ζουρλομανδύας = straitjacket The word came up in conversation, and it struck me as odd as the first part – ζουρλο – definitiely isn’t Greek. It isn’t even a word a student would use in a school essay. Apparently, it’s of Venetian origin. The second part – μανδύας – meant a woollen cloak in Ancient... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 25/2022
μπάκα = a big belly, a paunch, a beer gut The word is of Albanian origin. A report in www.iefimerida.gr included a clip of a well-known TV presenter making fun of the tennis skills of Adonis Georgiadis, Minister of Development and Investment. The ‘development’ under discussion was Georgiadis's waistline. However, Georgiadis, not noted for his... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 24/2022
μπουρδολόγος - a bullshitter from μπούρδες = nonsense, bullshit, hogwash. Most often μπούρδες is used in the plural, though there is a singular noun: μπούρδα. Babiniotis says it comes from the French ‘bourde’, which he translates as ανοησία and βλακεία, both synonyms of μπούρδα. However, I’m not completely convinced. ‘Bourde’ in French means a lie... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 23/2022
κατσικώνομαι = overstay one’s welcome Despite the size and weight of Babiniotis’ dictionary, there are some omissions that seem to suggest there might be problems with the corpus or database. However, in fairness to the renowned lexicographer, I must point out that Word highlights κατσικώνομαι as being incorrect. In times of need, where do you... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 22/2022
Apologies in advance for the irregular font sizes: Θωπεύω: 1) caress or stroke; 2) to flatter A strange word that I have never heard anyone say. I came across it years ago and promptly forget the meaning. Then – after decades - I read it recently, only to see it once again a few days.... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 21/2022
επισύνδεση Judging from what I’ve read, the word is unfamiliar even to Greeks. Word’s auto-correct also flags it as being either incorrect or non-existent. When talking about phones, σύνδεση and αποσύνδεση are ‘connection’ and ‘disconnection’ respectively, but επισύνδεση is an add-on, specifically wire-tapping. It’s not necessarily illegal if a warrant is issued, but the question... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 20/2022
Ξυλάγγουρο = an Armenian cucumber. God knows what that is. Bigger than a gherkin but smaller than a standard cucumber. A synonym is αντζούρι. However, ξυλάγγουρο is used mainly as an insult with two basic meanings. 1) A tall, thin awkward person, and 2) someone who is thick and uneducated. Regarding the first definition, I... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 19/2022
πρόσφορο = a (religious) offering One of the problems in learning Greek is that a change in stress and/or word-ending can change meaning: πεζοδρόμιο/πεζόδρομος/πεζοδρόμος = pavement/pedestrian precinct/walker or hiker; διάδρομος/διαδρομή = hallway, aisle/itinerary, route. In the same way, το πρόσφορο differs from η προσφορά, which means ‘an offer’ from the verb προσφέρω. Interestingly, there is... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 18/2022
μπαϊπασάκης (plural μπαϊπασάκηδες) – a person who has had a heart bypass By chance I ran into a former student a few days ago. She was with a friend, and my wife and I met up with them in the evening. We also had breakfast the following morning where the subject of fitness walking cropped... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 17/2022
γλειφτρόνι = an arse-licker I have opted for the more vulgar translation because the suffix -ρόνι adds more venom to the original word γλείφτης. Indeed, www.slang.gr describes the suffix as a “γαμοσλανγκοκατάληξη”. I’ll let you work out that one for yourselves! I think the ν in the middle of the word is wrong. From γλείφω... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 16/2022
εκδίδω – literally “to give out” The modern Greek for ‘give’ is δίνω but when combined with prefixes, the older form -δίδω is usually used as in the following examples: αποδίδω (yield or attribute), μεταδίδω (transmit or infect), προδίδω (betray). εκδίδω has two main meanings: 1) publish or edit (books, papers, decisions, rulings etc) and... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 15/2022
Διπλοκούρσα or διπλή κούρσα = the practice of taxi drivers taking additional passengers/fares, the additional fares not being metered. I cannot remember the details, nor can I find anything online, but sometime during the first PASOK administration (1981-85), there was a big change which affected taxi drivers. Until the change, I think anybody could paint... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 14/2022
κάργα – adverb = completely or fully I heard this on the radio when I was in Athens a few days ago. With regard to liquids, it means ‘to the brim’ as in Τα ποτήρια ήταν κάργα κρασί = The wine glasses were filled to the brim. Synonyms are φίσκα and τίγκα. By extension, it... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 13/2022
σερέτης plural σερέτηδες Continuing from GW 12/2022 σερέτης is another word that has travelled from the Arab world to Turkey and then on to Greece. Initially, I was looking for a proper noun because many of the streets near me have the names of notable Greeks: Seferis, a Nobel Prize winning poet; Tsitsanis a famous... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 12/2022
τζαναμπέτης = a difficult, awkward person. Plural τζαναμπέτηδες. It is amazing how many so-called “Turkish” loan words are actually Arabic in origin. A case in point: “rishwah” means a bribe in Arabic. I was talking to a friend who is married to a lovely Turkish lady. While discussing one or two experiences with corruption in... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 11/2022
Greek Word 11/2022 κακαρώνω especially preceded by τα as in τα κακαρώνω = to die It is not very respectful, however. The biggest current news story in Greece concerns a woman, Roula Pispiringou, who is accused of murdering her oldest daughter with ketamine. She is also under suspicion of murdering her other two daughters and... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 10/2022
καπάκι – lid, just the humble cover for a pot, jar or bottle. Another borrowing, from the Turkish ‘kapak’. It also has other meanings. For example, the καπάκι is the soundboard or resonator of a stringed instrument. www.slang.gr also claims καπάκι can also mean a motorcycle accident, specifically the result of a doing a σούζα... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 09/2022
φλομώνω = choke, fill with smoke, smoke someone/something out, smother, suffocate. At least that is what Word Reference tells us. Βικιλεξικο gives two definitions. Literally, it means to fill a place with smoke or an unpleasant smell; metaphorically, it is bamboozling people with nonsense, lies or empty promises. (κυριολεκτικά) γεμίζω με καπνο ή με μια άσχημη μυρωδιά έναν χώρο(μεταφορικά) ζαλίζω τους άλλους με αερολογίες, ψέματα ή... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 08/2022
λαζαρέτο – lazaretto, a maritime quarantine station. Lazarettos (or lazarets) could also be ships permanently anchored offshore or islets. There is an obvious connection with the parable of Lazarus the beggar, and lazarettos were strongly associated with leprosy or plague. Babiniotis cites Santa Maria di Nazaret, a quarantine facility, as being the root of the... Continue Reading →
Greek Word 07/2022
κυβερνοεπίθεση – cyberattack The Greek Postal System, ELTA (ΕΛΤΑ), has been hacked. This has resulted in a temporary shutdown of all the computer systems in every post office branch in the country. The story is here: https://www.protothema.gr/greece/article/1224191/kuvernoepithesi-sta-pliroforiaka-sustimata-ton-elta/ And in English: https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1180274/greek-postal-service-reports-cyber-attack/ Here are some other ‘cyber-‘ words. Although the English word ‘cybernetics’ is a borrowing... Continue Reading →