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Comment by bcook | Hacker News Reader

Please, for the ignorant (no offense intended, as I am an entrenched member), can you more precisely/consisely explain your critiques? The reasons behind your "chills" are foreign to me.

My intuition often betrays my experience.

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"Gives me chills" in that context is not a criticism, it means (roughly) that he really liked and related to it.

I believe "frisson" is the word you are looking for.

It's the same thing. Though "gives me chills" is more common in English. I only knew "frisson" because I speak French, I'm not sure I've ever heard an English speaker use it. (until now)

Eh, reddit is responsible for some weird things. Popularizing[1] a rare word would hardly be the weirdest.

1: http://www.reddit.com/r/frisson

I use it, (e.g. phrases like "a frisson of doubt") and I certainly wouldn't consider it rare. Though I will grant that it is used less commonly than "gives me chills" and its variants.

I don't think frisson is that unusual, or that it means the same thing as "gives me the chills" -- the latter implies that you're frightened, IMO.

It depends on context, but "gives me the chills" certainly can mean what they're talking about upthread.

Well, I'd agree but chilly has something to do with cold, whereas goose bumps would rather correlate with warmth from a suddenly increased blood pressure. I'd say thrilled (say frilled) was a good compromise, if it wasn't preoccupied. Anyway, I'd not get a kick out of the remark so I wouldn't know what it really means.

I think "gives me chills" is pretty synonymous with "goosebumps" if that helps at all. I think creepy/makes-me-shudder for the negative usage and breathtaking/awe-inspiring for the positive usage.

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