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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: ‘Pastrocchio’

A fine mess you'll be in without this word.

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

Today’s word comes courtesy of our reader Umberto Thiene, who remembers it very clearly from his childhood. 

“When my parents would not let me get away with being naughty, I would retaliate by saying ‘allora faccio un pastrocchio!’ and like the proper little sh*t that I was, would make a mess with my paints and pens and of course, I got into more trouble,” he writes.

As little Umberto’s terror tactics demonstrate, un pastrocchio (pronounced “pas-STROK-kio”) is a right old mess.

È proprio un bel pastrocchio!
It’s a real mess!

It can be literal, like the havoc he wreaked with his paintbox, or figurative, like when you’re really stumped.

Come si fa a risolvere questo pastrocchio?
How do we fix this mess?

The word is a Venetian variation of pasticcio, which gourmands will recognise as the term for ‘pie’ (it comes from the same root as pasta, ‘dough’ or ‘pastry’), but which can also mean ‘bother’, ‘trouble’ or ‘confusion’. Think of it as the equivalent of our food-related idiom ‘in a pickle’.

Non avevo intenzione di metterti nei pasticci.
I didn’t mean to put you in a pickle (literally: to put you in the pies).

You can use either version, but here’s why Umberto has a soft spot for pastrocchio: “I love the word ‘pastrocchio’ as it sounds like what it’s supposed to mean,” he says. “When it’s said with passion like Italians usually do, it can emphasise the state of the mess or stuff-up.”

Do try and stay out of trouble, folks; but if you can’t, at least now you have a good word for it.

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

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