Things I Miss
I miss the literalism of the Dutch language. I miss the smart-ass, everyday references to all the “dirty” body parts Americans won’t talk about. I miss collective pranks like this, and companies that go along with them because they aren’t afraid a bunch of dipshit fundamentalists will get their panties all atwist.
I don’t miss the ever-gray rain though.
Filed under: things that don't suck | Comment (0)Dutch pick penis-shaking term as top word – UPI.com
AMSTERDAM, Netherlands, Dec. 17 UPI — A Dutch dictionary company says Web visitors have voted “swaffelen” — an English slang verb meaning to swing one’s exposed penis — as the word of the year.Van Dale Publishers said swaffelen, which more specifically requires the penis in question to swing toward or bump against another person or object to qualify, topped the list of nominees by receiving 57 percent of the 16,000 online votes, Expatica reported Tuesday.
Lexicologist Ton den Boon said that while the word originated in English-speaking areas, its origins are believed to be tied to Dutch translations of swing, sway and sweep plus German words for tail and penis.
The dictionary company said the second-place finisher for word of the year was “wiien” — to play video games on the Nintendo Wii. Third was “bankendomino,” an all-in-one metaphor for the recent economic phenomenon of banks falling like dominoes.
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