Talk Dirty Italian: Beyond Cazzo: The curses, slang, and street lingo you need to know when you speak italiano
By Alexis Munier and Emmanuel Tichelli
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About this ebook
Whether ordering a slice in Little Italy or riding along the Grand Canal, Talk Dirty: Italian is your guide to truly spitting the sauce. Loaded with plenty of words and expressions that could make Tony Soprano blush, you'll sound like you just got off the boat with entries like the one below. And with the curses, slang, and idiomatic expressions split into different situation-based sections, you're guaranteed to always know what to say--no matter where you are.
Italian word: scopabile
Definition: f**kable, lit. sweepable
Phrase: Niente male la tua suocera; anzi direi che è propio scopabile.
Literal Translation: Your mother-in-law is not so bad looking; in fact she's quite f**kable.
Alexis Munier
An Adams Media author.
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- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I don't know how "useful" this lexicon of the lewd and lurid may be, but it's highly entertainingly.
Book preview
Talk Dirty Italian - Alexis Munier
BEYOND CAZZO:THE CURSES, SLANG, AND STREET
LINGO YOU NEED TO KNOW WHEN YOU SPEAK ITALIANO
TALK DIRTY
ITALIAN
ALEXIS MUNIER & EMMANUEL TICHELLI
9781598697698_0004_001Copyright © 2008 by Alexis Munier and Emmanuel Tichelli
All rights reserved.
This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher; exceptions are made for brief excerpts used in published reviews.
Published by
Adams Media, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, Inc.
57 Littlefield Street, Avon, MA 02322
www.adamsmedia.com
ISBN 13: 978-1-59869-769-8
ISBN 10: 1-59869-769-2
eISBN: 978-1-44051-582-8
Printed in Canada.
J I H G F E D C B A
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
is available from the publisher.
This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information with regard to the subject matter covered. It is sold with the understanding that the publisher is not engaged in rendering legal, accounting, or other professional advice. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent professional person should be sought.
—From a Declaration of Principles jointly adopted by a Committee of the American Bar Association and a Committee of Publishers and Associations
Interior illustrations ©iStockphoto.com/Matt Knannlein.
This book is available at quantity discounts for bulk purchases.
For information, please call 1-800-289-0963.
To my nonna Angela,
whose kindness, wisdom, and faith always
prevented her from using Dirty Italian
even when she should have.
Emmanuel Tichelli
To my Papa Colonel,
who hates pasta, loves spaghetti westerns,
and still calls them Eye-talians.
Alexis Munier
sideCONTENTS
Introduction
CHAPTER ONE
Qui non si parla italiano:What’s That Strange Language?
CHAPTER TWO
Ciao bambino: Getting Off on the Right Foot
CHAPTER THREE
La testa a posto: Smart, stupid, or just plain nuts
CHAPTER FOUR
Ma ce l’hai il cazzo?: Words to Both Flatter and Insult
CHAPTER FIVE
A manetta: On the Road Again
CHAPTER SIX
Cosa bolle in pentola: Food, Glorious Food
CHAPTER SEVEN
Superalcolizzato: Beer Before Liquor . . .
CHAPTER EIGHT
Come stai?: Expressing Your Ups and Downs
CHAPTER NINE
Farsi un culo così: Yes, You Do Need an Education
CHAPTER TEN
Ricco sfondato: Shake Your Moneymaker
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Guardia o ladro: The Wrong Side of the Law
CHAPTER TWELVE
Un medico in famiglia: Following Doctors’ Orders
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Guerra e pace: Looking for Trouble and Keeping the Peace
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Che follia!: Life is a Cabaret . . . or Stadium . . . or Discotheque
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Piaceri proibiti:Forbidden Pleasures
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
La bella e la bestia: She/He’s Got the Look
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
La bella e la bestia II:Looks Aren’t Everything
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
Amore mio:Love is a Wonderful Thing
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Voglia di Sesso: Partners and Their Private Parts
CHAPTER TWENTY
Obbiettivo sesso: Dirty, Dirtier, and Dirtiest Italian
BIBL IOGRAPHY
DISCLAIMER
All entries come with sample sentences as well
as common use and literal translations with the
exception of the dirtiest of the dirty.
You’ll know them by
XXX: Too Dirty to Translate.
sideINTRODUCTION
What’s the point of speaking Italian slang? Why, to understand what the Italians are actually saying, of course! Movies from cine-città, the Italian Hollywood, lyrics of a song, lines of a contemporary author, or programs della tivù spazzatura are all made specifically for Italians. While your schoolbook Italian is a good base, without slang you’ll miss the beauty of Bertolucci’s films, Bocelli’s vocals, and Benigni’s humor.
Rather than parade around Rome with a cheesy phrasebook for common conversations, you are better off with a copy of Talk Dirty: Italian. After all, would you rather bring home the usual souvenirs or the person who sold them to you? We can’t claim this book will do the latter, but without it you’re almost certain to leave la bella Italia with an awful plastic Leaning Tower of Pisa. Remember, Italy is not France: attempting to speak the real day-to-day language of Italians will win you big bonus points and impress everyone you meet. While they may laugh at your mistakes, they’ll appreciate your bravado, for which you will certainly be rewarded.
Acknowledgments
A heartfelt thank-you to Mara Cavadini, our reference Italian teacher who, despite a baby in diapers, found the time to get down and dirty for us.
