A brief Suomi-garment lexicon

By William Moore for IntEd
     
     
Ouninpohja is a rally stage near Jyväskylä. We described it in detail in the August article linked below.
     
Muohijärvi doesn’t exist, but Mouhijärvi does. It’s 40 kilometres west of Tampere on the way to Pori and has a population of about 2,500. It used to have a big cooperative dairy, but that’s gone now. Still, it has a T-shirt instead. Well, nearly.
     
Lempälä does not exist as a place, either, but Lempäälä does. It is some 20 kilometres south of Tampere, in the rough direction of Helsinki.
     
Ikirouta = permafrost.
     
Äkäslompolo occupies one side of Yllästunturi, a respectable fell (718 metres above sea level) in Western Lapland. It is an alpine and cross-country ski resort in the winter months. Despite the decent vertical drop, it is no longer among the most fashionable Finnish winter resorts. Nearby Levi has stolen much of its thunder. It is uncertain whether a well-known brand of jeans has stolen Levi's name. 
     
Kide = crystal, as in ice-crystal.
     
Kossu is the affectionate name for Koskenkorva, the most popular grain spirit in Finland.
     
Vissy = Vichy (water), often added to kossu to make it go further.
     
Eukko = somewhat derogatory term for a (mature) woman; "the old girl".
     
Tuoppi = literally, a mug or tankard, but in practice, "a pint", though the measure can vary from 0.4-0.5 litres.
     
Vaara = either "danger", or "a tree-covered hill", usually in the north. Many place-names, and even surnames, contain -vaara, e.g. Rautavaara, Leppävaara.
     
Perkele = Finnish expletive; literally "the Devil", but correctly delivered with volume and guttural rolled R it can still be a powerful weapon. An extremely interesting choice for an item of clothing.
     
Kuokka = a mattock, or a hoe. Again, the name of a garden tool is an intriguing concept for a garment.
     
Lahti is the Finnish word for "bay" or "cove" and is a town north-east of Helsinki, home of a large Nordic skiing centre, hosting major international competitions. The 2001 Nordic World Championships in Lahti are best not talked about.
     
Ivalo is a community in Northern Lapland, part of Inari municipality. Has an airport.
     
Kuopio is a city in Eastern Central Finland. Pop. 85,000.
     
Savo = Historical province of Finland, located roughly between Mikkeli and Iisalmi, and within the boundaries of the modern administrative province of Eastern Finland. Includes Savonlinna and Kuopio.
     
Soumi is of course Suomi - Finland in Finnish.

More on this subject:
 Hey, this shirt says "Soumi" on it!
 Seen one napa, seen them all...

Previously in HS International Edition:
  Hospitality guests watch rally cars flash past (10.8.2004)

See also:
  Just in case even more Finnish words end up on pieces of clothing, learn these now