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
Balle
[BAHL-lay] Balls. Usually synonymous with “Bullshit!” Mi ha raccontato un sacco di balle – “He/she told me a whole bunch of lies” (literally, “a bag of balls”). Can also be used like palle. Che due balle/palle – “What two balls” – can also be used like “What a pain in the ass.”
Barbone
[bar-BONE-ay] “Having a big beard”, but also used for homeless men.
Battona
[baht-TONE-ah] Streetwalker, because she “pounds (battere) the pavement”.
Beh
“So?” or “So what?” In some parts of Italy, this may be equivalent to boh. Not particularly rude.
Bocchino
[bock-KEE-no] “A little mouthful” – fellatio.
Boh
A verbal shrug. This isn’t rude – you can use it any time.
Botta
[BOT-ta] A blow, a punch, a coup, but also used to mean a dose of cocaine. Hence in botta is used to mean high (but not necessarily specifically on cocaine).
In Roman slang, botta or bottarella means a fuck. Le ho dato una bottarella – “I fucked her [a little].”
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An Italian friend asked this evenin (after she used this expression)…What does oooh fah mean? Any ideas? Thanks.
Uffa is a general sound of disgust, doesn’t have any particular meaning.
Uffa means good grief, actually. My teacher uses it a lot >.>
Uffa means ”I’m fed up! I’ve had enough”
Ecco ancora Marco non arriva, è mezz’ora che aspetto, uffa!!!
I’m trying to figure out the correct spelling and translation for “boccigalupe,” from my research I believe it comes from “Bacio’ il lupo” meaning “kiss the wolf,” but it’s slang for being an idiot. I’ve seen many spellings and definitions. Also, it would be a bonus if anyone knew of the song that my old italian grandmother used to play with “boccigalupe” recurring in the chorus often.
Thanks for your help.
Well, I found the song; Lou Monte’s Paul Revere’s Horse… but still no real spelling.. his is “bo cha ga loop”
maybe you mean “in bocca al lupo”! that literally means “in the wolf’s mouth”, but it is used to say good luck! when someone tells you this, you have to answer “crepi!” that means “the wolf must die”… but I am animalist and I prefer to say (as many others use) “Long live the wolf!!” Or here in Rome, we also say “in the whales asshole!”, to say good luck too…and it is ” in culo alla balena!” about the song…I don’t know I’m sorry!!!
Another rather colloquial word used in Liguria, mostly in the province of Genova, is “belin”. Basically slang for penis. It’s not particularly rude, but I wouldn’t use it in polite company.
It’s pronounced “be’liÅ‹”, with a shortened “e”.
Often in the kitchen I could hear what sounded like ‘Bast/Bust’ I have no clue what it means could some one pleae help me?
Probably basta, which means “Enough!” or “Stop!”
Can anyone tell me an idiom in Italian that means, He’s dead, or He’s a ghost or He just died? I’m looking
for something like, “He swims with the fishes” or “He kicked the bucket” but more imaginative.
Thanks for any ideas!
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