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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Occhio’

Watch out for this one.

Italian word of the day: 'Occhio'
Photo: DepositPhotos

We all know that Italy's got a lot to look at. Today's word will help you focus on the sights that are more urgent than others.

Occhio (pronounced “ock-kio”), as you may know already, means 'eye'. And just like in English, there's a whole host of expressions related to it.

Eagle-eyed? In Italian, you have the 'eye of a lynx' (occhio di lince). Something's so ugly it's an eyesore? Italians call it a 'punch in the eye' (pugno in un occhio). And while we say something exorbitant costs an arm and a leg, Italians are more concerned about paying 'an eye from the head' (un occhio della testa).

But here we'll focus on one of occhio's simplest – and most practical – uses: as a way to say 'watch out'.

The text book way to say that is stai attento, or just attento. But in Italy you'll also hear people let loose a warning “Occhio!” when they want you to keep your eyes peeled.

They might specify what exactly you need to watch…

Occhio al cane, rallenta!
Look out for the dog, slow down! 

Occhio alla borsa, la metro è piena di borseggiatori.
Watch your bag, the underground is full of pickpockets.

… or they might simply mime it, by pulling down the lower lid of one eye with a finger and staring you meaningfully. (Regular readers will remember that you can use also the same gesture to signal that someone is furbo – 'sly' or 'cunning' – in which case we'd advise you to keep an eye on them too.)

Do you have a favourite Italian word you'd like us to feature? If so, please email our editor Jessica Phelan with your suggestion.

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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Rimorchiare’

Here's an Italian word you'll want to pick up.

Italian word of the day: 'Rimorchiare'

If you’ve ever studied for your foglio rosa (provisional driver’s licence) exam in Italy, you’re sure to have come across the word rimorchio (trailer).

Theory test T/F question: ‘The width of the trailer must never exceed that of the vehicle pulling it.’

Credo che dovremo noleggiare un rimorchio per trasportare tutta la merce.
I think we might need to rent a trailer to transport all the goods.

And rimorchiare, along with the more formal trainare, means to haul or tow.

La barca è stata rimorchiata a riva.
The boat was towed to shore.

But rimorchiare isn’t just used to talk about vehicles. It also means to pick or chat someone up, or hook up with them.

Sono usciti per rimorchiare.
They’ve gone out on the pull.

Se n’è appena andata con un tipo che ha rimorchiato.
She just left with some guy she picked up.

A rimorchiatore is a tugboat, but can also mean a player/persistent flirt, and rimorchione/a also describes someone who’s constantly chatting people up.

got talent nina GIF by Italia's Got Talent

In some parts of the country, meanwhile, you might hear someone described as a provolone – a big tryhard or wannabe player.

That’s a wordplay based on the reflexive verb provarci, meaning ‘to try it on with’, and the famous Italian cheese. 

È un gran provolone ma non riesce mai a rimorchiare.
He’s a real tryhard but he never manages to pull.

Do you have a favourite Italian word or expression you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our app (available on Apple and Android) and then select the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

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