jangmadang means A kind of local market or black market in North Korea that emerged since the famine in the 1990s. It carries an Arena rating of 1217, earned across 148 head-to-head judged battles.
Among words judged in Lexicurio's Arena, jangmadang ranks #1,474 of 17,138 for Most Incisive Words, #1,497 of 17,163 for Funniest Words, #2,532 of 17,149 for Most Exacting Words, #3,952 of 17,126 for Most Satisfying to Say.
Why “jangmadang” is a great word
JANGMADANG — [Noun] An unofficial, semi-licit marketplace in North Korea, emerging from the famine of the 1990s to become a vital hub for private trade and goods absent from the state economy. Borrowed from Korean 장마당 (jangmadang), from 장 (jang, "market") + 마당 (madang, "grounds, courtyard"). Unlike a neutral "market" or a wholly illicit "black market," a jangmadang inhabits a tolerated grey area, a bribe-slicked crack in the monolithic state. It is the rustle of smuggled rice measured in tin cups, the illicit glow of a contraband DVD player under a tarpaulin, and the low, urgent calculus of exchange where ideology has starved. It is the sound of necessity building its own foundations in the dust.
Etymology
Borrowed from Korean 장마당 (jangmadang).
noun
- A kind of local market or black market in North Korea that emerged since the famine in the 1990s.
Definitions & examples from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 3.0).
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