Adam Sharp

I am once again feeling like this mash up is incredibly prescient.

Extremely late to this (as is my wont)… does that make me…

Amiss?

I thank you…

I sure have, though I first learnt it in Lithuanian…

Hey not seen you pop up for ages, Chin (always happy-making when you do)

If you’re cracking a raw egg and putting It on the pan or in a recipe, you must crush the eggshell fully in your fist before throwing it away, otherwise a fisherman will die. Crushing the eggshell is called: saving a fisherman’s life. (Icelandic superstition.)

Honestly having ten thousand spoons would be a disaster whether I needed a knife or not. Where would I put them?

I think you're right - I was unsure which country to put for that one, seeing as Friday 13th is a thing in so many countries, as you said, but the superstition most likely originated in France (which is why I went with that in the end)

I’m with Serbia here, much better just to admit all newborns are ugly.

And in the spirit of inventing superstitions to stop Very Annoying Behaviours, may I suggest we introduce a superstition that warns all sorts of terrible things will befall a person if they listen to music without headphones on public transport.

In South Korea it's bad luck to whistle at night-time. And in Turkey chewing gum at night is unlucky. I therefore wonder if such superstitions were originally introduced simply to reduce Very Annoying Behaviours.

On the subject of babies, in Nigeria it is very bad luck to kiss a baby on the lips (it condemns them to spending their whole adult lives drooling).

* I was clearly never kissed on the lips as a baby because my adult life has been (mostly) drool free, despite being a drooling machine as a baby...

It’s also bad luck to compliment a baby in Bulgaria (makes it vulnerable to the evil eye). If you do compliment a baby, you must spit to the side (or pretend to) and say, “chicken shit on you.”

* I’m not Bulgarian, or superstitious (or even a bit stitious), but I’ve been dissing babies for years.

And on the subject of fictional superstitions, in Prague it’s unlucky to fall from a tree if you’re a good person (because only bad Czechs bounce).

* Note: the Canadian superstition is definitely just plain old back luck and NOT irony (whatever Alanis Morissette tries to tell you).

Things that are bad luck, worldwide:

▪️Friday the 13th (France)
▪️Friday the 17th (Italy)
▪️Tuesday the 13th (Greece)
▪️Sharing a pear with your spouse (China)
▪️Whistling indoors (Lithuania)
▪️Yo-yos (Syria)
▪️Complimenting a baby (Serbia)
▪️Having ten thousand spoons when all you need is a knife (Canada)

Yeah she mentioned that and was raving about your session

There’s a modern Swedish word, skämskudde, which is a pillow that you use to cover your face in an embarrassing situation (for example, a sex scene in the middle of a film you’re watching with family). You could translate it as “shame pillow” or, if you prefer, “cringe cushion.”

Was in Hebden Bridge (such a lovely place) with @drkatherinelucyg.bsky.social this weekend. I hope your titles make it to every part of the globe

The Chinese word for oxymoron, 矛盾語, means “spear and shield word.” It refers to a story of a weapons merchant who claimed he had both shields no spear could pierce and spears that could pierce anything.

A list of seven oxymorons...

1. Pretty ugly
2. Fairly unjust
3. Kind of mean
4. Charm offensive
5. Microsoft Works
6. Government intelligence
7. Fun run

Until they actually find a way to make goblet squats include wine I’m just going to stick to doing my long favoured type of squat… diddly.

My favourite Hungarian phrase for describing karma at work is dexr is visszanyalt a fagyi. It means “the ice cream licked back.”

Icelandic uses various animal poop in insults. Examples: Sparðatíningur (lamb poop picking) = you’re nitpicking. Kríuskítur (arctic tern poop) = you’re super pale. Tittlingaskítur (small bird poop) = doesn’t matter/small fry. Taðskegglingur (horse poop beard) = you’ve such a bad/nonexistent beard.

A Catalan phrase that describes a situation where things go badly despite many people helping is set eren que l'agontaven i encara pixava tort. It means “seven were holding his dick, and still he was pissing crooked.”

The meanings of seven different types of animal poop in English…

7. Apeshit = angry
6. Batshit = unhinged
5. Bullshit = lies (or unfair)
4. Horseshit = bigger lies (or totally unfair)
3. Chickenshit = cowardly
2. Dogshit = inferior quality
1. Catshit = what you do when someone throws a ball at you

Alanis Morissette’s Ironic, but more literary…

🎵And isn’t it Byronic
Don’t you think
It’s like Twain on your Hemingway
It’s a free McBride when you’ve already Kincaid
It’s the Malcolm Pryce that you just didn’t take
And Hughes would’ve thought, Dave Eggers🎵

Author names that became adjectives include Kafkaesque, Shakespearean and Byronic (and isn’t it Byronic, don’t you think?).

Here are 10 suggestions for new ones…

1. Woolfish
2. Dickish
3. Orwell-endowed
4. Austentacious
5. Mannic
6. Audenary
7. Dahlicious
8. Remarqueable
9. Seusspicious
10. Poetic

I shall now go to look it up!