Heather Broster
Recently my son has taken a keen interest in tongue-twisters, especially those that his dear old mum has trouble saying. A tongue-twister in Italian is known as a scioglilingua, which is the combination of the verb sciogliere (to melt) and the noun lingua (tongue). scioglilingua tongue-twister Scioglilingua is an invariable noun, so it’s form doesn’t …
Some words perfectly capture the essence of the concept they describe, and the Italian adjective mogio is a great example. It can be translated as despondent, dispirited, or dejected, among other terms. mogio despondent / dispirited / dejected Mogio most likely derives from the Venetian mògio (wet) which, in turn, comes from the Latin mollior, …
Last week, we took our son to a county fair, where a variety of farm animals were on display. The goats—known as capre in Italian—were the most eager of them all. They were so enthusiastic to eat from my son’s hand that they accidentally nipped his fingers. Needless to say, he has been keeping his …
Since becoming a genitore (parent), my life has been turned on its head. Tempo libero has become a distant dream, and every day is a whirlwind of activities and responsibilities. Yet, despite the challenges, the joy and fulfilment I find in watching my little boy grow and thrive make every moment worthwhile. genitore parent Genitore …
When I first met my husband, he had a distinctive moustache and goatee, but since we had our son, he’s chosen to go clean-shaven. Honestly, I can’t say which look I prefer! In Italian, the word for moustache (or mustache) is the plural form of baffo, which is baffi. Baffo on its own refers to …
If you’re facing the wind or standing on the side of something that is exposed to the wind, you are described as being “windward” in English—for example, the windward side of a boat. In Italian, this concept is translated as sopravvento (sopra “above” + vento “wind”), which is also featured in a common idiom: prendere …