In Other Words: A Language Lover’s Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World
Linguist Christopher J. Moore has made a career of searching out some of the world’s most “untranslatable” expressions—words from around the globe that defy an easy translation into English. Moore shares a few of his linguistic favorites from his new book In Other Words: A Language Lover’s Guide to the Most Intriguing Words Around the World with Renee Montagne.
Definitely one for the wish list!
faebouche, one of the terms is familiar
esprit de I’escalier [es-pree de less-ka/-iay] (idiom)
A witty remark that occurs to you too late, literally on the way down the stairs. The Oxford Dictionary of Quotations defines esprit de l’escalier as, “An untranslatable phrase, the meaning of which is that one only thinks on one’s way downstairs of the smart retort one might have made in the drawing room.”
