Lagom
I was introduced to the concept of "lagom" this week. Lagom is a uniquely Swedish word that has no direct English equivalent. Swedes are not fond of excesses in any form (except the liquid kind) and this is why they have a word like "lagom", which means roughly "just enough" or maybe "with moderation".Everything can - and should be - lagom. Doing things in moderation here means always taking the middle path. If there is a three lane highway anywhere in this country (Maybe Stockholm, I don't know), I guarantee that Swedes will clog the middle lane. So you hear the term "Lagom bra" fairly frequently. This means basically "Just about right and nothing to make a fuss about." (Bra means good in Swedish and has nothing to do with average sized lingerie.)
I should do a Swedish vocabulary series - or maybe a Swedish Word of the Day. Hmmm. Not a bad idea. I could start with "Slut" (finish) and "Slappa" (to be lazy). Which of course brings up the amusing possibility of trying to express "finish being lazy". I don't actually know if you could say "Slappa slut" in polite society or not. Or even if it really means anything. It just makes me laugh because I am juvenile and something of a dumbass.
And for those out there who are really juvenile... Something that is damp... is "fukt".
OK, I will stop. I turn 34 in a month. It shows, doesn't it?
posted by Jeff @ 10:39 AM
1 Comments:
So I guess the "if it's worth doing, it's worth overdoing" philosophy doesn't find a lot of followers in Sweden?
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