The Italian word for someone who is very hard to please, especially when it comes to food and drink, is schizzinoso. Possible English translations include picky, fussy or finicky. It may also describe a person who is intolerant of people, things, or manners he or she considers vulgar.
The word is thought to derive from the northern schizza (“squashed nose”), alluding to those who wrinkle their nose to express disgust.
Mio fratello è schizzinoso nel mangiare.
My brother is a picky eater.
Because it is an adjective, the ending changes according to the gender and/or plurality of the subject:
- schizzinoso = masculine, singular
- schizzinosa = feminine, singular
- schizzinosi = masculine, plural
- schizzinose = feminine, plural
Schizzinoso, along with its feminine and plural forms, can also function as a noun, in which case it translates as fusspot or picky person. The expressions fare lo schizzinoso (for a man) and fare la schizzinosa (for a woman) mean to be picky / fussy.
Dai, non fare lo schizzinoso e mangia quello che ti ho preparato!
Come on, don’t be a fusspot and eat what I prepared for you!
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
