An interesting verb in Italian that doesn’t really have a precise English equivalent is sgranocchiare which means to eat crunchy foods that crumble easily. Some possible translations in English include to munch, to crunch or to nibble but none of them truly encompass all facets of the word. It is a derivative of the verb …
The word squarciagola in Italian, when preceded by the preposition a (at), is the equivalent of the idiomatic English expressions at the top of one’s lungs or at the top of one’s voice. Note that there is an equivalent expression in Italian: a pieni polmoni (lit. with one’s lungs full). It is a combination of …
A raspberry or Bronx cheer – known as a pernacchia (feminine, plural: pernacchie) in Italian – is a derisive and vulgar sound, performed by blowing through pursed lips with the tongue to obtain a noise similar to that of flatulence. /per·nàc·chia/ It derives from vernacchio which in turn can be traced back to the Latin …
Baleno (masculine) is one way of saying flash or flare in Italian. It derives from the verb balenare which means to flash (in a literal sense) or to pop into one’s head (in a figurative sense). By extension, it can be used to refer specifically to a flash of lightning, though the synonyms lampo, fulmine …
The word mozzafiato in Italian translates as breathtaking in English. It is a combination of the verb mozzare (to cut off) and the noun fiato (breath), two words that also make up the expression mozzare il fiato (to take one’s breath away). In both languages, these words refer to anything that arouses so much amazement …
One of the most common terms for someone who dislikes hard work, and consequently limits himself to doing only what is strictly necessary is scansafatiche. In English, some of the closest translations would be lazybones, idler and slacker to name a few. It is formed of two parts: the verb scansare (to avoid, dodge) and …