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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 expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

We’re sure you’ll learn this Italian phrase in no time.

Italian expression of the day: ‘Al volo’

If you’ve ever found yourself at an Italian airport and looked up at the departure board, there’s a good chance you’re already familiar with the word volo, which is the Italian equivalent of ‘flight’ – but also the first person singular of the verb volare (to fly) in the present tense.

And if you’re a fan of classical music, you may of course have heard of Italy’s famous opera trio Il Volo (‘The Flight’).

But what do Italians mean when they say they’re going to do something al volo (hear it pronounced here)? 

Much like its closest English equivalent, ‘on the fly’, al volo has very little to do with aircraft or flying as it’s one of the most common Italian phrases to say that you’re doing something ‘quickly’ or ‘readily’, often without having prepared it or thought about it much beforehand.

Facciamoci una pasta al volo e poi usciamo.

Let’s cook some pasta on the fly and then get out.

Ho dovuto preparare la presentazione al volo perché non mi avevano avvisato della riunione.

I had to put the presentation together on the fly as I’d not been notified of the meeting. 

But usage of al volo is not limited to practical actions or tasks you may do quickly and without much thought. 

In fact, you can also pair it with the verb capire (understand), comprendere (comprehend) or imparare (learn) to say that you grasped something ‘immediately’ or ‘in no time’, meaning you won’t need any further explanation. 

Tuo figlio capisce tutto al volo. Ha un grande futuro davanti a lui, a mio parere.

Your son understands everything in no time. He’s got a great future ahead of him, in my opinion.

And if you haven’t fully understood or grasped something on your first try (which is painfully likely when dealing with Italy’s infamous red tape, even for locals), don’t worry: you’ll always have the option to ask a domanda al volo, or a ‘quick question’, to clear up your doubts. 

Another popular way to use the phrase is in relation to big opportunities, whether that be in life, in education or at work. So an opportunity that va presa al volo must be seized immediately as it’s too good to be missed. 

Finally, if you’re planning on watching Euro 2024 matches on Italian TV over the next month, you may hear football commentators use al volo multiple times while analysing a match as colpire la palla al volo means to strike it while it’s in the air, or ‘volley’ 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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