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

Pacco

[pahk-ko] Literally “package,” but also used in the sense shown here (“Your package is in good hands”), just as it is in English.

[PALL-lay] Balls. Che palle! – “What bullshit!” or “What a pain in the ass!” Or, simply Palle! “Bullshit!”

Stare tra le palle – “to stay between the balls” is to be a pain in the butt or to be in the way or generally bothersome.

Palle Girate (Avere Le)

[PALL-lay jee-RAH-tay] “To have one’s balls turned or twisted” – to be extremely irritated, either specifically or just a general bad mood.

Palle Piene (Avere Le)

[PALL-lay PYAY-nay] “To have one’s balls full [of x],” to be completely fed up with, sick of, unable to stand any longer.

Patatina

[pah-tah-TEEN-ah] Literally, “little potato.” In gastronomy, refers to French fries or potato chips (chips and crisps, if you’re British). In anatomy, refers to the female sexual organs (patata – potato – is also used). Hence a TV ad featuring Rocco Siffredi, a porno star, talking about his vast experience with patate – “but my favorites are Amica Chips.” (These ads were later banned for rudeness by some seldom-heard-from censorship authority, which the public thought ridiculous.)

Pecora, alla

[ALL-a PAY-cor-ah] “Like a sheep” – doggy style.

^ image top: “A woman is like a washing machine: she gives her best at 90 degrees!”

Per Dio

[pair DEE-oh] By God. Not often used, at least not where I live. An old-fashioned way to make an exclamation without blaspheming is to swear by some outdated god: perdiana, perbacco, pergiove (Diana, Bacchus, Jove). Or take it to a level of abstraction with Per tutti i dindiridin!

Pera, farsi una

[FAR-see OO-na PAIR-a] To take an injection of heroin.

Pippa – Farsi Una Pippa

[FAR-see OOna PEEP-pa] Literally, to jerk (oneself) off, but also used to denigrate others: Ci fa una pippa – “[We’re so much better that] he/she can just jerk us off.”

Pirla

[PEER-la] Lombard/Milanese dialect for penis, but used more like “dickhead”.

Pisello

[pee-ZELL-oh] Literally pea (the kind you eat), but used as cutesy slang for penis. Often used with small children, especially in the diminutive form, pisellino (little pea). Not to be confused with pisolino.

Pisolino

[pee-zoh-LEE-no] A nap. Often used in the phrase schiacciare un pisolino, but schiacciare means to squash – why would you squash a nap? (This is not a rude word.)

Pompino

[pom-PEE-no] “Little pump” – blowjob.

Of course Ross and her friends found this street name in Cannes hysterically funny…

Porcata

[por-CAH-tah] A swinish, disgusting act, or a big mess.

Porci Comodi

[POR-chee COM-moh-dee] Literally “comfortable pigs,” but used as “disgusting acts performed at will and at leisure.”

Porco/Porca

[POR-coh] Pig, swine. Can be used of a person of disgusting habits (usually with specific reference to sexual habits), but more often used in conjunction with another word, as an exclamation: Porco cane! Porco dio! Porca madonna! Porca puttana! Porco Giuda! Porca vacca! (dog, god, Madonna, whore, Judas, cow). Roughly equals “Holy shit!” Porca miseria – “pig poverty” – is very commonly used.

A polite version of some common phrases can be constructed by substituting Ella or Ulla (both meaningless) for Porca: – Ella miseria!

A semi-polite substition for porca Madonna is porca Madosca – if Madosca has a meaning (someone’s name?), I don’t know what it is.

Porcona

[por-CONE-ah] Literally a big (female) pig, used to mean “slut”.

Porcone

[por-CONE-ay] Male equivalent of porcona.

Preso in Giro

[PRAY-zo in GEE-ro] To be “grabbed around,” to be made fun of, made a fool of, fooled. Can be used in polite company.

Provarci

[pro-VAR-chee] Literally “to try to do it”, but often used as to attempt to seduce. See also rimorchiare, tacchinare.

