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
Introduction to Italian Slang
If you’re planning to live or travel in Italy, you might find it helpful to know what people are saying – much of which is not in polite phrasebooks! And sometimes it helps to be able to fire a few juicy phrases of your own. Select a letter above to go to the page of Italian swearwords starting with that letter.
- Subject to revision whenever the mood strikes me. If you have something you’d like to add or suggest or comment on, go here (where you can also see what others have suggested).
- Most of this useage is not for polite company. For milder slang and idiom, see this page.
- I live in northern Italy, so the useage described here may be specific to northern Italy, particularly Milan and Lombardy, unless otherwise noted. Your mileage may vary.
- Here’s a video of some common Italian hand gestures (many of them rude, along with pronunciation of some of the phrases below).
A Note on Blasphemy
Some of these words and phrases fall into the category of bestemmie (blasphemy): taking the Lord’s (or Jesus’ or Mary’s) name in vain. Be aware that these may be considered particularly offensive by some people.
Other rude words are simply called parolacce – “bad words.”
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hahahah very nice!! ;D
interesting but this way all will think that we all think every time about c***o e f**a please post even other words
))
A friend of mine once struck up a conversation with an old Italian gentleman in a park. The conversation when something like this: “So, where are you from?” “Chicago.” “Sopra. [laughs to himself] No, but where are you from?” “Chicago.” “Sopra. [etc.]”
“Ci cago sopra” translates as “I shit on that,” a middle-school-type joke you wouldn’t expect from a 70-year-old man. My friend sure had fun retelling that story, though.
Do you know these two sonnets by XIX century Roman poet Giuseppe Gioacchino Belli: Er padre de li santi (http://www.mclink.it/personal/MC4491/padsanti.htm) and La madre de le sante (http://www.mclink.it/personal/MC4491/madsante.htm)?
Also, Nobel Prize Dario Fo’s son (and writer himself) noticed that in italian, or at least here in Milano, a “cazzata” is a bad or stupid thing, while something partiocularly good is a “figata”.
Does anyone know the exact definition of: PIRLA?
Heard this on my sons playground at school, have looked in all the slang/cuss dictionaries and couldn’t find it!
How could I have forgotten pirla! Added to the page now.
How about ‘Stronzo’? I cannot spell in any language but it was explained to me to mean solid poo, kind of like a coprolite. generally used as ‘vafanculo stronzo’.
And for ‘porco’, it always seemed to be ‘porca mesera’ around Ferrara. which I seem to remember was about the woe that comes from being a prostitute, taking the easy route in life (?) or something, but maybe that was something else.
“pirla” is a dialect word. we use it in Milano quite often.. lol it means “idiot”
Very funny. Italian is full of colours
But… where did you find trombamico? I never heard it.
Can anyone please tell me what porcona means? Obviously it’s a derivation of porca, but I have yet to find a dictionary or Web site that gives the definition of the word.
I’d also like the definition of vaccona, which is a derivation of vacca.
The ending -ona adds emphasis – , x-ona is like saying “the big fat x.” There are other endings that shade the meanings of words in different ways, I’ve been meaning to write an article about that…
Fungoo- “Fuck You”
Cornuto !!!!!
!
The singular of cozze, cozza is used to define an ugly girl ex “Che cozza!”.
Hmm. So “siamo alle cozze” would mean “there’s nothing but ugly girls left”?
My friend says “Bap-ay-al” and says it means idiot. I think it actually means something else. I can’t find anything … Anyone know?
I think we all know what “Schivosa” means. LOL.
Well done, but as an italian i have to say that “scattole” and “sciuppare” don’t have doubles consonant in it, they are written “scatole” and “sciupare”.
Good catch, thanks! I’ll fix that right now.
When I was in Rome there was a lot of graffiti that said “veni, vidi, scuci”. The first part is the famous latin “I came, I saw” but the “scuci” is in Italian. I was told that it meant “I came, I saw, I masturbated” but all I can find for scucire is to “undo”, which I guess could be slang for masturbating. Can you confirm that?
