There's a book called THE MEANING OF LIFF by John Lloyd and the late Douglas Adams. It is a dictionary of place names used as words for experiences that there are no words for....
ABERYSWYTH A nostalgic yearning which is more pleasant than the thing being yearned for.
ABILENE The pleasing coolness on the reverse side of the pillow.
ARDSLINGISH The behaviour of sellotape when you are tired.
BANFF The kind of facial expression which is impossible to achieve except when having your passport photo taken.
CORRIEARKLET The moment at which two people approaching from opposite ends of a long passageway recognise each other and immediately pretend they haven't. This is to avoid the ghastly embarassment of having to continue recognising each other the whole length of the corridor.
I notice I never got back to you about this book! I particularly like using place-names like "banff" and "abilene" with corresponding definitions. I'm tempted, so consider these:
TOLEDO A rather stuffy person -- whether a Spaniard or an Ohioan.
OAHU Stroke of luck or genius; synonym: EUREKA (Calif.).
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ABERYSWYTH A nostalgic yearning which is more pleasant than the thing being yearned for.
ABILENE The pleasing coolness on the reverse side of the pillow.
ARDSLINGISH The behaviour of sellotape when you are tired.
BANFF The kind of facial expression which is impossible to achieve except when having your passport photo taken.
CORRIEARKLET The moment at which two people approaching from opposite ends of a long passageway recognise each other and immediately pretend they haven't. This is to avoid the ghastly embarassment of having to continue recognising each other the whole length of the corridor.
and so on....
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TOLEDO A rather stuffy person -- whether a Spaniard or an Ohioan.
OAHU Stroke of luck or genius; synonym: EUREKA (Calif.).
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