>>and no, that's not it. "Doček Nove godine" - "--- of the New year", "doček visokog gosta na aerodromu" - "--- of the high guest at the airport".
>
>Don't get it - you're just using a phrase, like the English translation, with the Docek word thrown in. What's the difference?

When someone says "let's organize a doček", everyone knows what it means, without any extra words. Even if it's an ambush, which is also a way to do that :).

>>So why is a book a bestseller, just like the author who wrote it?
>
>Because it (intransitively) sells best, just as its author (transitively) sells it the best. Besides, you'd say, "best-selling author".

"I'm selling quite well, the slave said". Transitive or not, that is the question :).

>>You're actually proving my point. Despite having generally shorter words than my language (I've heard it goes to 4:7), it actually requires more words to express the same things, because you need context to be clear. How about this: "requires more words for same, because her needs context for clarity". That's a sufficient sentence in my language, clear as a window without a glass.
>
>yeah, and, especially after being in Africa and Egypt several times, your expression is perfectly understandable as like "pidgin" English. :-)

That's what you get when non-native English speakers don't quite understand this need for context. They're used to words with fewer meanings but more definition, and use them as they would in their own language, where they don't need the extra salad and dressing to get the meaning across.

>(lol) Ah! - "lioness"! - 3 cubs - herd of monkeys

How about "lioness with three lionlings, two monkeys, two monkesses and five monkeylings". We can have this level of precision with almost any animal species... well, at least the domestic ones. I've never heard any words for a male zebra, male giraffe, or female rhinoceros in my language :). But then one could just append an appropriate suffix and anyone would understand what he meant.

>You'd have time to concern yourself with gender when trying to garble that lot out?! (lol).

Being a sworn scout, it's your first duty to report fast and in detail.

>And especially if the pride were after me, I couldn't give a s**t WHAT gender they are!

Ah, "a pride of lions", "a school of fish" - you don't care what their gender is, but you do care to apply an appropriate group name :). We have a total of three words for that: "krdo" - applies to anything that can stampede, like cattle, antelopes, elephants; "čopor" (which is borrowed from Hungarian where it means "group") - a pack, as of wolves, and "jato" - applies to birds and fish, ergo a flock.

>I wish there was a word for the hissing noise that some people make out of their noses when they breath. "Sussuration" is too pleasant a context.

Doesn't "wheeze" cover that?