Igry (1/2/3) – a (research-driven?) neologism expressing a voyeuristic, laissez-faire sense of shame – already gets slightly more ghits (ca 200 to 175, once you’ve sifted out the Russians) than its Catalan equivalent, vergonya aliena, although it’s still way behind plaatsvervangende schaamte and vergüenza ajena (not to mention verguenza ajena). Nice try, but I don’t think it’ll stick for two reasons: firstly, it gets you tied up in the back of your throat in a way English speakers don’t like; secondly, it sounds too much like the Antipodean rendering of angry.

Categories: Languages

RSS: post comments, blog comments, blog posts

You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

1. Soa
   February 3rd 2004 19:10

   Iggery would be better, like piggery.

2. Geoff
   February 3rd 2004 20:03

   What on earth is wrong with cringeworthy?

3. Marc
   February 4th 2004 00:06

   I’m surprised you find vergonya aliena. People here don’t use it.

4. Trevor
   February 4th 2004 00:30

   Cringeworthy doesn’t begin to address the emotion involved. “That’s a cringer!” might work downstairs, but I’m quite interested in the potential of wincey. “Ooooohhh, ain’t he just an absolute winceyette, the darling!”

5. Trevor
   February 4th 2004 00:30

   Try singing something with igry in it, go on.

6. Trevor
   February 4th 2004 00:34

   Here’s the song that started it all:

   Incey Wincey Spider climbed up the water spout
   Down came the rain and washed the spider out
   Out came the sunshine and dried up all the rain
   So Incey Wincey Spider climbed up the spout again

7. Trevor
   February 4th 2004 00:35

   With audio.

8. Geoff
   February 4th 2004 11:11

   Deal: you write the posts, we write the comments

9. Ed
   February 7th 2004 17:37

   “vergonya aliena” is a barbarism in Catalan. What you mean is “vergonya d’altri”

10. Trevor
    February 7th 2004 19:00

    I’m sure you’re right, but on the v d’altri only gets two Google hits while v aliena = 252.