Danish word of the day: bagklog

Hindsight is a wonderful thing, and so is today's Danish word of the day.

Bagklog , pronounced “bow-cloh”, directly translates to “back-clever” or “behind-wise”. It’s an adjective which describes someone who is smart after the fact, typically referring to a person who offers (usually unsolicited) advice or points out mistakes after the event has already happened and the damage is done. The most accurate English parallel is “in hindsight”.

The adjective has also spawned the noun bagklogskab , which although less common, still makes regular appearances in the Danish language.

Klog, meaning “clever”, “smart”, or “wise” (originating from the Low German klok).

The word shares its roots with the Swedish efterklok and Norwegian etterklok , both pointing to the same idea of delayed wisdom.

Bagklog is a good word to know, either to shut down unhelpful and unsolicited advice. Danes typically value straightforwardness and problem-solving. Therefore, focussing on how past mistakes could have been avoided, rather than fixing current issues at hand, will typically come with a passive aggressive comment.

At være bagklog can also be used in a self-deprecating way, when you comment on how your own mistakes could have been avoided.

“Hindsight is 20/20.” (Often used defensively when someone points out a mistake you made.)

“In hindsight, we probably should have brought the umbrella.”