The Italian word squillo is a masculine noun that generally translates as ring (or “ringing sound”) but also buzz or jingle depending on the device producing the sound. It derives from the verb squillare which means, you guessed it, “to ring”. It is normally used in reference to the sound made by a telephone (telefono), doorbell (campanello) or trumpet (tromba).
Squillo is a masculine noun but because it begins with sq-, it must take the following definite and indefinite articles:
- lo squillo = the ring
- gli squilli = the rings
- uno squillo = a ring
- (degli) squilli = (some) rings
The expression “fare uno squillo”
I want to take a moment to talk about the very common expression fare uno squillo. Literally, it means “to give (someone) a call/ring” but since the advent of cellphones, it has come to mean “I’ll let the phone ring once or twice and I don’t expect you to pick up or for us to talk”. It’s almost like saying “I’ll give you a missed call”.
Back when cellphones first arrived on the scene, making calls could be expensive, so the handy squillo became the perfect way to ask a friend to call you back or to let them know you are “on your way”. I would often do this with my husband, as he had a fixed monthly plan that never ran out of minutes whereas I was on a pricey pay-as-you-go plan.
Ti faccio uno squillo quando arrivo!
I’ll give you a ring (and then hang up) when I arrive!
And what about the word for a call girl in Italian? You guessed it: it’s ragazza squillo!
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.
