Words mean things.

I make up words to try to convey what I am feeling. I combine words to extend the meaning of what I am trying to say. And I go with words my kids have made up because the new words best describe the feeling or condition. For example...
adorability - the ability to be completely and totally adorable without trying
slaptastic - so fantastic I feel like someone slapped me silly
mooley - kinda like constipated (coined by Will when he was 4 and used ever since)

This doesn't work well in another language. Case in point. Brian. Who should know better after this incident but doesn't.

Brian, being the nice guy that he is, agreed to take a van load of Turks somewhere. Our van seats 13, but he probably had about 20 people crammed in it this day. Everyone is talking and joking and basically enjoying themselves. Brian is telling a story. Trying to be funny. He ends with the punchline. Then in order to make sure everyone knows he's just joking he decides to tell them that. But in the milliseconds of thinking before speaking he decides instead to say "I'm just lying". Which is fine...if he says it the right way. Instead of going with what he knows how to say, "I'm just telling a lie" he opts to go with a word that in his mind should mean, "I'm just lying." He combined the verb "lie" with what would be the proper ending in many cases. And then he said the new word aloud. The van got quiet. He wondered what he said...knowing full well that he had said something wrong somewhere. Our good friend, Derya, who happened to be sitting next to him leaned over and said, "you just said 'I'm licking myself'." Brian laughed. No one else did. When they got to their destination they all quietly filed out of the van. Brian laughed. He told me when he got home. I just shook my head and laughed. He will never learn. Poor, poor Brian.