Comparle

Kilivilablind word

mokita

moh-KEE-tah[moˈkita]

the truth we all know and agree not to speak of — the open secret

Closest in English: open-secret, unmentionable, taboo. None of them covers it.

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The story

Kilivila, spoken on the Trobriand Islands, keeps a word for the truth everyone carries and nobody utters; village life leaves few real secrets, so the polite silence does the work. Saying one aloud can end a friendship. In English it goes by open secret.

How it went in the game

Contains the answers. If you want to play the word yourself first, leave this closed.

  1. Which language is it from?Kilivila (Papua New Guinea)
  2. Where does it hang in the air?At a family dinner, around one empty chair
  3. Who says it most often?An island chief keeping the peace
  4. What does it mean?A truth everyone knows and nobody says