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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Pettegolezzo’

Have you heard what they're saying about this Italian word?

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

This word was suggested by one of our readers, who we can only hope has not found himself the subject of it: il pettegolezzo, ‘gossip’ or ‘rumour’ (hear the pronunciation here).

Vuoi sentire un pettegolezzo?
Do you want to hear a bit of gossip?

It’s usually used in the plural – pettegolezzi – and while in English we’d ‘spread’ rumours, in Italian you ‘do’ them (fare).

Fare pettegolezzi non è soltanto una cattiva abitudine: può essere un’attività molto dannosa.
Gossiping is not only a bad habit, it can also be very damaging.

Alternatively you can spettegolare, another verb that means ‘to gossip’. (In Italian, verbs formed from adjectives often add an s~: for instance, bianco (‘white’) becomes sbiancare, ‘to whiten’.)

Non fanno che spettegolare.
All they do is gossip.

Someone who indulges in said habit is un/a pettegolo/a.

Era un gran pettegolo.
He was a dreadful gossip.

As you’ll have gathered, the word typically has a negative connotation – which has a lot to do with where it comes from. The dictionary says it derives from the Venetian term for peto, or ‘fart’, in reference to “the verbal incontinence of gossipy people”. 

In other words, those who gossip are seen as having a kind of ‘mouth flatulence’. And if that’s not a reason to keep your lips sealed, I don’t know what is.

Do you have a favourite Italian word 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 new 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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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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