EverydayIntermediate
Weird words for awkward moments in English
What borborygmus, pandiculation, hangry, and wedgie mean in English.
Full script
Lin
My stomach growled in yoga. There's a word for it: borborygmus!
Them
That sounds like a dinosaur. Is that real?
Lin
Totally real. And that big stretch with a yawn? Pandiculation.
Them
I do that every morning. Very fancy.
Lin
Skip lunch and you get hangry. Hungry plus angry.
Them
That's me right now. Don't talk to me.
Lin
And when your shorts get stuck back there? A wedgie.
Them
Okay, class is over. I'm going home.
Key phrases
The lines worth keeping. Read them once before you go out.
Stomach growls
✓ Borborygmus.for stomach noises
/ˌbɔːrbəˈrɪɡməs/ from Greek “rumble”; casual: My stomach is growling.
Wake-up move
✓ Pandiculation.big stretch + yawn
/pænˌdɪkjəˈleɪʃən/ from Latin “stretch”
Screenshot this
✓ Hangry.hungry and angry
hungry + angry, added to Oxford in 2018
Awkward
✓ Wedgie.when your shorts ride up
/ˈwedʒi/ also a prank: pulling underwear up
Quick answers
Stomach growls: what to say in English
Say “Borborygmus.” — for stomach noises. /ˌbɔːrbəˈrɪɡməs/ from Greek “rumble”; casual: My stomach is growling.
Wake-up move: what to say in English
Say “Pandiculation.” — big stretch + yawn. /pænˌdɪkjəˈleɪʃən/ from Latin “stretch”.
Screenshot this: what to say in English
Say “Hangry.” — hungry and angry. hungry + angry, added to Oxford in 2018.
Awkward: what to say in English
Say “Wedgie.” — when your shorts ride up. /ˈwedʒi/ also a prank: pulling underwear up.