More stories from hell (retail) today I was ringing up this lady and she goes oh I want to do part of this on a gift card and the rest on normal card and I go ok and then she hands me a folded piece of paper. I think oh OK it must be folded around the gift card, right? Wrong. It is a folded sheet of 8Ă11 printer paper with "$40" written on the inside in ballpoint pen. I go what is this. She says a gift card. I say this is not a gift card. She says yes it is. I say this is a piece of paper with "$40" written on it. She says "well it's a gift card." I say it absolutely is not. I am grinding my teeth. She says well I want to use it. I say you physically cannot do that bc it is a piece of paper. I cannot scan or swipe it. I apologize, as if this is my fault, and not because she is completely insane. I hate it here
what are some of the most specific verbs you can think of
I realized halfway through that you were talking about REALLY specific verbs and by then it was too late.
So most of these are going to be verbs that you can actually use, just often in really specific situations. Many have other meanings today rather than what they actually meant at the time, but that's just how language is
mantear = to toss someone/something in a blanket (usually in celebration)
agonizar = to die slowly, to be dying
santiguarse = to make the sign of the cross
campeonar = to win a championship
enmadrar(se) = to become very close/attached to one's mother
afrancesar = to become like the French, to take on French mannerisms and culture, to act French
zarpar = to set sail
izar = to hoist, to raise a flag, to raise up (via ropes usually)
aguar = to water down, to add water to
acorazar = to armor up [lit. it meant "to put on a breastplate", but it has come to mean "to cover in armor" or "to add plating" similar to the verb blindar]
enramar = to cover in branches / to put in the branches
degollar = to slit someone's throat
añejar = to age [often said of wine or cheese] / to make something old
elaborar = to brew [lit. "to elaborate" or "to work on", it comes across as "to brew" for alcohol or when you're making soups or stews etc or just anything that takes a long time to get right; it kind of more literally means "to work on over a long period of time", that kind of "elaborate", but it can also mean "to elaborate" as in "to add more details"]
defenestrar = to dismiss / to throw someone out of the window
asomar(se) = to start to appear, to peek out, to lean out
[it literally means "to show up upon/above", but it can be "(for a storm) to brew", or "to lean out of a window"... it also shows up in the expression hablando del rey de Roma (y por la puerta se asoma) which is "speak of the devil (and he shall appear)", but literally "speaking of the king of Rome and he leans in the doorway"]
embarrar = to cover in mud / to muddy / "to sling mud", "to play dirty"
enlodar = to cover in mud
encanecer = to get gray hair, "to go gray"
ahorquillar = to make something forked / to make something look like a fork
velar = to stay awake / to stand vigil
[it also means "to put on a veil", but velar as "to stay awake" is literally just no dormir "to not sleep", so it can be "to stay up all night"; the idea is related to "vigil" as in "the people who stay awake to keep watch", so it can be understood as to defend or to watch over someone especially at night]
arborizar = to forest, to plant trees
dactilografiar = to type [an old word; it literally means "to write with one's fingers", today it's usually teclar or tipear or just escribir but this especially was when people used typewriters]
emboscar = to ambush [lit. it means "to put in the woods" or "to (hide) in the woods"]
soslayar = to lay something on its side / to bypass
rociar = to spray, to sprinkle [lit. "for it to be dewy" or "for there to be dew"]
compincharse = to conspire [lit. "to become accomplices", "to accomplice oneself"]
pavonear(se) = to peacock, to parade around [lit. "to peacock", where it's related to el pavo real "peacock"; sometimes it's "to strut" and is compared to the walk of a turkey or peacock]
cabalgar = to go riding (on horseback)
encabalgar = to enjamb [in poetry], to use an enjambment / to rest upon
desengañar(se) = "to come to one's senses", to become disabused of a notion [lit. "to un-fool oneself"] / to become disappointed (by the true reality of a situation, usually)
morar = to dwell
ensimismar(se) = to become withdrawn, "to go into one's own little world"
ladrar = for a dog to bark, to bark
mugir = for a cow to moo, to moo
maullar = for a cat to meow, to meow
empalagar = to cloy, to be sickly sweet / "to lay it on thick", "to be overly kind/sweet"
engatusar = to trick (with flattery)
empanar = to bread, to coat in breadcrumbs
cecear = "to lisp" [it's related to the pronunciation of C, Z, and S; where el ceceo is excessively lisping for some people, but regionally that's an accent usually in parts of Spain]
