Snow, blizzard, powder, slush, drift, sleet, etc.

[steepholm]

The presenter Martha Kearney mentioned on The World at One today, as if it were a measure of how endemic corruption was in Afghanistan, that they have a dozen words meaning 'bribe'.

I'm not saying there isn't a lot of corruption there, but how strong an argument is this for demonstrating it? While you're thinking about that, excuse me if I mutter under my breath:

Kick-back, bung, back-hander, sweetener, inducement, tip, pay-off, tribute, protection money, hush money, palm-grease, fix...

Comments

[kalypso-v.livejournal.com]

Hang on a minute... I forgot something on Monday! Happy Birthday!

[shewhomust.livejournal.com]

That, sir, is a proof of the richness of the English language!

[sovay]

Kick-back, bung, back-hander, sweetener, inducement, tip, pay-off, tribute, protection money, hush money, palm-grease, fix...

*snerk*

Take that, Sapir-Whorf.

Happy birthday!

[timsilverman.livejournal.com]

English also has many, many words for genitalia, but we generally have just the one set each ...

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

Here in Spain, one word for under-the-table money is "B money," that is money in the "B" budget, the unofficial one.

[mount-oregano.livejournal.com]

Oh, also "black money," since it's in the dark.