Danish word of the day: Skruk
Photo by Francesco Ungaro on Unsplash and Nicolas Raymond/FlickR
We can hear the patter of tiny feet for today's word of the day.
What is skruk?
Skruk originates from the verb at skrukke, which is used to describe the sound a hen makes when it is laying eggs or walking with its chicks in tow -- "clucking" or perhaps "mother hen clucking".
The use of the word in verb form, such as in hønen går og skrukker ("the hen is clucking") is rare, but the noun version, skruk, is a lot more common.
To describe a hen as skruk means it is ready to lay eggs. But you're probably (unless you work on a farm) more likely hear the word used to describe a person -- specifically, someone who wants to be pregnant.
Why do I need to know skruk?
To be skruk is a state of mind related to what you might call a natural instinct that makes you want children, similar to "broody" in English, although without the onomatopoeic links to other species.
You can say "skruk" about either a man or a woman, and it can be used to describe oneself or others: a light-hearted bliver du lidt skruk? ("are you getting a bit broody") when someone is holding a baby is not an out-of-place comment, provided it doesn't have a subtext of "isn't it about time you had kids of your own".
Examples
Ej, hvor er lille Katrine sød altså. Jeg blev helt skruk, da jeg skulle passe hende i går.
Ooh, little Katrine is such a cute kid. I got all broody when I babysat her yesterday.
Siden jeg blev far er jeg egentlig blevet mere skruk end før.
Since I became a dad I've actually started to want to have children even more than before.
Comments
See Also
What is skruk?
Skruk originates from the verb at skrukke, which is used to describe the sound a hen makes when it is laying eggs or walking with its chicks in tow -- "clucking" or perhaps "mother hen clucking".
The use of the word in verb form, such as in hønen går og skrukker ("the hen is clucking") is rare, but the noun version, skruk, is a lot more common.
To describe a hen as skruk means it is ready to lay eggs. But you're probably (unless you work on a farm) more likely hear the word used to describe a person -- specifically, someone who wants to be pregnant.
Why do I need to know skruk?
To be skruk is a state of mind related to what you might call a natural instinct that makes you want children, similar to "broody" in English, although without the onomatopoeic links to other species.
You can say "skruk" about either a man or a woman, and it can be used to describe oneself or others: a light-hearted bliver du lidt skruk? ("are you getting a bit broody") when someone is holding a baby is not an out-of-place comment, provided it doesn't have a subtext of "isn't it about time you had kids of your own".
Examples
Ej, hvor er lille Katrine sød altså. Jeg blev helt skruk, da jeg skulle passe hende i går.
Ooh, little Katrine is such a cute kid. I got all broody when I babysat her yesterday.
Siden jeg blev far er jeg egentlig blevet mere skruk end før.
Since I became a dad I've actually started to want to have children even more than before.
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