Did you know that people in Bolivia have a word that means I was rather too drunk last night and it's all their fault? Or that the Albanians have twenty-seven words for moustache? Or that the Dutch word for skimming stones is plimpplamppletteren? Drawing on the collective wisdom of over 280 languages, this intriguing book is arranged by theme so that you can compare attitudes all over the world to such subjects as food, the human body and the battle of the sexes. Here, you can find not only those words for which there is no direct counterpart in English (such as pana po'o in Hawaiian - to scratch your head in order to remember something important), but also those that sound confusingly the same (gin in Turkish means to dry out). Oh, and tingo is a Pascuense word from the Easter Islands meaning to borrow things from a friend's house one by one until there's nothing left .
The Meaning of Tingo
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'The Meaning of Tingo' may well prove to be the must-have British stocking-filler for 2005 -- The Economist, 24 September 2005
...a luscious list of linguistic one-liners -- Daily Express, 1 November, 2005
...a pleasure to dip in to. -- Sunday Telegraph, 2nd October 2005
...compulsively perusable -- The Times, 22 September 2005
...destined to be the Eats, Shoots and Leaves of the autumn. -- The Independent, 26th September 2005
A book no well-stocked bookshelf, cistern-top or handbag should be without. -- Stephen Fry
I liked the inventiveness of the Spanish curse "may all your turkey's feathers turn into razor blades" -- Steven Poole, The Guardian, 15th October, 2005
...a luscious list of linguistic one-liners -- Daily Express, 1 November, 2005
...a pleasure to dip in to. -- Sunday Telegraph, 2nd October 2005
...compulsively perusable -- The Times, 22 September 2005
...destined to be the Eats, Shoots and Leaves of the autumn. -- The Independent, 26th September 2005
A book no well-stocked bookshelf, cistern-top or handbag should be without. -- Stephen Fry
I liked the inventiveness of the Spanish curse "may all your turkey's feathers turn into razor blades" -- Steven Poole, The Guardian, 15th October, 2005
From the Author
Many English speakers admit to being lazy both at home and when travelling in their reliance on English as the pre-eminent international language and I feel that in this multi-cultural age we live in we should embrace the joy, glory and wonder of foreign words and expressions. English is unquestionably a great language but I suppose what I am saying is ³don¹t be surprised there are many others.²
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
By Maccadee
Format:Paperback
This is great - very funny and educational, I love books you can dip into and get an interesting bit of info, like "nakhur - a Persian word for a camel that won't give milk until her nostrils are tickled" - OK I don't NEED to know that, but I find it an interesting insight into different cultures that would even consider creating such a word. Great book, and goes well with The Wonder Of Whiffling by the same author.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
I'd read about this book in some of the press and was looking forward to getting it - what a disappointment. Sure there are some amusing words, but the vast majority you could not care less what they meant. After the first few pages it just starts to resemble a directory - and we all know how boring they are. Enough invention and amusement to carry a few pages but not a whole book in my view- but I guess its Christmas and that's when a lot of these tedious supposedly funny list books appear.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
'The Meaning of Tingo' is supposedly an extensive list of extraordinary phrases used in other languages and their meaning. It has an exciting premise, promising blurb, and enticing introduction. But from the very start it is a disappointment.
For a start de Boinod includes all the really humorous examples in his introduction leaving little else of real substance for the rest of the book. What it becomes is a book of translations from English words alongside their direct translations, which themselves are mostly mundane and normal. For example the first page shows a long list of different words meaning hello, which are interesting at first but quickly become tedious.
Furthermore there is no guide to how to pronounce the words, which wouldn't have been hard to include with proper research. This makes it impossible to understand how they are spoken.
There are not many sketches like the front cover and they are rarely humorous, as well as being done by a different artist. The book gets a excellent review from the great Stephen Fry but bearing in mind that he is the presenter of QI, the programme for which de Boinod is a researcher, this should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Occasionally there are truly interesting and quirky examples (such as the local name for Bangkok - the longest place name in the world), and these just about save it from a one star review. Ultimately 'The meaning of Tingo' strikes the reader as a good idea which didn't have the material to create a satisfactory book.
For a start de Boinod includes all the really humorous examples in his introduction leaving little else of real substance for the rest of the book. What it becomes is a book of translations from English words alongside their direct translations, which themselves are mostly mundane and normal. For example the first page shows a long list of different words meaning hello, which are interesting at first but quickly become tedious.
Furthermore there is no guide to how to pronounce the words, which wouldn't have been hard to include with proper research. This makes it impossible to understand how they are spoken.
There are not many sketches like the front cover and they are rarely humorous, as well as being done by a different artist. The book gets a excellent review from the great Stephen Fry but bearing in mind that he is the presenter of QI, the programme for which de Boinod is a researcher, this should be taken with a pinch of salt.
Occasionally there are truly interesting and quirky examples (such as the local name for Bangkok - the longest place name in the world), and these just about save it from a one star review. Ultimately 'The meaning of Tingo' strikes the reader as a good idea which didn't have the material to create a satisfactory book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
For anyone with a love of language
I bought this for a friend whose job takes him around the world and would have liked to keep it for myself. Read more
Published 26 days ago by S. Miller
3.0 out of 5 stars
Amusing book, but not 100% accurate
This book if full of weird and wonderful words and gives some insight into other nation's thought processes. It is let down by inaccuracies. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Hanafuda
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun and Interesting
This book is extremely interesting and fun to read. Those reviews that have said it is inaccurate and does not flow properly clearly do not understand the design of the book. Read more
Published on 19 Nov 2008 by El Stevens
5.0 out of 5 stars
It does what it says on the label
A wonderfully light and uplifting read. Great for the loo, waiting rooms or sharing with a friend over a glass of wine or a cup of coffee. Read more
Published on 28 Mar 2008 by Scardy Cat
1.0 out of 5 stars
Factually Deficient
Based on the fact that most expressions from my own language, German, were either very rare or completely new to me, and often inexplicably misspelled, I suspect similar problems... Read more
Published on 23 Feb 2008 by Gideon Haberkorn
5.0 out of 5 stars
Broaden your mind and have fun at the same time
If you have any interest at all in the world outside your own and you're intrigued by language and languages, you'll enjoy these books (The Meaning of Tingo and Toujours Tingo) as... Read more
Published on 5 Feb 2008 by P. Reid
2.0 out of 5 stars
Puzzled by the rave reviews
I picked up this book for the first time couple of days ago and I can't understand why it gets such rave reviews. Read more
Published on 28 Nov 2007 by Jonathan Swift
1.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly researched, inaccurate
This book is a nice idea, but sadly resorts to stereotypes and relies on very worrying research. I came across a number of nonexistent words in the langauges that I speak.... Read more
Published on 1 Nov 2007 by Ilmarinen
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect for the loo!
Adam Jacot de Boinod has put together an amazing collection of words from all the over the world that will astound you. Read more
Published on 6 Feb 2007 by M. Bond
1.0 out of 5 stars
The dangers of dictionaries
The author doesn't seem to appreciate that there is more to understanding a langauge than looking words up in dictionaries. He is clearly no linguist. Read more
Published on 30 Nov 2006 by John
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