Wednesday 26 January 2022

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

Brrr!  What words do you use to describe the wintry weather? There are some great words around the world ...

In Iceland, they talk about gluggaveður which literally means 'window weather' - weather that looks lovely through the window, but is really quite unpleasant once you get outside.

In Japan they refer to fuguyare - a combination of fugu [winter] with kareru [to wither] - this is that specific bleak bareness of the surroundings that comes with the winter season.

In Scotland, in 2015, linguists at the University of Glasgow logged 421 Scots words relating to snow - including unbrak meaning the beginning of a thaw. [tell that to Toni Braxton]

Maybe you are prone to feeling the cold- I know I am. My ears especially react to the icy weather. We bought hats in a CS in Salisbury one surprisingly cold September day, and I now call mine 'My Greta Thunberg Hat because its earflaps and pompoms are just like her Scandi Hat.' 

People who feel the cold in Italy are described as freddoloso, and in Spain they are friolero.  Perhaps they also suffer from brumation - a word coined by an American zoologist in 1965, to describe the sluggish behaviour of reptiles in cold weather.

And we do have a word in English to describe the warmth of sunlight on a winter's day. Now considered obsolete, the word is apricity [maybe people got confused, thinking it was about apricots or April]

However you describe it, just remember to wrap up well. There's no such thing as bad weather, only inappropriate clothing' 


I tried to find the source for this quote - it is attributed to explorer Ranulph Fiennes, walker Alfred Wainwright, comedian Billy Connolly, and 'ancient Norwegian proverb'

Rosie quotes the Dutch cycling mantra to me if I complain about cold, damp weather “Jij bent niet van suiker gemaakt” - that is You are not made of sugar [and you won't melt in the rain]

Do you have 'family' words for cold, wet, or wintry, weather?

23 comments:

  1. We don't have any family words for winter weather. I do think the Icelandic people have summed it up perfectly with their "gluggaveður" (window weather) word though!

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  2. I like Apricity- how does one use it in context?
    Your hat is really cute! I have 2 hat's with ear flaps- one was a gift from my mum's Icelandic penpal. It's cold today and I'm tempted to double up on coats tomorrow!

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  3. This Christmas I was given a pair of ear ear muffs with ipswicht town football design on them. Now my ears are warm and toasty, much better than a hat. and the only good thing about a mask is it keeps your nose warm!!! . I might look a sight but as my daughter says who cares, no ones looking at you Mum. Hugs from Val

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    1. I often keep my mask on as a nose warmer when I leave the shop

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  4. I suppose you could stand in the playground, and ask the children if they can feel the apricity on their cheeks...

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  5. Here up North we just say 'Bloody hell it's cold' and anyone that continues moaning about it is said to be a 'mardy arse'. Gosh we're a polite lot ;-)

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    1. I won't ask what name is given to your snow shovel...

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  6. Tell Rosie that I'm made of sugar and spicy and all things nice so that's why I don't go out in the cold and rain!

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  7. My winter words: chilly (70F), cold (60-70F), freezing (below 60F)! I did live in the lovely midwestern state of Wisconsin, at one time, where winter temperatures are often below 0 degrees (F), so, I have experienced serious cold. But, these days, I freeze when it is below 50F! :D

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  8. Remind me to always avoid Wisconsin Winters

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    1. Definitely. It was -27 C last night here in Wisconsin. Celie

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  9. Merci 🩺💉 et surtout merci Angela pour 🙏.

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  10. Love your hat!
    I'm always cold and always have been. I remember sitting in my dad's lap to get warm. DH says I cannot be a reptile as I'm colder than my environment!
    I've learned that a cozy undershirt (it can be pretty) will keep me toasty warm.
    Today our high in Virginia, USA is 3*C and the overnight low will be -10*C. Brrr!

    Hugs!

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  11. We got rid of the motorbike- but I kept the thermal underwear!

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  12. I feel the cold and therefore, in Yorkshire dialect, I'm nesh. I think that Iceland has got it right - nice to look at, good to stay inside! The hat is awesome.

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  13. I can bundle up all I want when it is -12°C, like now, and keep warm, but I cannot stop my nose running and my fingers freezing, despite wearing gloves under mitts. The hand coverings have to come off constantly for me to wipe my nose. By the way, it was -28°C in the night when I got up around 5 am!

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    Replies
    1. I cannot imagine things that cold! ❄️⛄❄️

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