Puttana

[poot-TAHN-ah] Prostitute. Used in exclamations such as Porca puttana! and Puttana Eva! (“Eve prostitute” – that is, it’s Eve’s fault that women induce men to sin.). Pasta alla puttanesca is supposed to be a recipe developed by Rome’s streetwalkers. Figlio di puttana [FEEL-yo dee…] = son of a bitch.

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

Rimorchiare

[ri-mor-KYA-ray] Literally, to pull a trailer (rimorchio), but used to mean to go hunting for someone to seduce. “Da giovane, ho imparato l’inglese rimorchiando le turiste Americane.” – “When I was young, I learned English while attempting to seduce American tourists.” (Yes, this is a direct quote.)

Rincoglionito

[rin-coal-yone-EE-to] To be turned into a coglione – that is, to be made extremely stupid. Slightly politer would be rinscemito, derived from scemo.

Rompiculo, Rompipalle, Rompicoglioni, Rompicazzo

[ROM-pee] Rompi = buster, breaker. Anyone busting your balls, ass, or penis is… a pain in the ass.

Mi sono rotto il cazzo (“I’ve busted my dick”) means “I’m fed up.”

Rottura

[ROT-too-rah] Literally “breakage”, but used as polite shorthand for rottura di balle – ball-breakage, e.g. hassle or pain in the ass.

top: “Life is like a Christmas tree – there’s always someone who busts your balls.”

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

Sacco, Un

“A bag, a sackful” – used for “a lot.” Slangy but not rude. Mi piace un sacco – “I like him/her/it a lot.” Carlo Verdone made a film some years ago in which a stoner character (played by himself) constantly referred to everything as un sacco bello – “really great!” or “really gorgeous!” – but I’ve never heard anyone in real life say this.

Sballo

[ZBALL-oh] A state of being high, whether on drugs or alcohol.

Sboro

[zBOR-oh] Used in Iesolo (Veneto) to describe something boring. Does not seem to be related to sborra.

Sborra, Sborrare

[zBOR-ra, zBOR-rar-ray] Sperm, to come (usually for a man).

et-names/

Scappare, Mi Scappa

[scahp-PAR-ray, mee SCAHP-pa] Literally to escape, but used in the sense of Mi scappa la pipi’ – “My pee is escaping (I have to pee).” Can be taken to a further metaphorical level for other activities: Se proprio ti scappa di… (“If you really have to do x”). This is not rude, though perhaps a bit childish.

Scatole

[SCAH-toh-lay] Literally “boxes,” but used for balls. Non rompere le scatole – “don’t bust the balls” (don’t be a pain). In polite company, reduce this phrase to Non rompere!

Scemo

[SHAME-oh] Idiot. Not quite as bad as coglione, but definitely an insult. Unless you say of yourself: Sto diventando scemo/a – “I’m becoming stupid,” that is “I’m driving myself crazy”, usually trying to do something frustrating.

Schifo

[SKEE-foh] Disgust, grossness. Most commonly used in Che schifo! – “Ew! Gross!” – or Mi fa schifo – “It grosses me out.” In very wide useage, though considered rude by the older generation. But this wasn’t always the case. Some nobleman centuries ago named his country villa Schifanoia, which sounds funny today, but probably derives from an older useage of schifare as a verb meaning “to repel”: the villa repels noia – boredom.

Schifoso

[skee-FOH-zoh] Disgusting.

Sciupafemmine

[SHOO-pah-fem-min-nay] A Don Giovanni, Casanova, playboy, seducer – one who wears out or uses up or ruins (sciupare) women. Not rude.

Sclerare

[SCLAIR-ar-ay] In non-slang use this is a medical term, in slang it’s used something like “busting a blood vessel”.

Scocciare

[SCOTCH-are-ay] To irritate, annoy. Slangy but not particularly rude.

