Today I want to introduce you to a very amusing word,
Mencolek.
This Indonesian word describes a very cute activity that many of us
may have indulged in. Who would have thought there’d be a word for it?
Mencolek describes the act of tapping a person on the opposite
shoulder from the one you intend to approach the person from, forcing the
tapped person to turn reflexively toward the tapped shoulder, only to find the
tapper on the other side.
As pranks go, it’s rather innocent and doesn’t even deserve
to be called a prank.
The strange thing is that when somebody does a Mencolek on
me, I always shrug my shoulders, and find myself thinking of the tapper, that
she/he must be rather silly if they derive pleasure out of such a silly activity.
On the other hand, when I do Mencolek on somebody, I fancy myself
rather clever for having outwitted the tapped person, even for a moment.
So have you ever done a Mencolek on anyone? Or has anyone
ever does a Mencolek on you?
Hi Cynthia - I'm amazed to read there's a word for this - fascinating ... I'm sure I've had it done, and have done it - very probably unintentionally ... interesting that the derivation is from Indonesia ... thanks - cheers Hialry
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I thought this was so cool, when I first learned about this word. There are some habits that seem to span cultures, and Mencolek is definitely one of them.
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