Alap

Hungarian: alap

"Alap" is a word I always thought was just "base" or "basis" - but it turns out that it also means fund. Seriously! But then I thought about it: "fund" also means "basis" (foundation). How cool is that? Just another Latin obscurity.

So while translating a document about the European Regional Development Fund, I ran across the European Union's legal text site. Very useful!

Nut und Feder

German: Nut und Feder

Literally, "groove and spring", but actually tongue and groove.

Ringschäle

German: Ringschäle

Shake (a crack that follows the curve of the rings in lumber)

I found a handy-dandy timber engineering dictionary. Very useful!

Brummspannung

German: Brummspannung

Ripple voltage. I just like the word.

Lamellenkamm

German: Lamellenkamm

Today I have learned a new thing: that you can straighten the fins on a condenser unit, using a condenser fin comb, or "Lamellenkamm". And it's nice to find a mysterious-looking fanlike thing in a product list in Germany, then find a reassuringly English-speaking guy showing me how to use one.

The word Lamellen is actually one of those that's tricky to translate, as "lamellae" is always waiting there to clobber any more sensible alternative that might occur to you.

Now pardon me while I go buy a condenser fin comb, because I have some condenser fins that could use one, actually.