Tartle and Tenya Wanya

Memory is a fickle thing. You can rely on it most of the time, except when you are called upon to introduce someone, at which point instead of helpfully throwing up the name of the person you are introducing to another, it promptly pulls the sheets over its head and nods off to sleep.

You know the feeling? You are about to introduce person A to person B, and at the crucial moment, you can’t remember person A’s name. That’s Tartle, Scottish for the act of hesitating while introducing someone because you’ve forgotten their name.

Generally, I’m very good with names. But if I met you once over a year ago, and the interaction lasted for less than a minute, you must forgive me for going Tartle on you.

So I do the honest thing. I admit that I don’t remember the person’s name, and then the person introduces himself or herself.

I have no patience for those who suffer from Tartle and won’t admit to the truth. When I catch someone afflicted with Tartle, particularly someone who can’t remember my name, I let them stew in their discomfort for a while, before putting them out of their misery.

Have you ever suffered from Tartle?

Tenya Wanya is Japanese for the act of runnng around like a chicken with its head cut off.

As a rule, I rarely panic. But when I do, I panic to the fullest, exhibiting complete Tenya Wanya.

In India, people display Tenya Wanya while crossing the street, darting hither and thither between lanes and cars, often raising their hands, to signal to the drivers and motorists that they should slow down or halt so that the practitioners of Tenya Wanya can cross the street.

Have you ever displayed Tenya Wanya?