Scopare

[sco-PAR-eh] Literally, “to sweep” (as in with a broom – scopa), but also “to fuck”. Therefore, if you’re off to sweep the floor, you should probably not announce your intentions: Vado a scopare. Someone is likely to respond: Divertiti! (Have fun!)
Scopa is also the name of a popular card game.

Seccare

[sec-CAR-ay] Literally “to dry,” but used as “to annoy.” Slangy but not particularly rude.

Seccatura

[sec-ca-TOO-ra] Derived from seccare: an irritation or annoyance.

Sega

[SAY-gah] Literally a saw (the tool used to cut wood), but metaphorically, farsi una sega (“give oneself a saw”) is to masturbate, I assume because of the similarity of motion. Seghe mentali – mental masturbation – refers to useless, time-wasting mental effort.

Senso

[SEN-so] It means “sense” as in “to make sense.” But watch out: a very common mistake among English-speakers learning Italian is to say Fa senso, when they intend: “It makes sense.” But fare senso actually means to disgust, equivalent to fare schifo (see above). If you want to say something makes sense, use avere [have] senso.

Sfiga

[SFEE-gah] Adding s to the front of a word makes it the opposite of its original meaning. Hence, by some twisted logic, figa = cunt, sfiga = bad luck (a lack of cunt is a bad thing, I suppose).

• Porta sfiga: Brings (carries) bad luck.
• Sfigato/sfigata/sfigati: (He/she/they) are unlucky.

Sgamare

[zgah-MA-ray] To catch out doing something you shouldn’t. Tua mamma m’ha sgamata – “Your mom caught me.” Not particularly rude.

Smerdato/a

[zmare-DAH-to] Beshat.

Spinello

[spin-ELL-oh] Another word for joint. See also canna.

Starci

[STAR-chee] Literally, to “stay at”. To play the game, to go along with, to… be willing to be seduced.

Stronzo

[STRON-zoh] Literally “turd”, but usually used of someone who’s a real bastard. There’s also a female form, stronza, which can only be used in this sense.

Svarione

[zvah-ree-OH-nay] A big (stoner) trip. Hence svarionato – way stoned.

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

Tacchinare

[TAHK-kee-NA-ray] To hit on, attempt to seduce. What the young people use today instead of rimorchiare.

Tette

[TET-tay] Tits. Not to be confused with tetto, roof.

Tirare un Pacco

[tee-RAHR-ay oon PAHK-ko] “To throw a package”- to stand up, e.g. not show up for a date. The phrase is not rude – the action certainly is!

Tirarsela

[tih-RAR-seh-la] Literally a reflexive form of “to pull”, but used as “to give oneself airs.” Se la tira tanto – S/he really gives him/herself airs (really thinks he/she is something). Not particularly rude.

Tiro Mancino

[TEER-o mahn-CHEE-no] “A left-handed throw”.

Troia

[TROY-ah] Prostitute. The name derives from Troy, the city, because Helen betrayed her husband with a Trojan, and therefore became a slut. The movie of that name did not get an Italianized title.

Trombamico/a

[trom-bah-MEE-ko/ka] (Male/female) Fuck buddy. (This seems to be a new coinage among the young; older people are telling me – rather wistfully – that they’ve never heard it.)

Trombare

[trom-BAHR-ay] To fuck.

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

Vaccona

[vahk-CONE-ah] Big cow. Used similarly to porcona.

Vaffa’nbagno

[vah-fahn-BAHN-yo] “Go do it in the bathroom” – polite paraphrase for vaffanculo.

Vaffanculo or ‘ffanculo

[vah-fahng-COOL-oh] Va a far[lo] in culo – “Go do it in the ass,” but used like “fuck off.” Survives in the US (sort of) as “fungoo” or “fungo”.

image at top: A reader sent me this from I know not what source (happy to give credit when I find it). The piglet says: “Happy Easter.” The lamb replies: “Go fuck yourself!” – lamb is the traditional Easter meal!

Viados

[vee-ah-DOSS] From a Brazilian term meaning “two ways” or “two-way street”, this term is used for transgender prostitutes.