Word of the Day: ถีบ /ˈthìip/

Word of the Day for Wednesday, March 11, 2009:

ถีบ /ˈthìip/ v. to kick, give a forceful shove with the foot.

This word can be impolite, if you use it to describe things you will do to someone's face. But it has its legitimate uses. ถีบ is often used with bicycles in the sense "pedal": ถีบจักรยาน /ˈthìip jàk.kraˈyaan/. Note that ปั่น /ˈpàn/ ("spin") is also common: ปั่นจักรยาน /ˈpàn jàk.kraˈyaan/. (Lao has a word for bicycle ລົດຖີບ /lot tʰȉip/, equivalent to Thai รถถีบ /rót ˈthìip/, since Thais sometimes use it, too.)

หนูถีบจักร /ˈnǔu ˈthìip ˈjàk/ (literally, "rodent that runs in a wheel") is an informal name for either a mouse or a hamster, depending on who you ask.

Homework: If you want to read an amusing story that uses the word ถีบ, have a crack at this thread on Pantip.com. The title: โดนช้างถีบมาค่ะ!! ("I was kicked by an elephant!!") It's a tad saucy, but fun. Extra credit if you get the "airbag" joke. :P

P.S. I'm leaving tomorrow for a conference in Kuala Lumpur for a few days. I'm going to try to schedule WotD to automatically post on each day I'm gone (as I likely won't have time to manually post while in Malaysia).

P.P.S. Thanks for all the positive feedback on Word of the Day. The best part (for me) is that it keeps me updating the blog on a regular basis.