In Other Words: An Illustrated Miscellany of the World’s Most Intriguing Words and Phrases

The quirks and peculiarities of a culture are reflected in its language; because of that, some words or phrases are difficult or even impossible to translate. For example, the beautiful Danish concept of “hygge”, is currently making its way into the English language and generally understood to mean something like warm comfort or being cozy, but to the Dutch, it captures a much greater idea that encompasses all sorts of actions or things that relate to feeling content with life’s simple, and greatest, pleasures at home with family and friends. This book has selected just a few of such words, from around the globe and even the ancient world, and tries to distill and define what probably takes a native speaker to truly understand; but you can get a small feel for the words at least, as well as getting a fascinating peek into some of the wonderful variations in the way people think around the world. Native English speakers may even be surprised by the actual meanings or provenance of some of the included phrases which they may have been hearing all their lives. Each entry is short and fun, accompanied by cute illustrations that help to explain it. This book is both enlightening and entertaining.