h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hiya all. Nope, no headache. No head either...
In some countries, they have something called 'culture', - in some they don't. In Denmark, we call it 'kultur' which, if drastically translated back, becomes 'cult-wiatch'. Fascinating, isn't it?
And imagine the 'cow-kick', which is 'kolos' or in English 'huge'...
A question for a word I would like to know in as many languages as at all possible: In Denmark, cats purr or 'spinder'. (To purr - to 'spinde'.) 'Spinde' can also be to spin a thread or the sound of a well-oiled machine.
But when it is the action of a content cat, what is it in Swedish? German? Swahili? Dutch? Others?
Please help me out here buddies. (And the rest of you!)

Cult-WATCH!

So, slake me...

Hi!

A bit of Dutch here:

spin -- spider
spinnen -- spiders, to spin, to purr.

So when you spin a thread -- "je spint garen"
when a cat purrs with contentment -- "een kat spint van genoegen"
when you're afraid of spiders -- "je bent bang van spinnen"

When we're talking about a well-oiled machine, we rather use "snorren", and that word is fun for translators as well, because "een snor" is a mustache

About culture: in Dutch it is a cult-hour ("kultuur")

Festival

So the Dutch have cats that sound like a well oiled machine, while in English a well oiled machine is said to purr like a cat - strange world innit

;^)#

In deed!

this is funny, cos snorren sounds a bit like the german word for to purr - schnurren. and a moustache would be a schnurrbart, too. schnurren applies for the sound of spinning wheels or well-oiled-machines - motors of very expensive limousines, mostly

(Ah, I got it finally... maybe this thread shouldn't grow any longer!!!)

Ah, I didn't know about these german translations.
Maybe "snorren" is also used for purring cats here as well, but I can't confirm that. It just sounds a bit weird to me

Hey, what is happening here? We turn our backs for a few eblats and what has happened upon our return?
NOTHING!
Why...
I...
G...
I am so flabberghasted I dunno what to say. I better go get slaked, this is too much!

BTW - I've heard the word 'slake' used in sa serious documentary by the BBC, that must make it into a formal word, no?
I think the term was something like "...but the people had to slake their thirst at dirty wells or riverbanks..." (Endquote from an episode of "The Peoples Century", a fascinating history documentary.)
There you have it!

And another 24 weeks pass - that would be 168+ eblats, m'boys!

And what happens during this breathtaking amount of time?

NOTHING!!!

Sheesh...

Kebab....

*snigger*

Hold the anchovies!!!

BTW - anchovies () are not at all anchovies () in Denmark, isn't that peculiar?

Well what on earth are they then?

Obnoxious!








Naw, seriously they are another little fish whose name I do not know how to translate into English, but we call'em brisling. How they cease to be brisling and turn into anchovies when marinated and canned is beyond me, but kinda awe-inspiring, don't you think?

It's on the same sort of lines as Kippers, which are not kippers untill smoked!

Precisely!

Awe-inspiring, isn't it?

Right, stop that you two! These are closed premesis, and you are trespassing. The forum has been dead for 24 weeks. Have you no respect?!

Ahhh...

Trust the Duke to come up with a new word instantaneously. What is this ... respet? ... As I don't know what it is, I am afraid I cannot tell Your Lordship if I have it or not.

But do explain this fascinating newbie in my otherwise profound vocabulary and I shall make haste to enlighten Your Lordship as to whether I have it or not.

Oh, and it is good to see your Lordship again. I trust you are well?

Give my regards to the Ladyship, should there be one.

Salutations - KimotoCat

Respect....Errrrmmmmm, respect is when someone or something can do something which is challenging and something which you would like to do but can't because you don't have the skills....


A bit like a Fireman!!

Hows about that then?

My god! You are savages, aren't you? Respect is of course what you have when something that have been haunting you for ages suddenly goes away and is unheard of again. As in "Woah, I really have a lot of respect for Maggie Thatcher".

Yes there is a Lady Dunstable, and two baby Dunstables of which one is currently trying to stand up against the keyboard table and of which the other is watching "Bamse" on video...