I got something for Splotchy.
No, it's not the Green Monkey Music Project mix I've been promising him for the past two weeks.
It's some taint.
For whatever reason, Splotchy loves him some taint.
This has resulted in taint wars with fellow bloggers and inappropriate suggestions for drink names (the "Sweaty Taint").
We were taking a break inside a new favorite dive bar, Aunt Tiki's on Decatur Street. It's a friendly place full of friendly people, and appropriately enough Splotchy has actually been there before--we stopped in there when we were working in St. Bernard Parish back in 2006. Cool jukebox. Good people.
So, MizBubs and I were sitting there enjoying a cold, refreshing Abita beer and taking in the flotsam behind the bar:
Off in the corner I noticed a small dry erase board covered in writing. I had discovered Aunt Tiki's "T'Aint Board", a handy guide to saying "taint" in a variety of foreign languages. The bartender helpfully brought it over to MizBubs so I could get a better picture of it:
I hope Splotchy (and Jess Wundrun) swear to only use this information for good.
DISCLAIMER: The foreign language taint translations described herein are provided on an “as is” basis, without warranty of any kind, to the fullest extent permitted by law. Sprawling Ramshackle Compound does not warrant or guarantee the individual success speakers or writers may have in implementing the translations in conversations private or public, or in their own blogs, websites, or social networking applications including, but not limited to, Facebook, MySpace, Twitter or Ning.
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This week's German word of the week, courtesy of Deutsche Welle, is:
TatendrangEver wake up one morning with the uncontrollable urge to get something done; run a marathon, climb a mountain or write a novel? In German, this basic drive to accomplish a task is called "Tatendrang" or literally "action urge."
I think I prefer the Google translation of Tatendrang: "Zest for action".
A quick image search for "Tatendrang" gives us this personification of zest for action:
What a coincidence.
This week's German word of the week, courtesy of Deutsche Welle, is the second pork-themed GWOTW (January 20th featured Eierlegende Wollmilchsau). Is Deutsche Welle now catering to my love of pig meat?
The German word of the week is:
Rampensau
Imagine a large pig running along a ramp, jumping and squealing, or showing off its skateboard skills -- like it or not, it commands your attention. That is exactly what a human Rampensau -- "ramp sow" -- aims to do. Whether it's on stage, in a concert, on a TV shows or during an otherwise boring presentation, a Rampensau wants to be center stage and attract everyone's attention. The term comes from the theater world where "ramp" refers to the boundary between the stage and the audience. Originally, a Rampensau was an actor who reveled in his role and made the best of it, minor though it may be. While a Rampensau may steal the limelight, the term is used more in a descriptive than a negative way.
A quick Google image search for "Rampensau" revealed these images:
_____________________
I think I know what they mean.
If you'd like to see the American version of a whole herd of Rampensau, check out my new super-favorite TV program, Vh1's I Love Money 2. I'm ready to pronounce it my new super-favorite show after watching the last 10 minutes of this season's first episode. The show is populated by the denizens of former Vh1 masterpieces like Rock of Love, Flavor of Love, I Love New York and Real Chance of Love. Each contestant is truly a celebrity at the top of his or her game. They are all making good use of every single second of their 15 minutes. I mean, any time I can turn on a television and see a hot ghetto mess in lingerie announce that her strategy is to be sexy and "use all my plaaay", I'm a happy man.
The only drawback was I almost felt a need to go get myself checked for STD after watching it.
The German word of the week, courtesy of Deutsche Welle, is:
Affentheater
"Monkey theater" -- or "Affentheater" -- can be staged at a shop, at the bank, at a business meeting, at school or practically anywhere that people do crazy, annoying things. However, unlike Pippi Longstockings, the "Affentheater" of trying to get a new passport issued within a day, for example, or of trying to return a faulty radio to a moody sales clerk unfortunately don't involve any live monkeys. People can cause enough frustration without their help.
The German word of the week is:
ArschgeweihArschgeweih translates as "ass antlers" and refers to a lower back tattoo like this:
It does not refer to this:
Thinking of getting some ass antlers on yourself? Check out this page first for ideas and cautionary tails: Top Twenty Worst Tramp Stamp Tattoos
The German word of the week (courtesy of Deutsche Welle) is:
Eierlegende Wollmilchsau
"Germans have, apparently, never subscribed to the premise that you can't make all the people happy all the time. That's the idea behind the word "Eierlegende Wollmilchsau." Who wouldn't be happy to have a pig that lays eggs, gives milk and produces wool before it's turned into a tasty Sunday roast? These days, the term has come to mean any person or device that's able to be used in a wide variety of ways -- like an alarm clock that makes coffee and toast or a cell phone that reminds you to pickup the dry cleaning."
According to Babel Fish, Eierlegende Wollmilchsau translates directly into English as "Egg-laying woolly milch sow".
That'll do, Eierlegende Wollmillschau. That'll do.
The German word of the week (courtesy of Deutsche Welle) is:
Schneckenpost
"Schneckenpost" is a direct translation of the English term "snail mail," combining the German words Schnecke (snail) and Post (mail.)"