ahijar = to adopt (a child), to care for a child as if they were your own
prohijar = to adopt (a child)
amadrinar = to be a godmother, to sponsor a child (as a woman)
amadrinar(se) = to become a bridesmaid
apadrinar = to be a godfahter, to sponsor a child (as a man)
apadrinar(se) = to be a groomsman, to be the best man at a wedding
amainar = for wind/storms to die down
[can also be used for headaches or panic attacks, generally something involuntary or a force of nature "dying down" or "stopping"]
peregrinar = to go on a pilgrimage, to make a pilgrimage
veranear = "to summer", to spend a summer somewhere
untar = to spread or smear (butter/cream cheese, anything spreadable)
amistar = to make friends, to befriend
enemistar = to make enemies
empollar = to incubate, to sit on eggs [lit. "to en-chicken" and I think that's beautiful]
parpadear = to blink [lit. "to eyelid"]
enchilar = to make spicy [lit. "to add chilis to"; it also means "to annoy", "to bother", "to make someone angry", or to feel other negative emotions in some countries - probably because "spicy" is related to "anger" or feelings of resentment in some expressions]
desahogarse = to vent, to unburden oneself, to talk about one's problems [lit. "to un-drown oneself"]
canturrear = to sing to oneself, to hum, to sing under one's breath [I think this is a mix of cantar "to sing" and tararear "to hum"]
azogar = to cover in silver / to fidget
[lit. related to el azogue "quicksilver" which is the old word for mercury, it's believed azogar as "to twitch" or "fidget" is related to what people would do if they were suffering from mercury poisoning like from cinnabar]
encapuchar / encapotar = to cloak, to put a cloak on
embutir = to stuff, to pack / to stuff oneself, to pack food in your face, to wolf down
empachar, empapuciar, empapujar, empapuzar = to be sick to your stomach / to get indegestion / to eat (to the point of feeling sick) / "to be fed up", "to be sick of"
apedrear = to stone, to throw stones at someone (to death usually)
apellidar(se) = to take on a surname, to take a last name
[it's also "to be called" same as llamarse but for last names - like "my last name is"]
ningunear = to give someone the cold shoulder, to ignore someone [lit. "to nobody someone"]
desamar = to fall out of love
romancear = to translate into a Romance language [usually Spanish and/or Latin; but it means something a bit different now]
callejear = to wander the streets, to gallivant
algodonar = to stuff with cotton, to bunch together a lot of cotton / to insulate or block up (usually with cotton)
esquilar = to shear (sheep) / to cut off a lot of hair, to shear
desquiciar(se) = to become unhinged [lit. it means "to come off its hinges" for doors; but it came to mean "to lose one's mind" the same way "unhinged" does in English]
encarpetar = to file away / to put in a folder / to shelve / to bury in paperwork
merendar = to have a snack / to have tea time [lit. "to have la merienda" which in some countries is translated as "a snack" or "high tea", but it's one of the meals of the day like a light lunch or second breakfast kind of thing]
anegar(se) = to flood, to become flooded/inundated
escopetear = to shoot with a shotgun
desacralizar = to demystify / to remove the holy or godly quality of something, to remove what's intimidating about something
encastillar = to fortify / to place or lock in a castle
desafinar = to be off-key, to be out of tune / "to be/sound out of whack" [usually said of the voice or musical instruments]
desahuciar = to evict / to declare something or someone to be a lost cause / to declare someone is terminally ill
trajear = to put on a suit / to look nice / to get dressed up
neologizar = to make up new words or expressions
Also, there's embarcar and desembarcar which are "to embark" and "to disembark"... but literally it means "to get on a boat" and "to get off a boat", which now extends to other stuff
Also very specific - aterrizar is "to touch down" or literally "to land on earth", so it now applies to planes "landing" or rockets coming back. But in that same vein:
amerizar = to land in the ocean
alunizar = to land on the moon
amartizar = to land on Mars
And so on... so you could say ajupiterizar for "to land on Jupiter", or aplutonar "to land on Pluto" in theory
You also have a lot of cooking verbs like this - encebollar is "to cover in onions" or "to add onions", or a very specific but useful one is hornear "to bake" which is literally "to put in the oven". There's also endulzar "to sweeten" or salar "to salt". There's also aceitar or enmantequillar which are "to oil" or "to butter", related to untar... though I believe both aceitar and untar can also mean "to bribe" [standard is sobornar] sort of like "to grease palms" in a way.
