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Toujours Tingo

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Robin Bignall

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Oct 29, 2007, 9:55:11 AM10/29/07
to
"Toujours Tingo is a compilation of words and phrases that don't
exist in English. For example:

Gwarlingo (Welsh): the rushing sound of a grandfather clock as it
limbers up to strike

Pisan zapra (Malay): the time taken to eat a banana.

Toujours Tingo (French and Easter Island Pascuense): Always
borrow objects one by one from a neighbour's house until there is
nothing left

Bakushan (Japanese): a woman who looks better from behind

Nakhur (Farsi): a camel that won't give milk until its nostrils
are tickled

... and so on.
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2759260.ece
--
Robin
Herts, England

Steffen Buehler

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Oct 29, 2007, 10:21:54 AM10/29/07
to
Robin Bignall wrote:

>
http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2759260.ece

Nice one. Although I never came across the German example
"Tantenverführer", and Google only finds references to exactly this
book...

Regards
Steffen

tinwhistler

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Oct 29, 2007, 10:59:33 AM10/29/07
to
On Oct 29, 6:55 am, Robin Bignall <docro...@ntlworld.com> wrote:
[snip]

> ... and so on.http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/boo...
[snip]

Thanks -- the bottom line:

"...And while English may lack some words that appear useful in other
languages, it scores heavily in brevity over the Tok Pisin creole of
the tribesmen of Papua New Guinea, whose expression magimiks belong
Yesus is what we know as a helicopter...."

Magimiks belong Yesus ... rapture is coming by way of helicopter?
--
Aloha ~~~ Ozzie Maland ~~~ San Diego

Father Ignatius

unread,
Oct 29, 2007, 10:53:26 AM10/29/07
to
Robin Bignall <docr...@ntlworld.com> het geskryf:

> "Toujours Tingo is a compilation of words and phrases
> that don't
> exist in English. For example:

The Italians have a word for the rings left on tabletops by
glasses, but I have forgotten what it is.

And there is an Afrikaans word for the back part of the
skull, the usefulness of which, I understand, is that there
is where you wish to hit your children.

Wood Avens

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Oct 29, 2007, 11:15:49 AM10/29/07
to
On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:33 -0700, tinwhistler
<ozzie...@post.harvard.edu> wrote:


>
>"...And while English may lack some words that appear useful in other
>languages, it scores heavily in brevity over the Tok Pisin creole of
>the tribesmen of Papua New Guinea, whose expression magimiks belong
>Yesus is what we know as a helicopter...."
>
>Magimiks belong Yesus ... rapture is coming by way of helicopter?

Egg-whisk type of thing, innit.

--

Katy Jennison

spamtrap: remove the first two letters after the @

Mike M

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Oct 29, 2007, 11:51:28 AM10/29/07
to
On 29 Oct, 15:15, Wood Avens <woodav...@askjennison.com> wrote:
> On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 07:59:33 -0700, tinwhistler
>
> <ozziemal...@post.harvard.edu> wrote:
>
> >"...And while English may lack some words that appear useful in other
> >languages, it scores heavily in brevity over the Tok Pisin creole of
> >the tribesmen of Papua New Guinea, whose expression magimiks belong
> >Yesus is what we know as a helicopter...."
>
> >Magimiks belong Yesus ... rapture is coming by way of helicopter?
>
> Egg-whisk type of thing, innit.
>

Food processor. Whirling blades and all:

http://tinyurl.com/32f4op

Mike M


Mike Lyle

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Oct 29, 2007, 2:52:41 PM10/29/07
to

Interesting the way these things change. In our day it was "Mixmaster
bilong Jesus-christ". I suppose you all know "big-pella bockus you fight
im long teeth e sing out".

We could perhaps discover some overlap between Tok PiSin and Lolcat.

--
Mike.

--
Posted via a free Usenet account from http://www.teranews.com

Prai Jei

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Oct 29, 2007, 3:12:18 PM10/29/07
to
Mike Lyle (or somebody else of the same name) wrote in message
<47261fc3$0$26454$8826...@free.teranews.com>:

> I suppose you all know "big-pella bockus you fight
> im long teeth e sing out".

The late Luciano Pavarotti? Would fit the first and last elements of the
expression at least.
--
ξ:) Proud to be curly

Interchange the alphabetic letter groups to reply

R H Draney

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Oct 29, 2007, 5:10:02 PM10/29/07
to
Prai Jei filted:

>
>Mike Lyle (or somebody else of the same name) wrote in message
><47261fc3$0$26454$8826...@free.teranews.com>:
>
>> I suppose you all know "big-pella bockus you fight
>> im long teeth e sing out".
>
>The late Luciano Pavarotti? Would fit the first and last elements of the
>expression at least.

Sounds like a piano...I got slowed down interpreting "bockus" as "Bacchus", but
once I realized it was "box" the rest fell into place....

