Tartle
Meaning: That panicky pause when you go to introduce someone and realize you've forgotten their name.
Language: Scots
Literally: to hesitate in recognition
Category: Social
Origin: Scots; the polite cover 'I'm sorry for my tartle' softens the awkward moment.
More untranslatable words — Social
- Amae — The comfortable feeling of depending on another's goodwill — leaning into someone's indul…
- Fremdschämen — The vicarious embarrassment you feel for someone who is doing something cringeworthy — ev…
- Drachenfutter — A peace-offering gift brought home to a partner after staying out too late or doing somet…
- Nunchi — The subtle art of reading a room — sensing what people feel, what they need, and what is…
- Jeong — A deep emotional bond that forms slowly over time through shared experience — the invisib…
- Gattara — A woman — often elderly — who dedicates herself to feeding and caring for stray cats in h…
← Back to Untranslatable Words
Loading the full interactive collection…