Clairvoyant in California
Dear Neologist,
Could you please help me with an appropriate word for when you know you predicted that something was going to happen, and that thing that happened was not a good thing, and you feel conflicted that you feel good about being right about this not so great thing?
To illustrate: My friend predicted our economic downfall and is not happy about the downfall, but has some pleasure in being right about it coming, yet feels bad about feeling good about being right.
Thank you for your time,
Clairvoyant in California
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Dear Clairvoyant,
Thank you for your question. Your "friend" landed a substantial
schwarzmalerischer Zunkunftsvorhersagetreffer
m, shwartz'-muh-lur-ish-er Tsu'-koonfts-fore-hare-zuhg-guh-tref'-fer
(black-painting future prediction hit)
and is now feeling
Stolzbefleckte Schadenreue
f, shtoltz'-bah-fleck-tuh shuh'-den-roy-uh
(pride-bespeckled damage remorse)
Schadenreue is, of course, a combination of the ever-popular Schadenfreude, (damage joy, happiness at the misfortune of others) and Reue (remorse). One admires your friend's keen understanding of the financial sector, and hopes that his friends in turn chose to act on his advice in time to avoid the worst of the damage. One further hopes that he now has the good sense to abstain entirely from ever mentioning that he had told us so, because as we know from Mr. C. Montgomery Burnes "I told you so has a brother. His name is Shut the hell up!"
Mit herzlichen Grüßen,
The Neologist