Whenever someone asks me how to say “to tease” or “to take the mickey” in Italian, my first instinct is to teach them the expression prendere in giro, simply because it is the most commonly used translation.
Those who wish to amplify their vocabulary, however, may be interested in a similar expression which replaces giro – meaning turn, path or rotation – with the more obscure term fondelli (singular fondello).
prendere per i fondelli
to tease / to take the mickey
What is a fondello exactly? As the diminutive form of fondo (bottom), it can be used broadly to refer anything that constitutes the bottom of something.
More specifically, it denotes the small piece of fabric used to close or reinforce the most worn areas of clothing, especially the bottom of trousers. And in modern firearms, it may also describe the part of the bullet body that fits into the cartridge case neck. (Dizionario Internazionale)
Informally though, it is simply a euphemism for the vulgar yet extremely versatile word culo (ass), which can also replace giro in the expression prendere in giro (i.e. prendere per il culo).
In fact, fondello / fondelli can work as a substitute in various idiomatic expression where culo appears. Consider the following expressions for example:
- prendere un calcio nel culo > prendere un calcio nei fondelli = to get kicked in the butt (you can also say calcio nel sedere, with sedere being less vulgar than culo)
- Che culo che hai avuto! > Che fondello che hai avuto! = What luck you had!
Mi stanno prendendo per i fondelli.
They are making fun of me.
Below are a few more similar expressions that swap out culo for other less offensive words:
- prendere per il bavero (bavero = collar)
- prendere per il naso (naso = nose)
- prendersi gioco (gioco = game)
- prendere per il didietro (didietro = backside)
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.
