Many thanks to Holly for a link to a Mental Floss article on 14 More Wonderful Words Without An English Equivalent which included:
Fremdschämen (German); Myötähäpeä (Finnish) The kindler, gentler cousins of Schadenfreude, both these words mean something akin to vicarious embarrassment.
PS while I’m tapping this out, an owl is calling nearby: hoooo hoooo hoo hoo over and over. Long long short short. The long isn’t terribly long but longer. Is that enough to go on, Naomi?
Was it deep and resonant, like blowing across the top of a bottle? Then it’s Great Horned. If it’s higher, ending with a kind of gurgly note, Barred Owl. Those are the two ‘hoot’ers around here.
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Horned_Owl/sounds
http://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/barred_owl/sounds
If you’re really lucky you might get Long-eared or Short-eared Owl. They both hoot, but they’re long shots.
leave it to allaboutbirds.com! Although I didn’t particularly notice the little trill in the first half of the call, it was definitely a great horned. That makes me very happy! Great horned owls and me go way back. It was a bit down the road but it was a pretty quiet night and it called for a while. I tried to listen for a second voice but couldn’t tell if there was one. Thanks Naomi!