She didnt know that many of them werent standard English until she moved. Happy to find this site and spend my day smiling! Also: malanova mu ti vene. My nona used to yell that at my brother whenever hed sneak her Livfesaver candies! Probably because they didnt get very much meat. Being an American, I had always referred to myself as Italian until an Italian from Northern Italy told me Sicily had a very different history than Italy. I am pretty sure that the second sentence is fanculo mammeta or fanculo te e mammeta, where mammeta means your mother. Fanu ShKaffu eentuol Fachew, SenonDiBasta! Gumba Italian was the lingua Franca irrigardlass of national origen. It is MADONNA. My grandmother was from Sicily and we called it beetadul. Find even more English to Italian translations added by our users, in the English-Italian Collaborative Dictionary. -this I have no clue how to spell, but its pronounced, sherot = jerk MotherFker!!! My grandparents were all legal immigrants of Sicily and Bari, Italy. If a word has an English origin, I will reflect its English spelling. American: [noun] an American Indian of North America or South America. As a matter of fact, everyone here should create there own page! testaduda, hard headed = my Northern Italian mom used to say capa tosta, which, in the Southern dialects, comes out as gabbadost. She also used another capa expressioncapa fresca, a cool head, only she meant it more as fresh (as in impudent) head. I heard Tony Soprano refer to someone on that show as being a gabbavrischia inma situation where my mother would have said her version of the expression, and so I assume thats a Southern pronunciation. Linguistically, a language is a complete form of communication, but American Italianis actually an incomplete language (a pidgin language) thatneedsto be supplemented with Italian (or English or both) in order to function. Italian American pidgin or Italian American slang is a pidgin language thought to have developed in the early 1900s in American cities with a large Italian population, primarily New York and New Jersey. Over 100,000 Italian translations of English words and phrases. Also, coo-pa-LEEN, for a wool hat (ski hat). I feel your pain. Not Italian at all. Scan text in image by pointing camera to search in dictionary. I am sure I spelled it wrong but I thought that was the word for fart until I was older.I grew with a lot of slang Italian words. where i guess they curse the dead? Vrgone! Growing up in Bensonhurst, 2nd generation Italian this was correct Italian dialect to us. i totally agree with you that they should bring some of the old shows back. Type a word in the search box above to look up a word. Does anybody here know what Im referring to? We played the same card game on Christmas and New Years eve but we called it seven and a half. meeng ya, not exactly sure but when ever I heard it used it was like saying I dont believe it or what the heck. There are more words, but I hope these bring back memories. Your mother would say, Its cold out, make sure you wear your coo-pa-LEEN today., [] salut (salute), bacouz (bagno), e la lista continua, se volete, qui. There was one thing my Father used to say when he got aggravated. Or if you cannot stand something. Sorry to write so much but the phrases still echo in my head after all these years ! The meaning is that if you say so during.. lets say a toast in a birthday party, you wish for one other hundred years to live a day like that (birthdays parties). I also remember the oh -de!! Fa la cerimonia. Anyone recognize either one?! For those who are referring to Sicilian words as dialect I urge you to do research about your ancestral history which is not taught in the US schools. The person has almost nothing. Much of this comes from memory and familial recollection. and he would swallow the pits. Thanks. They had a saying which only makes sense in Napolitan, but means nothing in English- it was, Manage o zutagil, which they said meant, Gosh darn, the mouse. Another one I hear is shah-quad (phonetic spelling), which means (or so Im told) all crooked or messy. I remember helping my grandpa and uncle wrap the fig trees with tar paper to save them during the winter months and how he loved tending his garden. What a treat! I found this very interesting because I am studying Italian, but it was mostly unfamiliar to me because all my Italian ancestors came from northern Italy, mostly in the early to mid 1800s, and their descendants whom I knew (unfortunately) only spoke English. But not like the rock star Madonna sounded more like ma doan a mi a How it ever got the r in it must be because Amiddicans knew that Rs were pronounced like Ds. Of course I do not know the true spellings so I will try my best. So we can observe frequent vowel shifting over time from [o] to [u] a pietz would be la pizza in this restaurant I go to here in Giessen, Germany they feature spaghetti a matriciana a dish from Matricia. your posts more, pop! 121 Italian Swear Words, Phrases, Curses, Insults, Slang Best Italian-Italian Dictionary: Treccani. I grew up in Mechanicville, NY in the late 50s and early 60s. Another observation kez a deech Whaddya say as a greeting. When my wife and I were first married we lived in a Ponte neighborhood and we all had vegetable gardens. My Dad used that too.ruined, destroyed, messed up, etc. [go-maa-say-GYAM], goopalin snow hat (goobalini) [goo-paa-LEEN], goombah countryman/fellow comrade/godfather (compare) [goom-BAA], guacarunno someone (qualcuno) [gwaa-kaa-ROO-no], gumad mistress/girlfriend (cumare/comare) [goo-MAAD], guyasabbu? (first part crazy, like in loco? For capo fresco i came up with fresh head from google translate. Most of these terms wouldnt be understood in Italy, but I suppose only in Brooklin (or Broccolino as they said) . It was never used a compliment. what is the slang word for toilet or bathroom? Its funny that I now use fugazi rather than any English equivalent it just works better. This was very helpful in researching words and phrases that my grandparents used. In parts of southern Italy we find the word buffetta. My grandfather used to call me a big jumbalone when I was a little kid. ocazze e ciuccio cu cucuzzille e love Really nice job! [aa-DOO-zee-PAACH]/[aa-DOO-zee-PAATS], afanabola!/vafanabola!/a fa napule! I too have heard this, or a variation of this phrase. What a fantastic, colorful and memorable childhood I had! bobba-lawks (cobwebs) My grandmother would say your mother dont want macaroni she wants the cheche.at family gatherings when looking for the meat we say wheres the cheche.the cheche was a once a year treat for my grandmother growing up in avellino. Note that this phrase may not be very common. It was only after I studied Italian in University that I realized this is properly neanche uno. One word that no one here seems to be familiar was jumba-lone. It offers you quick access to synonyms, pronunciation and conjugation of a word, By adding words or expressions to the online dictionaries you can position yourself as a language expert, If you don`t know a word meaning you can start a discussion on it, or ask for its English Italian translation. As it happens, as a young kid I came across a description of a work of art as being a pastiche, and guessed, from knowing the word from Mom, that it meant a mash-up of sorts, and to my surprise, I found I was right; while its a French word which moved into English, its one of those cognate words which ends up NOT being a false friend. You know what they say in Italian traditore-traduttore (the translator-betrayer) so you always have to watch out. [d] sound. Many, believing theyd get an easy A, were in for a rude awakening! As we try to make it easy for you to translate into Italian the English words and expressions, you are given the possibility to see synonyms of a word, conjugate it and obtain the word pronunciation, or even add another meaning to the English-Italian dictionary, all these in only one click on the word. [aa-moe-NEE-nee], andosh!/andosc lets go! Yes, Its probably Carminuccio, which is a diminutive or nickname for Carmine. After a little research in Garzantis Italian Thesarus and commensurate with Marks explanation of o sometimes becoming u and t becoming d south of Rome I believe that in spusada we are likely dealing with a variant of the Italian spossato indicating a now weak or spent person.lacking in vigor..In the context I have heard what sounds something like that used that would be about right.all worn out might be another way to state the case in American English. Other relatives of mine (Sicily) pronounce it, bishcoati. Maybe you were being compared to Bacigalupo. My family was Avellinese. you mean madonna.. mother of god, is what that what the heck are you doing?! Thanks. I remember these words from while growing up (Italian neighborhood in Jersey). An important part of Italian American identity, the Italian language has been widely spoken in the United States of America for more than one hundred years, due to large-scale immigration beginning in the late 19th century. Also, can someone please tell me how to spell the word that is pronounced badjagaloop? (LogOut/ I try to always utilizethe Tuscan Italian (the official dialect on which the modern Italian language is based) as a guide to spelling, using commas for dropped vowels. Google Translate. (che cosa fai?) As I read the dictionary and everyones comments about their families, I have the distinct impression that we all grew up in the same household. Collins English Dictionary | Definitions, Translations, Example zudiccie? gibone possibly from