Slovak Matters: Sick as a dog, or under the dog?

Hapčí!!!!!

That's me, sneezing again (Hapčí! is the Slovak equivalent of the English onomatopoeia atchoo!). Yep, feeling sick as a dog (cítim sa pod psa, I feel under the dog), trying not to infect the office with my wet sneezes (kýchania).

It seems to happen every year, the weather changes and my suddenly undependable breathing apparatus (including sinuses, or dutiny; throat, or hrdlo; and lungs, or pľúca). The sun disappears for what feels like 71 days starting in late October, the rain pours down, and your nose fills up.

Kýchanie is followed rapidly by kašľanie, coughing, which may worsen into a bark (kahŕňať) or a hack (a kŕčovitý kašeľ is a hacking cough). You may even find yourself coughing your lungs out, or chrchlať, derived from chriacheľ, the slang for spit or saliva. To be mindful of others, a face mask (rúško) helps contain the germs.