There are certain very typically Norwegian things there are simple words for that aren’t easily translatable to English. In many cases, they are compound words in which the individual words are easy to translate, but the combination doesn’t seem right in English. Below is a selection of them.
brann·fakkel
statement that causes a debate to flare up; literally fire·torch
brøyte·kant
bank of snow on the side of a road created by a snow plough; literally ploughing·edge
duge
be useful, be good enough
døgn
day, but in the sense of an interval of 24 hours regardless of the time
døgn·vill
jet-lagged without the jet; literally day·bewildered
etterpå·klok
wise after the fact; literally afterwards·wise
få fnatt
go crazy from something intolerable or very annoying; literally get scabies
fyll·e·nerver
bad nerves after drinking alcohol, literally drunkenness·y·nerves
Gokk
The Middle of Nowhere, Norway; in imitation of numerous real-life remote locations with similarly unglamorous names
kos
feeling of well-being and relaxation resulting from doing something comforting
hygge
feeling of well-being and relaxation resulting from being in good company
kraft·salve
swear, curse; literally power·salvo, compare English shots fired
trekk·plaster
person or thing that attracts guests or draws an audience; literally draw·bandage, by analogy to how an adhesive bandage draws fluid out of a wound
mat·pakke
packed lunch; literally food·package
noia
paranoia in an informal everyday sense; never used in psychiatry
plage·ånd
frequently bothersome person; literally plague·spirit or bother·ghost
påske·ferie
weeklong break taken around Easter in which you customarily go on a skiing vacation; literally easter·break or easter·vacation
radar·par
two people who work very well together; literally radar·pair
skade·fryd
glee over the misfortune of others; literally injury·glee or damage·delight
svenske·handel
border shopping in Sweden; literally Swede·shopping or Swede·trade
Syden
the South; Southia; any warm and sunny vacation destination; has beaches and palm trees; used almost like the name of a country — let’s go to Southia
tanke·kjør
fast-paced uncontrollable rumination; literally thought·rush
tid·s·nød
situation of running out of time; literally time-need
tøffel·helt
man who has submitted to or is controlled by his wife, literally slipper·hero
valg·flesk
big promises made in order to attract voters; literally election·pork or election·fat; compare English pork barrel, to deliver on such promises
ånd·s·pygmé
extremely stupid person; creative insult; literally spirit·’s·pygmy