Do you ever search in vain for exactly the right word? Perhaps you want to

articulate the vague desire to be far away. Or you can’t quite convey that odd

urge to go outside and check to see if anyone is coming. Maybe you’re

struggling to express there being just the right amount of something – not too

much, but not too little. While the English may not have a word for it, the

good news is that the Greeks, the Norwegians, the Dutch or possibly the Inuits

probably do.

Whether it’s the German spielzeug (that instinctive feeling of ‘rightness’) or

the Indonesian jayus (a joke so poorly told and so unfunny that you can’t help

but laugh), this delightful smörgåsbord of wonderful words from around the

world will come to the rescue when the English language fails. Part glossary,

part amusing musings, but wholly enlightening and entertaining, The Greeks Had

a Word For It means you’ll never again be lost for just the right word.