the French gibbon( monkey ) meaning a jerk. Fascinating stuff for anybody like me who just cant get enough fun out of the words I already know. layer in jar with sliced garlic, hot pepper flakes, olives, green or red peppers, olive oil to cover, Thanks for that. I can remember my fathers people saying Hey! (madonna mia!) Pythagoras was from Syracuse, for example. your articles? My grandfather always said something like male di cuah when something was broken or not working. I live in the South now and half the time I have no idea wth these people are talking about. First is something like ahge [AHJH] use to describe the feeling of being full (especially in your chest and throat) after eating greasy food. (ma che bella) [maa-KAY-bell], ma che quest? Che cazzo ci fai? Mortadell is baloney not sausage, at least on Long Island and anywhere I have been for that matter. Does anyone know? (awundi?) YouTube.com/MoeBellaGloria. A duva ijiru? But it was a Zi they were saying the Aunt. spah-cone, shpa-cone (american guido, flashy man, showoff) I was raised on the west side of Buffalo, NY. As we try to make it easy for you to translate into English the Italian words and expressions, you are given the possibility to see synonyms of a word, conjugate it and obtain the word pronunciation, or even add another meaning to the Italian-English dictionary, all these in only one click on the word. The two words are different in pronuncation and meaning in both official Italian and in southern Italian dialects. how do you say uncle frank in the neapolitan dialect????? I have a cousin who when we get together still says Hey! I would think Zi Francesc leaving off the o in zio (uncle) and the o in Francesco, In the Napolidan language they dislike using word endings to denote gender. This will be the official hub of everything related to AmericanItalian. Greetings! Its rich in language; mostly cultural difference and problems of assimilation. I think it was an ironic euphemism in place of real swear words. While in the general dictionary you will find usual words and expressions from the famous publisher Collins, in the Collaborative Dictionary you will discover slang terms, technical translations, familiar words and expressions, regionalisms that are difficult to find in the traditional online dictionaries. I believe the dictionary is meant to give all possible spellings, whether correct or incorrect, that were commonly used, especially since many words were made-up or combined English and Italian. I think the spelling of many of the words is up for debate, because they really are primarily spoken. They will always be saved in the comments section, which itself is a living document of the culture. [kay-preh-KAA], chiove troppassai its raining very hard (fa piove molto) [KYOH-vay-TROAP-aa-SAI], cing-u-bezz/cing u bezz five dollars apiece (cinque un pezzo) [cheeng-oo-BETZ], colghioni/cogliones/gulgliones male anatomy (colghioni) [coal-YOANZ]/[gool-YOANZ], cornuto husband whose wife is unfaithful (cornuto) [coar-NOO-toe], cuore stuppau heart stopped (cuore stopped) [KWOAW-ray-staa-POW], ddojefacc/duyavatch two faced (due facce) [doo-ya-FAATCH], disgraziat dirtball (disgraziato) [dees-graats-ee-AAT], edi-conosc? It was homemade, and it was called Almond Toast or Anise Toast. I think first gens (Italian, German, Mexican, any and all) keep English such a powerful living language because its the ragazzi, the ones who dont speak either language so good (they dont talk either so great neither), who create these pidgeon portmonteaus that fill in the crevices of precision in creating the exact word over time that no single language would have on its own. I cant believe it! (how are you doing? a rege mangia lova My moms parents were born in Sicily, and my dads mother in Calabria (his father from the north, near Treviso). Never knew what that meant. Hence the word which you are referring to is most likely a variation of the official Italian spostata which means exactly what you said in your post. iettasangu- a person who makes you spit blood.. Italian-American Slang. LOL, my mother used to say that all the time too as well as ti potza schiatta la vasheeg( vescica may your bladder burst) and potz yetta la cheed ( la aceto may you vomit vinegar). Anyway, Italians add the suffix anooch onto the end of a persons name, just for fun, such as Bob-a-nooch (Tom and Bob are best for it, but anooch can be put after any name, usually a males). U instead of il. My grandma used to call me that . Dove sono andati? They moved to Jersey City, and then upstate, NY. Basta e Chito Enough chatter already and be quiet. So , meeng ya moda, a lazy way, might indicate that meengya suggests laziness or perhaps something unbelievably foolish. How do you say and spell castle in the neapolitain dialect? I needed