles a coconut (Hawaiian)
• nylentik:  To flick someone with the middle finger on the ear (Indonesian)
• tsuji-giri:  To try out a new sword on a passer-by (Japanese)
• nakhur:  A camel which won’t give milk until her nostrils have been tickled (Persian)
• nglayap:  To wander far from home with no particular purpose (Indonesian)
• ichigo-ichie:  The practice of treasuring each moment and trying to make it perfect (Japanese)
• achaplinarse:  To hesitate and then run away in the style of Charlie Chaplin (Spanish, C America)
• giomlaireachd:  The habit of dropping in at meal times (Scottish Gaelic)

and finally, I guess it has to be

• Tingo:  To borrow things from a friend’s house one by one until there’s nothing left.

Incidentally, I also notice from his book that 42 in Japanese (shi-ni) means to die.  Is that a rather morbid take on the meaning of life?