I am learning quite a bit on your website here!
I love learning languages! Plus, my youth group leader from my church….he is first generation to come to America. His parents met each other over the boat from Sicily. Kinda romantic story, huh?! *sigh*. I’m not too crazy on the vulgar expressions/idioms/ etc. but I do enjoy your other features! Ciao!
Nice page
(I’m from Brescia, not so far from Milan)
“Boh” usually means “I don’t know…”
Example: “Sai che ore sono?” -> “Boh!”
“Cozza”: another word used to define an ugly girl is “Scorfano” (an orrible fish, Scorpaena scrofa, you can see a photo on italian Wikipedia). “Scorfano” can be used also for ugly men, like “cesso” (more used)
“Farsi” means also “take drug” (see “fattone”)
“Svarione” is a big and evident error
Example: “Ha preso uno svarione”
Last note about “porco” and the association with God (Dio): even if it’s largely used in the north east of Italy (especially in the form god+cane), this is not an exclamation but “bestemmia”, this is maybe the worst form of blasphemy, so it’s better if you forget it for an italian tour (catholic country)
“carampana”: a very old woman but also a middle-aged woman that tries to appear younger and sexier (usually with a lot of makeup and sensual cloths)
Rotfl!! Nice post…
P|xeL (from Italy)
My stepfather used to use several phrases, including “fungoo,” which someone pointed out, above.
There were others, but I have no idea of the corret spelling. Maybe someone can help me out with those. The words (and closest meanings I figured out) are:
Manja/manja lugots (Eat my … balls?)
Testameanya (balls …?)
Fotch de cotz (no idea)
Sfachime – my mother had told me that it basically means ‘two faced bastard’. Anyone else ever hear that?
what “mica paddiuzza” means exactly? a friend of mine told me it was sicilian slang meaning “is not a little thing”… can you tell me more of this phrase context?
Thanks.
About “Accidente, un”, how about adding the expression “Ti venisse un accidente” as in “I wish you an illness as in broke a bone, an heart stroke an ictus and so on ?
Ciao!
Another meaning for “balle” is testicles with the same connotations as “palle” as it is the common northern italian dialects word for “palle”.
Ciao
What a great site – brings back memories of living in Milan 20 years ago. Looking through the C section I was reminded of The Godfather, where Marlon Brando says proudly at one point “I am a coglione”. Could be the American pronunciation of the family name, or maybe he’s just realized something.
Mah is a Sicilian Beh
Watching the Sopranos you hear slang words that they use in Italian. There is a name that Tony calls his son, it’s gagootz (not sure of the spelling but that’s how it sounds). What does it mean in english?
What about fessa? And mona? Too regional? I’m an Australian with Italian parents so I hear various words such as these from Italo-Australian family and friends of all regions and am not always sure if they are local terms or Italian- wide or if they have actually dropped out of usage in Italy. When I lived in Italy for one year (ages ago) I also heard a lot of “Va fa muffa” which I really liked and “Ti pari?” said in a very sarcastic tone.
A funny thing happened here in Katoomba (village in the Blue Mountains region west of Sydney) where a restaurant called itself “I Cazzi Nostri” and the Italian teacher at the local high school (not of Italian origin herself) made a complaint to the Consumer Tribunal. The owner (who was Italian) argued that this expression is not considered obscene ito Italians and won the case. Is it true that Italians do not necessarily object to that kind of language?
Re “gagootz” – it’s the American version of cucuzza, Southern Italian for pumpkin or squash and means idiot I guess
Elida, thanks! I had no idea what to do with that one. I guess it’s related to the northern Italian use of citrullo (cetriolo – cucumber).
Ray – Fesso/fesso I already know. Mona I’ve heard, don’t remember offhand what it means but will find out. Regional is fine – eventually I’d like to have videos with people from various regions explaining their slang, including the accompanying gestures. Just haven’t had time to do that yet!
H, i mona is another word for fica – from the Veneto I think. I’ve heard it used in the following expression: “Mica mona, mona ti” which I think means: “You’re not a c**t, you c**t.”