just the right word in not quite mobspeak, just the right slang rendering of something Sicilian but not so sinister, for a certain type of idiot, and here I found it, the exact right word in no language but the one we collectively share. saluta. Oh, and Sicily was, like Naples, part of (classical) Greece for centuries. Virgilio Sapere: online tools. I grew up in Brooklyn in the 70s and 80s and am half Italian: Napolitano and Calabrese. I am told that is from the norman influence. Over 100,000 Italian translations of English words and phrases. Go to YouTube and pull up Pepino The Italian Mouse by Lou Monte Also, reading this had made me inexplicably hungry. Italian American Slang - The Proud Italian For us -pizza fritta was fried doughbread dough works finefried preferably in a cast iron skillet.probably in olive oil or a combination olive and vegetable oil (La Spagnola) sugaredthen eaten for Saturday morning breakfast.Zeppole on the other hand were of two different typesthere were the Neapolitan zeppole of Christmas Eve basically dumplings of a rather runny dough in consistency somewhat lighter and more elastic than bread or pizza doughthough the ingredients are the same.then deep fried in a pot of oil that is the right temperature when a piece of bread tossed in floats to the topsometimes fried with a piece a soaked salted cod tucked insideThen for St. Josephs Day (March 19th) there were the Zeppole di San Giuseppea sweet dough made into a pastry puffthen stuffed with boiled yellow cream and cherriessometimes an excused Lenten fast breaker.better bought at an Italian bakery than for an amateur to try.worth the trip! thats great . What are you doing? My family said ah jh na. Your content is excellent but with pics and video clips, this website could definitely be one [aa-WOON-duh CHOON-kuh? IF I ever get to go to Italy, its probably all I would relate to. what are you doing? Especially, when they didnt want us to know what they were talking about. Im sad that that older generation is dying off, but some of these phrases will never die. Also, what about un-gwike-ya? Yandex.Translate is a mobile and web service that translates words, phrases, whole texts, and entire websites from English into Italian. Indisputably they were hard workers as a rule and the vast majority usually looked to no one to pick up the burden of feeding themselves and their families. Anyway, he mustve worked his way all the way over to So. Great job. Yes but in the Southern dialects its pronounced marrona. Maybe something slang about the wake of life?. I still use these dialect words all the time without thinking about it!! Look up a word or a phrase by typing it in the search box. Di [], Thank you for a delightful trip down the memory lane of Brooklyn 60s-70s. Many of them were told to me by my maternal grandmother, Marguerite Barbarotto from Palermo and the Bronx. WordReference also has an extensive Italian verb conjugator. -ah-speth-a-mee-notes (wait a minute) I believe that /Y-E-O/, as you said they pronounced, wasnt the italians trying to pronounce hoe are you. I really enjoyed this list. I was born in Argentina to Neapolitan parents , the same phenomenon happen there with the Spanish language , the Italian influence created a new idiom called LUNFARDO, What about moo-nates? Also, poo-peed-ah-me-ah or puppida Mia, basically a term of endearment . You will hear these words in areas where southern Italian immigrants settled. I am 2nd generation Italian born in America. Is Culo the accepted (not Gabbagul) word? It is simply how the vernacular language came to be spoken in that area on account of the surrounding influences. Its a bit strange the way you wrote italian slang words and you catched very different dialects from different regions, but its a funny idea. I still use them quite regularly Mi fa cagare! Hmmph. 7 years in Brooklyn was an education for which I should have gotten 2 years of college credits, that is after the first year of shock and acclimating. damnit (madonna) [maa-ROAN] its up in the list. And also the color pink? Italian American Definition & Meaning - Merriam-Webster I have many more. Although often unlettered yet still as a people how truly civilized by any fair measure they equally as often really were. That is an easy one- the root word is aspettarethe Italian verb to wait. Tido un cowchoelintu cooloh Standard Italian: Ti do un calcio in tuo culo. [WAAR-daa], uarda la ciunca! gabinyost-gossiping I too miss all the sounds, aromas, tastes, hugs and love when growing up near an Italian kitchen. My mothers favorites were, Ti Potza schiatta, Potza yetta u sangue. