Italian Slang: G

Italian Slang Dictionary: intro A B C D E F G I L M N O P Q R S T U V X Z

Gesu’

[jeh-ZOO] Jesus, sometimes used as an exclamation of shock.

Gnocca

[NYOCK-ah] Cute slang for vagina, but also used to indicate a hot female.

top photo: Laila sei la + gnocca

+ is pronounced piu’ [PYOO] – “plus” (as in addition) but the word also means “more” or “most”, so: “Laila, you’re the hottest”.

Godere

[go-DARE-ay] To enjoy, but most often used for orgasm.

Photo below: Io godo (“I enjoy/I’m coming” implies that the woman is feeling orgasmic over the whiskey. (From an exhibition of advertising that was banned as too rude or provocative in its day, which was on show at Milan’s Central Station.)

Goldone

[goal-DOAN-ay] Condom.

A more formal word for condom, e.g. if you want to buy one at the pharmacy, is preservativo. This is fraught with peril for foreigners when discussing packaged foods. In such a context, a native English-speaker might instinctively reach for a word for “preservatives,” and make a very embarassing mistake: such foods do not contain preservativi, but conservanti. (Although, come to think of it, finding a preservativo in your cereal box could be interesting or disgusting, depending how it’s presented…)

BTW, you can usually buy condoms at the supermarket as well – look in the stands near the checkout. And no one will be embarassed if you buy them. They come in all sorts of styles and flavors, there are even brands marketed specifically to youth. Result? Very low rates of teenage pregnancy.

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