Big thanks to Daniele and Stefania Basilico, Massimo Palo, Marco Lorio, the Vanuccis, and the Tichellis, who all helped enormously in writing this book.
Special thanks to Domenico Mariani, Erminia Lorio, Giancarlo Ramazzini, as well as the inhabitants of il piccolo mondo antico di Fogazzaro who unknowingly inspired this book with their infamous interjections and slang.
And one last thanks to our publisher Adams Media and its supportive team, including Paula Munier, Sara Stock, and Katrina Schroeder.
9781598697698_0017_001sideCHAPTER ONE
Qui non si parla italiano:
What’s That Strange Language?
The United States of Italy, Regionalism, and Foreign Influences
Despite its long history, Italy is more insolent teenager than old fogey. In fact, until 1870, there was no proper Italia, just a patchwork of ducati dukedoms,
kingdoms (often held by other empires), small republics, and stati pontifici lands held by the Catholic Church.
There were separate dialects and peoples like Lombards, Venetians, Romans, and Neapolitans . . . but no Italians. Italy’s creation began with the unusual union of the kingdom of Sardegna’s army and the Republican army led by Giuseppe Garibaldi. On the way to unify Northern and Southern Italy, territories belonging to the Church that cut lo stivale, the boot,
in two, had to be conquered. I due mondi were reunified when the Italian army entered Rome and made it Italy’s capitale.
The next step involved creating the notion of Italian identity among a patchwork of diverse dialects and cultures. Before independence, much of the country had been ruled by potenze stranieri, foreign powers,
who left their distinctive cultural and linguistic marks on these occupied territories. You’ll find Albanian, Greek, French, and North African words in the southern dialects, and German and French in the northern ones. As a result, there wasn’t una lingua italiana but diversi italiani. To remedy this, l’italiano pulito, clean Italian,
was the goal of the state. One dialect in particular was promoted above all others, il fiorentino. This Tuscan dialect was considered the purest and least contaminated. Publications, education, communication, and arts now had to be written or spoken in this new standard Italian. Dialects were considered sporchi, dirty,
and their use was banned.
As you can imagine, people were not especially keen to drop their native dialects. While standard or textbook Italian is now used on official documents, at school, on TV, and in most publications, you’ll certainly hear l’italiano sporco, dirty Italian,
while traveling and you will face some difficulty understanding a simple day-to-day conversation. Dialects never disappeared completely and remain the closest language to people’s feelings and emotions. You’ll find some important or frequent regional expressions in this book to help you along; they’ll be marked with their origin in parentheses, e.g., (Roma).
Origin of Italian Slang
Criminality and Secret Codes
The underworld creates its own slang words to separate itself from the general population and to keep its evil deeds under wraps. Furbo, slang for thief,
has now transitioned into regular Italian. The meaning has changed, though, and furbo now refers to a clever person or smartass. So you can see the ingrained respect and admiration Italians have (despite their protests) for criminal activity.
Criminal slang, il gergo criminale, was once only comprehensible to the Mob. Words like Cosa nostra, Camora, padrino, and omertà meant nothing to the uninitiated. Times have changed, and they’re now understood by all Italians. Once this criminal slang becomes commonplace, the Mob must invent new slang to keep their activities secret. Even the godfather Toto Rino, hidden in the Sicilian countryside for years, managed to keep contact with his collaborators using a system of codes and a bible. Mobsters who wind up in jail are still in touch with the exterior without the authorities even noticing.
Coke Land
The forbidden world is a big user and creator of slang. Initially reserved for junkies and dealers, these words are now popular with all Italians. Among them you’ll find deformations of English words, although much of the time their literal meaning has changed. Words used when someone is high now apply to express the effects of drinking, astonishment, or mental health.
Ma ti buchi?
Are you out of your mind?
Lit. Do you take shots?
È partito.
He’s drunk/high.
Quest’idea mi fa troppo tripare.
That idea is so trippy.
Sto allucinando.
I’m astonished.
Lit. I’m having hallucinations.
Youth Input
To speak dirty is similar to dressing differently from the mainstream: it’s an act of revolt against the establishment, parents, and education. Creativity fuels slang and neologisms and new words are created every day. Some will pass through the social filter, some will pass directly into standard Italian, and most will fail immediately.
Internet, Nerds, and Video Games
Information technology has introduced many English terms in Italian. There’s no point to writing them as you already know them.
Just keep in mind that regular verbs end with the -are suffix, which is used to Italianize the English verbs. The IT terms will build a bridge between you and the Italians you’re trying to converse with.
Okay, you may look like a geek, but remember that nowadays geeks have talents that macho guys don’t have, and the computer skills that the modern society appreciates and rewards.
chattare
to chat
s.m.s.are
to send an S.M.S
downloadare
to download
Size Matters
Regular words are often too long and not hip enough. Below find two ways to shorten them, with the apostrophe marking the cut. From now on we’ll use the following abbreviations: TBI for the textbook Italian you probably already know and DI for Dirty Italian, which will put you in the know.
Cut the beginning
TBI questo, questa
DI ‘sto, ‘sta
this
Cut the end
TBI ragazzi, mpl
DI raga’
guys
TBI bellezza, f
DI bellé’
beauty
Verbs are usually shortened and written without their final e when the next word starts with a vowel.
TBI Non ho voglia di andare al mare.
DI Non ho voglia d’andar al mare.
I don’t want to go to the sea.
Too Short!
Some Italian chauvinist pigs claim a short word is like a shorthaired woman: it could look much