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site. I know Puerto Rican, Cuban, and South American dialects. and learn the NAPULETANO EXPRESSIONS. Places like Fondi, Itri, Montecalvo, Raviscanina. pizza shops Were a bunch associated with volunteers plus starting up a whole new system in our local community. I havent yet read every word in the comments but I will, when I have time. Thank you so much for this. Spoken at the end of an argument. I cant find the word WYUN pronounced WHY-OON anywhere. For those who are interested, this organization has plenty of interesting books available through LEGAS that may be of interest. Then I saw gandeen in the basement.Possible but/hand in the basement? I have spent many hours thru the years trying to find the words and phrases I heard as a kid . The immigrants who came to America did not corrupt the official Italian. Language seems to be part of peoples religion, though they dont acknowledge it. stata zeet shut up, From my Calabress grandmother.. she said a bizz for pizza. I grew up in my grandmothers house hearing a lot of these words.to see them in one place brings back so many memories of growing up.she passed away on august 27 2011 and I will miss her everyday but I will keep her memory alive by teaching my children these words so that when Im gone they can teach there children.the warmth that I feel every time I hear one of these words or hear somebody speak in napolitan or broken English is indescribable.I hope to visit my grandmothers hometown in avellino sometime in the near future.anyway thank you for this website. Bigatsu = dishtowel PASSWORD is a registered trademark of Modulo diteur and used with its permission. (awundi?) Sorry about that goof. I remember waking up on Xmas Day and running downstairs with my cousins to eat left-over home made pizza! Malandrin seems to fit the situations you describe. What you heard is likely derived from the Italian or Neapolitan word for the same. I believe what you are hearing is the Neapolitan vernacular of Phonetically spelled abunonama? Learn more. However, spusada, which is what the first post was all about, evolves from official Italian sposata > spusata > spusada (Ital. [aa-DOO-zee-PAACH]/[aa-DOO-zee-PAATS], afanabola!/vafanabola!/a fa napule! If a word has an English origin, I will reflect its English spelling. (vai a fare in culo) [VAA-faan-GOOL], vagaboom/vagabuma vagabond (vagabonda) [vaa-gaa-BOOM], vangopp go up/go upstairs (fa in coppa) [vaan-GOAP], veni ca/vieni qua come (over) here (vieni qui) [veh-nee-KAA], vedi caciunca/vidi cachunka! My grandfather born in 1903 in a mountain village of Campania/Naples, came to America when he was 9 years old. dont embarass me!/stop embarrasing me! Linguee | Italian-English dictionary I thought it meant nothing, as in, that particular credit card doesnt give you points or any kind of rewards. (hai capito) [eye-kaa-PEED], how ya doin? I was called testaduda, hard headed, as a stubborn child. She did use to word culu and I remember it pronounced as cool-oo, not cool-oh. Very interesting page. My mom is 2nd generation Italian. You will learna to speaka English Papa said: my family said ewe-Gatz. Collins Italian Dictionary | Translations, Definitions and Pronunciations is like = chimu ti jett u sangu = we are going to suck your blood malanova mu ti vene = bad things will happen to you! Ghoul,culo ,Cooley all mean ass to me. The spelling looks nothing like the pronounceation.. the spelling is correct italian 100%. quante mosseliterally translates to how or so many movements ? indicating a probable dramatic exaggeration of some sort either in response or reaction to some stimulus. Eegats is possibly English-to-Italian, like baccausa., Ye gods and little fishes is the English expression. also i like the italian words there really cool. Go beyond dictionary lookups with Word of the Day, facts and observations on language, lookup trends, and wordplay from the editors at Merriam-Webster Dictionary. Quanto costa? American Italian expressions sometimes are not always true to an Italian original- not even to an original dialectical Italian rootsometimes it is in the hearer rather than the words and then it gets repeated to take on a new life of its own. (hai capito) [eye-kaa-PEED], how ya doin? American Italianis an Italian-American pidgin languagedeveloped in the early 20th century by Italian immigrants settling in American cities and metropolitanareas, especially in New York and New Jersey. When I was a boy we had an old lady relative all the adults called Ozzi. Means: Where did you go? The Cambridge EnglishItalian Dictionary is based on original research on the unique Cambridge English Corpus, and includes all the words at CEFR levels A1B2 in the English Vocabulary Profile. means someone who talks too much. Is this familiar to anyone? His mother, who died soon after his birth, also had blue eyes and blonde hair. Some of the words I did not find here Abeetz for pizza; lacho bijok eat ct; possibly from