Noah in Burlington, Vermont, wonders about the catchphrase I’m too cringe for New York, too based for LA. As explained at Know Your Meme, the slang term based is now a positive term popularized by the rapper Lil B, referring to one’s...
A woman in Lafayette, Louisiana, and wonders about the Cajun French word honte, which means extreme embarrassment and shame. A difference is that the “h” is pronounced in Cajun French but not in European French. This is part of a...
Scottish cringe n.— «Over the past week, as it became clear a decision on Megrahi’s future was imminent, many Scottish pundits and opposition politicians were consumed by what is called the Scottish cringe—the idea that some decisions are...
shitasmia n.— «It’s so terrible, it induces an entirely new emotion: a blend of vertigo, disgust, anger and embarrassment which I like to call “shitasmia.” It not only creates this emotion: it defines it. It’s the most...
pap v.— «Pap Snaps Embarrass The Rich And Famous.…Paparazzi—the Italian name comes from the sound of popping flashbulbs—need incredible persistence and the hide of a rhinoceros. Irate subjects snapped in compromising situations...