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The Local's eight best Swedish words of the week

The Local Sweden
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The Local's eight best Swedish words of the week
The Swedish word for the Milky Way is among our favourite words of the week. Photo: Nils Ribi/AP

The Local regularly asks people in Sweden to name their favourite Swedish word and explain why they love it so much, and the results are often surprising. Here are eight of our favourites so far, ranging from something sneaky, to outer space.

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1. Hidden fruit

Our first ever word of the week was a unique one. It's a long-standing Swedish phrase for a hidden spot of particular value.

2. A southern special

One of the words brought to our attention may be difficult difficult for even Swedes to crack, depending on where they're from. In Skåne, people use this word to express irritation among other things, we're reliably informed.

3. Princely sausages

There is perhaps nothing less regal than a sausage – ground up meat enclosed in innards – but apparently Sweden didn’t get that memo. The prince of sausages is a classic at Christmas and other holidays in the Scandinavian nation.

4. The best time of year

This suggestion evokes the magic of the Swedish midsummer, when in theory it's sunny, everyone stays up all night under a clear sky, and the warm season is in the air. In practice, it doesn’t always work out that way.

READ ALSO: Ten things to hate about Midsummer in Sweden

5. The real best time of the year

Short and sweet. Whether it’s skollov, höstlov, påsklov or even sportlov, everyone loves some time off. The Swedes have reduced those wonderful moments to an incredibly efficient three letters.

6. Sweden's supercalifragilisticexpialidocious?

At the other end of the spectrum is this 26 letter beast (we counted), which Svenska Dagbladet readers once voted as one of the most beautiful words in the Swedish language. Agree with that or not, it's definitely unique.

7. A winter street to the stars

One person's milky is another person’s winter scene – or at least, the latter is what the Swedes think our Solar System resembles. The Swedish name has its origins in Norse mythology, and locals once thought that studying the "winter street" could help predict when the coldest season would arrive.

8. Something rotten in the state of Sweden

Last, but certainly not least, is a handy Swedish term when it comes to identifying the kind of person who knows how to instantly change the atmosphere in a room. You know who you are, smygfjärtare.

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