Someone who spends a lot of time reading books is known in English as a bookworm. The Hungarian and Estonian terms for such a person translates as “book moth,” and in Indonesian as “book flea” or “book louse.” In...
Sunny-side up eggs sometime go by the name looking at you eggs, an apparent reference to how the yolk in the middle of the egg white makes them resemble eyes. A similar idea appears in the German name, which translates as “mirror egg,”...
A Green Bay, Wisconsin, caller is curious about her mother’s playful interjections. If someone said, “Well,” her mother would add, “Well, well. Three holes in the ground.” If someone started a sentence with...
step-thru n.— «The company plans to produce 1.2 lakh vehicles comprising only “step-thrus” (a cross between mopeds and motorcycles) or “bebeks” as they are called in the Indonesian market and capture a 5% share by...
aaargh plop n.— «Scientists may just be learning what is already common knowledge among Indonesian villagers. Peter Roeder, a consultant for the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, says locals have an onomatopoeic name for bird flu...
little red dot n. the country of Singapore. Editorial Note: This term is now proudly taken by Singaporeans as evidence that Singapore’s importance is far greater than warranted by its size. Etymological Note: From comments made by former Indonesian...