...Things that are really specific but also commonplace because of cooking
Related but you have verbs like almibarar "to cover in syrup" or "to honey", or almidonar "to starch" for clothes where it's "to add starch"
I would also add two that are in some contexts really specific - acostar(se) which is often "to sleep" or "to have sex with" literally means "to lie down on one's side"; and tumbar(se) which is also "to sleep" or "to go to bed" generally means "to lie flat on one's back" which I think is related to how bodies were placed in tombs [tumbas] hence the name
Also important note: there are many words that gained additional meanings over time, especially in technology. The prime examples are encender and apagar where encender meant "to light a fire", but it came to be "to turn on (an electronic device)" and "to turn on the lights" - similarly apagar meant "to extinguish (flames/a candle)" and now also means "to turn off electronics/lights"; these actions probably came from lighting lamps or candles etc but became different over time
Another good example is navegar "to navigate" which originally meant "to sail in a ship" which came to mean "to navigate", and also today means "to explore" or "to surf the web online" or "to browse"
And of course, who could forget desparangaricutirimicuarizar which is from a tongue twister involving a town and a volcano, don't worry about it
I'm so fascinated by languages with different levels of formality built in because it immediately introduces such complex social dynamics. The social distance between people is palpable when it's built right into the language, in a way it's not really palpable in English.
So for example. I speak Spanish, and i was taught to address everyone formally unless specifically invited otherwise. People explained to me that "usted" was formal, for use with strangers, bosses, and other people you respect or are distant from, while "tĂș" is used most often between family and good friends.
That's pretty straightforward, but it gets interesting when you see people using "tĂș" as a form of address for flirting with strangers, or for picking a fight or intimidating someone. In other languages I've sometimes heard people switch to formal address with partners, friends or family to show when they are upset. That's just so interesting! You're indicating social and emotional space and hierarchy just in the words you choose to address the other person as "you"!!
Not to mention the "what form of address should I use for you...?" conversation which, idk how other people feel about it, but to me it always felt awkward as heck, like a DTR but with someone you're only just becoming comfortable with. "You can use tĂș with me" always felt... Weirdly intimate? Like, i am comfortable around you, i consider you a friend. Like what a vulnerable thing to say to a person. (That's probably also just a function of how i was strictly told to use formal address when i was learning. Maybe others don't feel so weird about it?)
And if you aren't going to have a conversation about it and you're just going to switch, how do you know when? If you switch too soon it might feel overly familiar and pushy but if you don't switch soon enough you might seem cold??? It's so interesting.
Anyway. As an English-speaking American (even if i can speak a bit of Spanish), i feel like i just don't have a sense for social distance and hierarchy, really, simply because there isn't really language for it in my mother tongue. The fact that others can be keenly aware of that all the time just because they have words to describe it blows my mind!
I love each and every one of you and I am making you all cups of your beverage of choice. okay. we would have been great friends in elementary school. but some of your tags are kind of proving my point.
"I pretended to be [animal] with my friends" âI ran on all foursâ "I ate [non-edible substance]" âI collected [substance readily available outdoors]â "I thought I had [superpower]" âI had tea parties with [entity incapable of drinking tea]â âI pretended to be [creature that I am not]â âI made âpotionsâ out of [substance that can be readily found outdoors]â
these are all intensely common things for children to do. this is just having an imagination. this is simply being a child. now I call top bunk (I like climbing the ladder) and do you want to braid each otherâs hair.
i saw a guy who had a dracozolt, and that made me wonder, what other pokemon could we potentially combine together, obviously we would want to start with artificial pokemon like porygon but the sky is the limit eventually
this is ABSOLUTELY NOT the lesson you should've taken away from the Cara Liss incident
prguitarman
blakekathryn
germansingergirl