Anybody happen to know the Tok Pisin for "bagpipes"?...r


--
"He come in the night when one sleep on a bed.
With a hand he have the basket and foods."
- David Sedaris explains the Easter rabbit

sage

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Oct 29, 2007, 6:33:30 PM10/29/07
to
Robin Bignall wrote:
(Snip)

> Bakushan (Japanese): a woman who looks better from behind

Gilbert could have used that; instead he had to write "She may very well
pass for forty three in the dusk with the light behind her."

> http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article2759260.ece

Thanks for brightening the day.

Cheers, Sage

Paul Wolff

unread,
Oct 29, 2007, 5:59:50 PM10/29/07
to
R H Draney <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote

>Prai Jei filted:
>>
>>Mike Lyle (or somebody else of the same name) wrote in message
>><47261fc3$0$26454$8826...@free.teranews.com>:
>>
>>> I suppose you all know "big-pella bockus you fight
>>> im long teeth e sing out".
>>
>>The late Luciano Pavarotti? Would fit the first and last elements of the
>>expression at least.
>
>Sounds like a piano...I got slowed down interpreting "bockus" as "Bacchus", but
>once I realized it was "box" the rest fell into place....

I favour anaccordion, on the fight front. Wrastling, and all that:
armlock, sharmlock.
--
Paul
In bocca al Lupo!

Mike Lyle

unread,
Oct 29, 2007, 6:13:27 PM10/29/07
to
R H Draney wrote:
> Prai Jei filted:
>>
>> Mike Lyle (or somebody else of the same name) wrote in message
>> <47261fc3$0$26454$8826...@free.teranews.com>:
>>
>>> I suppose you all know "big-pella bockus you fight
>>> im long teeth e sing out".
>>
>> The late Luciano Pavarotti? Would fit the first and last elements of
>> the expression at least.
>
> Sounds like a piano...I got slowed down interpreting "bockus" as
> "Bacchus", but once I realized it was "box" the rest fell into
> place....

It is indeed the pianoforte.


>
> Anybody happen to know the Tok Pisin for "bagpipes"?...r

It's not at
http://www.tok-pisin.com/sort-english.php?page=1

"White-pella octopus you givim blow-job e sing out", conceivably?

R H Draney

unread,
Oct 29, 2007, 7:20:48 PM10/29/07
to
Mike Lyle filted:

I sense you're just trying to get me to change my .sig file again....r

Reinhold (Rey) Aman

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 12:59:08 AM10/30/07
to
Robin Bignall wrote:

> "Toujours Tingo" is a compilation of words and phrases that don't
> exist in English.

[...]

Adam Jacot De Boinod's new compilation _Toujours Tingo_ is crap, as is
his 2005 _The Meaning of Tingo: And Other Extraordinary Words from
Around the World_. At least 50% of those "funny" or "unusual" or
"exotic" or "untranslatable" non-English words don't exist, are
mistranslated, misunderstood, plain wrong, or verbosely translated.

De Boinod's compilations are for the mindless masses and gullible,
ignorant journalists, not for linguists, philologists, or intelligent
word-lovers. They are basically rip-offs of Howard Rheingold's 1988
book _They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable
Words and Phrases_. This book by another language dilettante also is
all but kosher.

On _Language Log_ of September 28, 2005, ex-AUEer Benjamin Zimmer
exposed some of the nonsense in his "_Tingo_ and other lingo" and linked
to two extensive debunkings of De Boinod's crap in Metafilter and
Straight Dope:

http://itre.cis.upenn.edu/%7Emyl/languagelog/archives/002500.html

Albanians have 27 words for moustaches and another 27 for eyebrows?
Yeah, right.

