SHARE
COPY LINK
For members

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Fico’

It's worth giving a fig about this slang term.

Italian word of the day: 'Fico'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

I don’t know about you, but I have a thing for figs. Before I came to Italy I’d only encountered the dried kind, sticky and far too sugary; but since moving here the juicy, dusky purple, fresh ones have become one of summer’s greatest delights.

I love them chopped up with fresh ricotta or cold and fragrant in gelato; and I especially love the broad fig leaves that grow wild by Italy’s roadsides or out of its walls, and which when warm smell headily of figs even if they’re not in fruit.

But I’m not here to talk about figs all day (though believe me I could).

Yes, fico (pronounced ‘fee-ko’) is the Italian word for ‘fig’. But in colloquial Italian, the word has another meaning: ‘cool’.

È il film più fico dell’anno.
It’s the coolest film of the year.

Che fico quel vestito!
That dress is so cool!

Cercavo di sembrare fico per impressionarti.
I was trying to act cool to impress you.

Incidentally it’s also the surname of Italy’s speaker of the lower house of parliament, Roberto Fico, who I’d love to see Google Translate rechristen “Cool Robert”.

Fico applies to things, situations but most of all, to people. If you call someone un fico (literally, ‘a fig’) you mean they’re someone really cool. 

Il tuo amico è un gran fico.
Your friend is such a cool guy.

Just be aware that there can be a subtext to calling someone un fico: it might imply that you find them attractive – like describing them as a ‘hottie’. 

And an even bigger word of caution goes for the feminine form of the word, fica. It’s a slang term for a woman’s private parts and an extremely vulgar way to describe a woman herself.

In fact, fare la fica (‘doing the fig’) has been an offensive hand gesture since Dante’s time: it involves forming a fist and poking your thumb between your middle and index fingers, for reasons best left to the imagination.

One variation you should feel free to use, however, is figo: it’s a regional variation of fico and means exactly the same thing. Che figo!

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

Member comments

  1. Sono irlandese.Sono appassionata della lingua e della cultura italiana.Mi piace molto questo sito.È informativo, interessante,utile e lo raccomando senz’altro.Non vedo l’ora di ritornare in Italia al più presto possibile. Frances O’Brien

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.
For members

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.

SHOW COMMENTS