Thanks Ray, mona is another word for fica – from the Veneto I think. I’ve heard it used in the following expression: “Mica mona, mona ti” which I think means: “You’re not a c**t, you c**t.” So I guess from your answer that it is not in widespread usage.
Great site!
But I have a question: what is the use of the word “casino”? Like what are the most popular expressions? I have found that it means also “a lot” like when “un casino di bacioni”. But what else?
M: There is an Italian word Tony Soprano uses to mean a WASP or white person? Any idea what that was? This was in Season 1, disc 3, in the episode “A Hit is a Hit”. It’s used in the conversation in which he refers to his neighbor Cusamano as a “wonderbread WOP.”
Thanks.
When I visited Sicily I heard the word “scustomato” or “squistomato?” From the little Italian I could understand, I understood it to mean something disgusting. Could anyone verify this for me?
re: finnochio.
I was told it was vulgar and that I should not use it.
Boh!
My grandfather’s nickname was “Cischi.” I’m told it was probably vulgar, but I’ve been unable to find it’s meaning. Any help?
Troiaio means a mess in a larger scale. ex. a junky car can be a troiaio, a messy house can be a troiaio, the electricioan did a troiaio job (shitty job).
If said to a person it means that that person is worth nothing. ex. Che troiaio di persona. (Tuscan slang)
haha another fun one is che cazzo fare [what the fuck are you doing?!]. i yell that at my sister all the time.
A word of advice about italo-american slang from the Sopranos and similar mafia related movies: that’s almost never even remotely similar to italian.
Most sicilians would not understand it, either: they are americanizations of the sicilian dialect of a century ago. Only very, very old persons from sicily would understand american-sicilian.
“Scustomato” is actually “scostumato” and is oldish italian, but more common in sicily. It means literally “dressed skimpy”, and figuratively “ill behaved”.
re: wasp person. There is no such word in italian and/or italian dialects. Italians don’t normally know even what a WASP person is, if they did not study american culture. Moreover, racial awareness is very, very low, italy being populated by at the very least 20-30 ethnic groups ranging from red headed with green eyes to middle-eastern and greek lookalikes
Some thing i noticed during one of my rereading of this slang section (that i love as i love your “look from the outside”).
Caca is usual spelling is with a double ‘c’.
Casino also stand for houses where whore work (when it was still legal in italy those places where also called “case chiuse”, closed houses).
There is another form for “preso per i fondelli” and “preso in giro” … “preso per il culo” (lit. took by the ass/asshole”), same meaning, but as you see is a lot ruder.
About “minchia”, have you ever considered translating the Sanremo song “Minchia Signor Tenente” by Giorgio Faletti ?
Hi all
Does anyone know what it means if someone writes “K Fisso!!!” to me? I’ve never heard this before…
Thanks
Dom
Where the hell did you put FIGA PELOSA? And waht about FIGASSA MARCIA e CAZZO DI CANE, not to mention an endless series of blasfemy that you have to put it.
Mate, it’s not complete!
For #45 (Dom)
I think you are speaking about “Che fesso!” and its translation would be “What an idiot!”
Ciao!
Mi piace moltissimo questo site.
An Italian-American friend of mine recounts that as a young girl, she was affectionately called “my little pucaccia” by her father, who knew only a modicum of italian. He told her puciaccia meant “cute little heiny, or butt”, yet when she asked her grandmother later in life, granny was shocked and said that it means “vagina”. Any ideas on that?
this was so much fun to read thank you
Don’t forget these fine sicilian gems:
u sticchiu – vagina, but meant literally as anatomy, IE “o scassato chistu stichhiu” (ho rotto questo sticchiu) or “vogghiu dintru su sticchiu” (voglio dentro suo sticchiu). Interesting how a guy’s thing is LA minchia a woman’s thing is LO sticchiu.
and scecchu- a horse, but when used on a person it refers to a dumb or damaged horse no longer useful on a farm.
Sicilian people are big on utility and often use “inutile” (useless) as part of a litany of insult.
Ti adoro chistu blog! Bravo!
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