Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor514ce
Don't be squeamish, now, tell her the actual term: squeamish.
Pronunciation: \ˈskwē-mish\
Function: adjective
Etymology: Middle English squaymisch, modification of Anglo-French escoymous
Date: 15th century
1
a: easily nauseated : queasy
b: affected with nausea
2
a: excessively fastidious or scrupulous in conduct or belief
b: easily offended or disgusted
Bonus: escoymous = "to squirt"
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nausea is not my most pronounced symptom, more like extreme mental torment and anguish, sometimes leading to sudden unconsciousness, but ok...
Quote:
Originally Posted by Taylor514ce
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oh sorry, we say "faux amis" as well... i always want that expression to be "false brothers", and it was late when i wrote that (although if i'm honest, sometimes i've said "faux frères" when i was wide awake as well). it rolls so nicely off the tongue, with the alliteration, and it makes so much more sense than "faux amis", it really *should* be false brothers. why should friends look alike ? i have plenty of friends who look nothing like me. it's much more logical for something which looks like something else to be mistaken for its *brother*... sadly, no-one consulted me on this matter before inventing the expression.
Quote:
Originally Posted by montsnmags
I don't know if it's untranslatable - I'm more curious about whether it is, or whether other languages have a similar term - but I've always liked "left-handed compliment" (or, meaning the same, "backhanded compliment").
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what do you mean exactly by "left-handed compliment" ?