Month: September 2016

When the word bae seemingly came out of nowhere in the summer of 2014 to become every millennial’s go-to term of endearment, the internet was quick to seize upon the fact that, coincidentally, bae means “poop” in Danish. 

Bae, it soon turned out, wasn’t so much a term of endearment as an example of what linguists refer to as a “false friend”—a word that looks (but doesn’t necessarily sound) similar in two different languages, but differs entirely in its meaning. Chances are if you’ve ever learned a language you’ll have stumbled across a few false friends yourself, because there are a lot more besides bae to contend with …

1. Tuna is the Spanish name for the prickly pear cactus.

2. Fart means speed or rapid movement in several Scandinavian languages—which makes the Norwegian word for a sea crossing an overfart, and the Swedish word for a speed bump a farthinder.

3. Air is the Malay word for water.

4. Kiss means urine in Swedish …

5. … while the Manx word for urine is moon.

6. Farmer means farmer in Hungarian—but it’s also a Hungarian word for a pair of jeans, which are known in full as farmernadrág, or farmer trousers.

7. Angina is the German name for tonsillitis.

8. Derived from the same root as fatuous, fat means conceited or boastful in French.

9. Bad means bath in Norwegian.

10. Cat is the Malay word for paint.

11. Home means mold or mildew in Finnish.

12. Roof means robbery or banditry in Dutch. A roofdier—literally, an animal robber—is a predatory animal.

13. A bicycle is a rower in Polish.

14. Pop means octopus in Catalan.

15. As a noun, gift means poison in Danish. As an adjective, it means married.

16. Bang means frightened in German, is an Irish word for a single swimming stroke, and is the Javanese word for anything red-colored. Whereas …

17. … red means network in Spanish.

18. Pea is the Estonian word for head—while head means good.

19. Zee means sea in Dutch (which is where the “zea” in New Zealand comes from).

20. Mad means lucky in Welsh.

22. A shopping cart is called a chariot in French.

22. Bum is the Albanian equivalent of boom.

23. The Romanian name for the poplar tree is plop.

24. A mom is a mask in Dutch.

25. Dress is the Norwegian word for a man’s suit or tuxedo.

26. A pig is a bird’s beak or a similar point or spike in Welsh.

27. Butt means blunt in Norwegian.

28. Ass is the Latvian word for an axle.

29. Thumb is the Albanian word for a thorn or prickle, a small nail or tack, the clapper inside a bell, or the point of an arrow.

20. Derived from similar roots to our word brave, BRA means good or well in Swedish and Norwegian.

31. Fast means almost in German.

32. One is the Hawaiian word for sand.

33. Sex is the Icelandic word for six …

34. … and the Hungarian word for six is hat.

35. Once means 11 in Spanish.

36. Cute means skin in Italian—but is also the Romanian word for a whetstone.

37. No means certainly in Czech (and is a shortened form of ano, the Czech word for yes).

38. The Fijian word for no is sega.

Football season’s finally here, and while potato chips and beer are a popular game-night pairing, we know you don’t need an excuse to bring these two great tastes together: it’s really a match for all seasons. Still, this infographic by wine website VinePair helps sports lovers elevate the traditional snack to gourmet levels by matching different chip varieties with complementary brews. Whichever combo you choose, it’ll be a win for your taste buds.

[h/t VinePair]

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

Making a lava lamp isn’t quite as trippy as watching one, but it’s still fascinating. The process involves mechanical glass blowers, liquid wax, top secret ingredients (a mixture of chemicals and dye), and 160°F baths. The psychedelic liquid inside the bottle is made of wax and the aforementioned chemical mixture, and expansions and contractions in response to changes in temperature are what make the colorful gloop travel up and down the bottle. Watch how it all gets put together in the video above from Science Channel. 

[h/t LIKECOOL]

All images via YouTube

Know of something you think we should cover? Email us at tips@mentalfloss.com.

This year, skip the Halloween store—and the generic costume. Instead of pulling something pre-made out of a plastic bag, shop around and concoct the perfect outfit. Here are some timely costumes to try this Halloween.

