Swedish word of the day: höstrusk
Here's a word to use when indulging in the Swedish pastime of complaining about the weather.
Höstrusk is about as Swedish as a word can get, and doesn't just describe an undesired autumnal weather condition, it also encompasses the mood and feeling that goes with it.
Höstrusk best translates as "nasty damp autumn weather" (literally, höst means autumn, and rusk means nasty or horrible) and is heavily used among Swedes in October and November to describe the rainy, cold, and grey period just after the trees lose their leaves but it's still too early for snow and Christmas lights.
The word has quite a negative ring to it and its application pretty much coincides with when the Swedes start spending much more time indoors (a period which generally lasts until the spring and has earned them the reputation of "isolating" themselves during the winter months).
- Would you like to listen to a daily Swedish Word of the Day podcast? Take The Local's survey to let us know what you think!
Swedish writer, poet and painter August Strindberg (1849-1912) definitely doesn't seem to have been a big fan of the Swedish höstrusk weather. In 1885, he wrote that "all that was left for me to do was to go on a journey in the midst of höstrusket" (För mig återstod således blott att midt i höstrusket företaga en resa).
Examples:
Jag ger mig aldrig ut i det där höstrusket.
I'll never head out into that nasty autumn weather.
Njut av vädret innan höstrusket kommer.
Enjoy the weather before the nasty autumn weather sets in.
Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
Comments (1)
See Also
Höstrusk is about as Swedish as a word can get, and doesn't just describe an undesired autumnal weather condition, it also encompasses the mood and feeling that goes with it.
Höstrusk best translates as "nasty damp autumn weather" (literally, höst means autumn, and rusk means nasty or horrible) and is heavily used among Swedes in October and November to describe the rainy, cold, and grey period just after the trees lose their leaves but it's still too early for snow and Christmas lights.
The word has quite a negative ring to it and its application pretty much coincides with when the Swedes start spending much more time indoors (a period which generally lasts until the spring and has earned them the reputation of "isolating" themselves during the winter months).
- Would you like to listen to a daily Swedish Word of the Day podcast? Take The Local's survey to let us know what you think!
Swedish writer, poet and painter August Strindberg (1849-1912) definitely doesn't seem to have been a big fan of the Swedish höstrusk weather. In 1885, he wrote that "all that was left for me to do was to go on a journey in the midst of höstrusket" (För mig återstod således blott att midt i höstrusket företaga en resa).
Examples:
Jag ger mig aldrig ut i det där höstrusket.
I'll never head out into that nasty autumn weather.
Njut av vädret innan höstrusket kommer.
Enjoy the weather before the nasty autumn weather sets in.
Don’t miss any of our Swedish words and expressions of the day by downloading our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Swedish Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
Join the conversation in our comments section below. Share your own views and experience and if you have a question or suggestion for our journalists then email us at [email protected].
Please keep comments civil, constructive and on topic – and make sure to read our terms of use before getting involved.
Please log in here to leave a comment.