Valentina Nicastro
Nobody wants to be called un pistola in certain parts of Italy. And no, it has nothing dangerous attached to it, even if the word does sound suspiciously like the English pistol. Which, as it turns out, is also one of its meanings. But only one. Let’s find out the rest! pistola pistol 1. PISTOLA …
Somewhere in Italy right now, someone is ordering priest stranglers and Judas’ blood, and nobody is batting an eye. Don’t worry, I haven’t gone crazy: Strozzapreti (priest stranglers) and Sangue di Giuda (Judas’ blood) are perfectly normal menu items in Italy! This is just what we call certain foods: body parts, religious figures, personal traits, …
Many of you are probably glued to the World Cup right now, but even if you couldn’t care less about the sport, it’s worth tuning in just to hear some Italian commentary: the tournament is an absolute goldmine of words and expressions we use far beyond the football pitch. Let’s explore some! Before kickoff 1. …
You know when you’re in the middle of a sentence and instead of saying the actual word or name, you go “you know, the thing…” or “that guy, you know who I mean…” Maybe you forgot it. Maybe you just don’t want to say it. Either way, you’re waving your hands around while the other …
Have you ever asked an Italian what time the next bus is coming, only to get a beautifully vague answer like verso le 9 (around 9) or verso mezzogiorno (around midday)? Sure, there’s wisdom in that answer (who can predict public transport!), but it also introduces a useful word to know in Italian: verso. verso …
Oggi non esco a pranzo, ho la schiscetta. This is the kind of thing you’d hear in any Milanese office when the clock strikes lunchtime. It simply means “’I’m not going out for lunch, I brought my lunchbox,” but doesn’t schiscetta just sound so much more fun? In Italian we have an incredibly specific vocabulary …