I Never Knew There Was a Word for It - Adam Jacot De Boinod [24]
cnapan (Welsh) a game where each side tries to drive a wooden ball as far as possible in one direction
kula’i wawae (Hawaiian) the pushing of one’s feet against others while seated
kaengurustylte (Danish) a pogo stick (literally, kangaroo stilt)
Frozen walrus carcass
There are games that are highly specific to their culture and environment, such as the Inuit igunaujannguaq, which literally means frozen walrus carcass. This is a game where the person in the centre tries to remain stiff and is held in place by the feet of the people who are sitting in a circle. He is passed around the ring, hand over hand. Whoever drops him is the next ‘frozen walrus carcass’.
Honing your skills
As we grow up, what we look for in a game becomes increasingly challenging:
shash-andaz (Persian) someone who tries to juggle with six balls so that four are always in the air
antyaksari (Hindi) a pastime in which participants recite verses in turn, the first word of each new verse being the same as the last of the preceding one
kipapa (Hawaiian) to balance on top of a surfboard
waterponie (Afrikaans) a jet ski
elastikspring (Danish) bungee jumping
The beautiful game
One game in particular has achieved international pre-eminence, and a range of closely observed terms to describe it:
armario (Spanish) an awkward or unskilled player (literally, a wardrobe)
wayra jayt’a (Quechuan, Peru) a poor player (literally, an air kicker)
cazar (Spanish) to kick one’s opponent and not the ball
ariete (Spanish) a battering ram (centre forward)
verkac (Turkish) passing and running
baile, danze (Spanish) and
melina (Italian) two players on the same team kicking the ball back and forth to kill time
roligan (Danish) a non-violent supporter
Taking a punt
Sometimes, fun is not enough; chance or expertise has to be made more exciting by speculation:
yetu (Tulu, India) gambling in which a coin is tossed and a bet laid as to which side it will fall on
quiniela (Spanish, USA) a form of betting in which the punter must choose the first and second-place winners in a race, though not necessarily in the correct order
parani (Cook Islands Maori) to put up a stake at poker without examining one’s cards
The moral perhaps being that it’s better to be the Persian kuz-baz, one who lends money to gamblers, than a mukhtir, one who risks his property in gambling.
Fingers crossed
Some people are born lechero, a Latin American Spanish word for lucky, literally meaning a milkman. Others may be less fortunate:
smolař (Czech) a person dogged by bad luck
apes (Indonesian) to have double bad luck
kualat (Indonesian) to be bound to have bad luck as a result of behaving badly
Break a leg
It’s intriguing that wishing people good luck often takes the form of willing ill fortune on them. The German Hals und Beinbruch, for example, takes the spirit of the English expression ‘break a leg’ and goes one step further – it translates as ‘break your neck and a leg’. The Italians offer an even more gruesome prospect: the cheery wish in bocca al lupo means ‘into the mouth of the wolf’.
The competitive streak
Everyone likes to win, but the methods employed to get ahead range from the inventive to the underhand:
chupar rueda (Spanish) running or cycling behind another to benefit from reduced wind resistance (literally, to suck wheel)
kunodesme (Ancient Greek) tying a string round the foreskin to stop the penis getting in the way during athletics (literally, putting the dog on a lead)
sirind (Persian) entangling legs in wrestling to trip your opponent (also a noose for catching prey by the foot)
poki (Cook Islands Maori) to deal cards from the bottom of the pack (i.e. unfairly)
False friends
boghandel (Danish) bookshop
rain (Arabic) viewer, spectator
arse (Turkish) violin bow
jerk (French) praise for an accomplished dancer
pensel (Swedish) paintbrush
catch (French) all-in wrestling
Crooning
For those without sporting interest or prowess, entertainment