I refused De Boinod's request to link to his silly books. So enjoy his
garbage, but with a couple of fistfuls of salt.

~~~ Rey ~~~

tony cooper

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 1:35:56 AM10/30/07
to
On Mon, 29 Oct 2007 21:59:08 -0700, "Reinhold (Rey) Aman"
<am...@sonic.net> wrote:

>Adam Jacot De Boinod's new compilation _Toujours Tingo_ is crap, as is
>his 2005 _The Meaning of Tingo: And Other Extraordinary Words from
>Around the World_. At least 50% of those "funny" or "unusual" or
>"exotic" or "untranslatable" non-English words don't exist, are
>mistranslated, misunderstood, plain wrong, or verbosely translated.
>
>De Boinod's compilations are for the mindless masses and gullible,
>ignorant journalists, not for linguists, philologists, or intelligent
>word-lovers.

If I ever write a book, I'm aiming for the mindless masses market. To
hell with the linguists, philologists, and intelligent
word-lovers...all 126 of them. Don't authors make money based on the
number of copies sold?

I left out the ignorant journalists. When have you ever heard of a
journalist *buying* a book?
--


Tony Cooper
Orlando, FL

Father Ignatius

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 1:54:39 AM10/30/07
to
tony cooper <tony_co...@earthlink.net> het geskryf:

> If I ever write a book, I'm aiming for the mindless
> masses market. To hell with the linguists, philologists,
> and intelligent word-lovers...all 126 of them. Don't
> authors make money based on the number of copies sold?

Prezackly. Hourah for Dan Brown and J.K. Rowling, two of
the Greatest Authors Ever!

Mike Lyle

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 2:56:38 PM10/30/07
to

"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
news:fg5ps...@drn.newsguy.com...

> Mike Lyle filted:
> >
> >R H Draney wrote:
[...]

> >> Anybody happen to know the Tok Pisin for "bagpipes"?...r
> >
> >It's not at
> >http://www.tok-pisin.com/sort-english.php?page=1
> >
> >"White-pella octopus you givim blow-job e sing out", conceivably?
>
> I sense you're just trying to get me to change my .sig file again....r

It's pretty well impossible to call the bagpipe anything that /isn't/
fun. Even the innocent "musette" also means "nosebag".

R H Draney

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 3:08:28 PM10/30/07
to
Mike Lyle filted:
>
>
>"R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
>news:fg5ps...@drn.newsguy.com...
>> Mike Lyle filted:
>> >
>> >R H Draney wrote:
>[...]
>> >> Anybody happen to know the Tok Pisin for "bagpipes"?...r
>> >
>> >It's not at
>> >http://www.tok-pisin.com/sort-english.php?page=1
>> >
>> >"White-pella octopus you givim blow-job e sing out", conceivably?
>>
>> I sense you're just trying to get me to change my .sig file again....r
>
>It's pretty well impossible to call the bagpipe anything that /isn't/
>fun. Even the innocent "musette" also means "nosebag".

I once spent some time crafting a Japanese word for "haggis"...the result
re-translates into English as "inside-out sheep"....r

Adrian Bailey

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 6:38:36 PM10/30/07
to
"Robin Bignall" <docr...@ntlworld.com> wrote in message
news:7qobi35mv7tv67dfc...@4ax.com...

> "Toujours Tingo is a compilation of words and phrases that don't
> exist in English. For example:
>
> Bakushan (Japanese): a woman who looks better from behind

What about "butterface"?

Adrian


tinwhistler

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 6:45:24 PM10/30/07
to
On Oct 30, 3:38 pm, "Adrian Bailey" <da...@hotmail.com> wrote:
[snip]

> > "Toujours Tingo is a compilation of words and phrases that don't
> > exist in English. For example:
>
> > Bakushan (Japanese): a woman who looks better from behind
>
> What about "butterface"?
[snip]

Or "1661" as per the recent thread at aue:
http://tinyurl.com/363pqa

Robert Lieblich

unread,
Oct 30, 2007, 7:09:28 PM10/30/07
to
tony cooper wrote:

[ ... ]

> If I ever write a book, I'm aiming for the mindless masses market. To
> hell with the linguists, philologists, and intelligent
> word-lovers...all 126 of them. Don't authors make money based on the
> number of copies sold?
>
> I left out the ignorant journalists. When have you ever heard of a
> journalist *buying* a book?

Daughter used to work for a magazine headquartered in New York. She
could call almost any publisher in the city and get a free copy of
almost any book. I gave her a list of a few hundred that I wanted,
but she said her boss wouldn't let her abuse the privilege. Damn!

Robert Bannister

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Oct 30, 2007, 8:21:49 PM10/30/07
to
Mike Lyle wrote:

> "R H Draney" <dado...@spamcop.net> wrote in message
> news:fg5ps...@drn.newsguy.com...
>
>>Mike Lyle filted:
>>
>>>R H Draney wrote:
>
> [...]
>
>>>>Anybody happen to know the Tok Pisin for "bagpipes"?...r
>>>
>>>It's not at
>>>http://www.tok-pisin.com/sort-english.php?page=1
>>>
>>>"White-pella octopus you givim blow-job e sing out", conceivably?
>>
>>I sense you're just trying to get me to change my .sig file again....r
>
>
> It's pretty well impossible to call the bagpipe anything that /isn't/
> fun. Even the innocent "musette" also means "nosebag".
>

My favourite is "Dudelsack".

--
Rob Bannister

Mike Lyle

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Oct 31, 2007, 8:55:35 AM10/31/07
to

"Robert Lieblich" <r_s_li...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:4727B9A8...@yahoo.com...

It can, like many privileges, have unintended consequences. For years I
was on the automatic review copy list for everything published by
Ladybird books.

CDB

unread,
Oct 31, 2007, 9:06:18 AM10/31/07
to
Robert Bannister wrote:

> Mike Lyle wrote:
>>> Mike Lyle filted:
>>>> R H Draney wrote:

[...]

>>>>> Anybody happen to know the Tok Pisin for "bagpipes"?...r

>>>> "White-pella octopus you givim blow-job e sing out", conceivably?
[...]


>> It's pretty well impossible to call the bagpipe anything that
>> /isn't/ fun. Even the innocent "musette" also means "nosebag".

> My favourite is "Dudelsack".

You bitim doodle he cry.


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