1. HARLEY QUINN // SUICIDE SQUAD

Let’s get the most obvious option out of the way. There will probably be a lot of people slinging baseball bats this year—but popularity is also the sign of a good costume, so if you want to go the Quinn route, we’re here to help. We recommend a baseball tee, hot pants, fishnet leggings, a baseball bat, and lots of red and blue hair dye. You can take the look a step further with a Puddin’ necklace and Joker jacket.

2. ERIN GILBERT // GHOSTBUSTERS

Sure, you can pick up a Ghostbusters suit at the store, but we know you’re looking for something a little less obvious. Consider being Erin when she’s off duty. You just need an MIT sweatshirt, jeans, and rain boots.

3. DUSTIN // STRANGER THINGS

If you don’t want to sacrifice style when dressing up this Halloween, you might as well be the beloved toothless jokester from the new hit Netflix show, Stranger Things. All you need is a tri-color hat, green graphic tee, brown corduroy pants, and a denim jacket. The exact plaid-lined jacket Dustin wears might be hard to find, but you can always mix a navy jacket with a red plaid shirt.

4. ELEVEN // STRANGER THINGS

For another take on Stranger Things, dial it up to Eleven by buying a long sleeved pink dress, navy jacket, athletic socks, and a blonde wig (optional). Telekinetic powers sold separately.

5. THE DOG FILTER // SNAPCHAT

Social media mavens can cover a lot of bases with this costume, which can be either the dog emoji or the dog filter in Snapchat—and it’s relatively easy to pull off. Just grab some face paint and some brown or piebald ears.

6. LT. JUDY HOPPS // ZOOTOPIA

Getting the perfect Judy look will be a total snap. Basically all you need to do is combine two costumes—a police officer and a bunny. Instead of hopping over to the nearest costume store, look online for these things: a light blue turtleneck, a navy vest, blue leggings, a police badge, bunny feet, and ears.

7. PABLO ESCOBAR // NARCOS

We don’t blame you for envying Pablo Escobar’s impressive sweater game in the second season of Netflix’s show Narcos. Thankfully, it won’t be hard to steal this drug lord’s look for Halloween, especially if you have a mustache. All you need is a white button down, khakis, and of course, Pablo’s amazing handcuff knot sweater.

8. PRINCESS CAROLYN // BOJACK HORSEMAN

 

Princess Carolyn has had a tough year this season, but that doesn’t mean she won’t land on her feet (she is, after all, a cat). Celebrate the former agent’s new job as a manager by dressing up as Amy Sedaris’s character this Halloween. Pick up a yellow cardigan, teal dress, triangle necklace, red pumps, pink wig, and cat ears.

9. EZEKIEL FIGUERO // THE GET DOWN

Netflix’s The Get Down has great characters, catchy music, and stylish outfits. Get the main character’s retro look with a navy polo shirt, a navy cable sweater vest and brown bell-bottom pants.

10. INMATE // ORANGE IS THE NEW BLACK

 

You can be pretty much any character from Netflix’s show, Orange is the New Black, with the help of a pair of tan scrubs. Couple that with a pair of black boots and it’s simply a matter of styling your hair. Some inmates also like to wear a shirt underneath their scrubs, so pick your character and look into that before you buy.

11. POKEMON GO // SMARTPHONE APP

Obsessed with Pokemon Go? Prepare to rock the easiest couple costume of all time. You can pick up a Pikachu or Charmander onesie and immediately transform into a Pokemon. Then, just have a similarly Pokemon Go-obsessed friend or significant other follow you around with their phone out.

12. ILANA // BROAD CITY

Ilana has so many insanely fun outfits that it seems criminal to just choose one. In one episode, Abbi dresses up like Ilana in an elaborate co-op con job. Since this costume can also be Abbi as Ilana, it seems like the most fun costume choice. To perfect this look, you need a leather fanny pack, tie-dye leggings, mesh crop top, and Ilana’s signature bralette. Bonus points if you also get her hot dog phone case.