Author: Sam Cel Roman

I'm pretty cool
Folk Wisdom

The Romanian Sniffling Sneezing Coughing Aching Stuffy Head Fever So-You-Can-Rest Medicine

Whew, mercy! On Saturday I got hit by a powerful head cold, which completely knocked me off my feet. Luckily, The Woman was around to give me some TLC and I feel a lot better now. Although she stuck to more modern treatments, my illness reminded me of a very Romanian cure that I used a few years ago. First, you need some good homemade … Continue reading The Romanian Sniffling Sneezing Coughing Aching Stuffy Head Fever So-You-Can-Rest Medicine

Unknown's avatarSam Cel Roman9 Comments
Romanian language

A Venit La Mine

Sticking to some of the easier parts of Romanian grammar, there is a curious construction involving personal pronouns. Although the forms used are standard Romanian, this particular bit of syntax comes straight from Slavic languages. What am I talking about? A venit la mine In the above sentence, “la mine” (literally at my or perhaps at me) actually means “my house” or “my apartment” or … Continue reading A Venit La Mine

Unknown's avatarSam Cel Roman6 Comments
Преступление и Наказание

DEA, Taliban, Missile “Sting”

Weird, weird and even weirder: Watch the local Arizona news station videoclip here. Romanian government press release here, including this Youtube footage (w/o sound): From the (American) DEA official website: Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Administrator Michele M. Leonhart and Preet Bharara, United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced today the unsealing of charges against seven defendants for conspiring to provide various … Continue reading DEA, Taliban, Missile “Sting”

Unknown's avatarSam Cel Roman7 Comments
Romanian language

When Less is More (Less)

There’s plenty of confusing elements to Romanian grammar but luckily one of the easier parts is constructing comparatives. What am I talking about? More All you do is add the word mai (more) to any adjective. Verde – green. Mai verde – Greener Bun – good. Mai bun – Better Inalt – tall. Mai inalt – Taller Dulce – sweet. Mai dulce – Sweeter Less … Continue reading When Less is More (Less)

Unknown's avatarSam Cel Roman12 Comments
Romanian language, Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Pluta

In Romanian, the (standard) word for cork, as in the buoyant bark of a certain tree, is pluta (plew-tuh). When referring to the stopper in the top of a wine bottle (made from cork) however, the word is dop (dope). There are some interesting euphemisms using the word pluta. The one I’m most familiar with – and it may just be a regional variant – … Continue reading Word of the Day: Pluta

Unknown's avatarSam Cel Roman15 Comments