lancia bigiocco(?) I have looked everywhere for something like this. Lol. But I want to know if anyone ever says fuocu mio. The spellings in thisdictionaryare somewhat arbitrary because these words do not truly belong to English or Italian; they are hybrid creations. . Hi all. I know diablo = devil, but not what the miz refers to. Italian-English dictionary | English translation | Reverso pronounced kee-ak-ya-done (done like own) When used in this way, it is most often seen in the phrase "marone sei . In some southern Italian dialects it is pronounced sudice. In these days of sharing and swapping it may not be considered the actual true insult it is, one of the highest magnitude. I never heard the word biscotti til I was in my 40s!!! Does anyone know the Gabbagul term for behind? They give you gatz, or ga gatz. meaning nothing. Both individuals who said this were from possibly Naples, Bari or Sicily. There were so many English words incorporated into not only the Italian language of early immigrants but into the dialects as well. ITALIANOS who tried but could never make it with their Merican interpretation of a Beautiful Language which blends itself in dialectical differences but still Im agonizing over this! Over 350K words and phrase can be used in offline. Hoping someone can help figure out what nonni was saying! leave him alone! I remember when I was 15 being over a friends house with my brother making maccaroni. Very common phrase. looking for spelling for a phrase that was said to wish someone another hundred years. Tell me, has anyone heard the (phonetically spelled, of course) Im gonna give you beata bania! (with the n sounding like the Spanish sound) which was playfully said by my grandma, great-grandma and others (not unique to my family) when jokingly threatening a spanking or whack if we were misbehaving? Now I am laughing over the memories of [way-goom-BAH], ufratu your brother (il fratello/tuo fratello) [oo-FRAA-too], umbriag/umbriacc/umbriago intoxicated (ubriaco) [oom-bree-YAAG], usorda your sister (la sorella/tua sorella) [oo-SOAR-daa], vaffangul!/baffangul!/ f you! Using one of our 22 bilingual dictionaries, translate your word from English to Italian Italian Slang Dictionary and Expressions - ThoughtCo official Italian capicollo becomes gabigullu or gabigull. Another post comments on the Italian dialect word spusdada, but other than sounding similar has no connection at all that I can see with the term spusada. I was pretty sure it meant idiot or something like that, but Im startng to suspect its something worse. So awesome when people get down to brass tacks and get this on the Internet. It contains over 95638 terms and 212602 translations in both English and Italian and continues to grow and improve. My family immigrated to Boston and Providence!! Awesome, really brings back memories of my early yoot when my dad would take us boys to get some abeetz at my coombas restaurant and then he would take us to the Italian American club but make us wait in the car. I live in South Carolina atm and boy are you guys making me homesick! and I dont remember the rest. 2023 How even an . . (WHAT did you call me?). [goo-yaa-ZAA-boo], gidrul stupid person (cetriolo) [jih-DROOL], haicapid do you understand? Camille. No such word as MARON. Trying to get a spelling and meaning for ga gatz or just gatz. I thought my mother was cool at the time, but now as I look back a realize how much I missed not being able to speak Italian so I especially appreciate your work on these interpretations. Yep! we are from Bari in Puglia. You meant to say, Were (we are) Italians not Russians. See how easy it is for words to get misspelled. (lascilo!) Thank you for all the fractured Italian words. alzare il gomito exp. EVIL THIEF..Check out Lou Montes Pepino the Italian Mouse It all made for a very rich gravy. An unparalleled resource for word lovers, word gamers, and word geeks everywhere, Collins online Unabridged English Dictionary draws on Collins extensive language databases and covers many literary and rare words useful for crossword solvers and compilers as well as Scrabble players. Its like nails on a chalk board when I hear people say man-i-cot-i, or bis-cot-i, rick-cotta, or pros-cute-oh. If a word has unknown origins or a pronunciation that is difficult to spell in the Italian language, I willspell it phonetically using English as a guide. Imagine never seeing a boat and then being packed like sardines in an old ship for weeks! Putting this together in one succinct place was very fun, and I hope it is helpful. Hope this clears this up for you. We should also like to make it clear that the presence of a word in the dictionary, whether marked or unmarked, in no way affects its legal status as a trademark.
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