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LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

Italian word of the day: ‘Fasce’

Here's a slightly unusual word which people in Italy have suddenly started using more.

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

You may recognise today’s word from Italian headlines or speeches by the prime minister.

Fasce is not the most commonly-heard word in Italian most of the time but it’s suddenly on everyone’s lips, as we all wait to hear which one we’re in.

It’s the plural form of fascia (pronounced fah-shah), which means a “band” or “strip”, usually of fabric or wood. It can be used when talking about bandages, or nappies.

But it can also be used to mean “zone”, “area”, or “section” and this is the sense in which government ministers have been using it.

This is of course when talking about Italy’s new tier or zone system, under which the coronavirus restrictions will vary from one region to another.

– Il paese è diviso in tre fasce

– The country is divided into three zones

– C'è una terza fascia

– There’s a third section

It’s not to be confused with the word fase (meaning “phase”, pronounced “fah-zeh”), which was also used by ministers a lot recently in relation to the changing coronavirus situation.

Nor should fascia be confused with the masculine fascio or its plural fasci – a very different thing altogether.

While it can mean “bundle” (of sticks, for example) it’s usually associated with the fascio littorio or, in Latin, the fascis, an ancient Roman weapon and a symbol of power and authority which is widely believed to be where Italy's fascist movement got its name from.

So be careful with the pronunciation – but hopefully knowing this little word will make the Italian news a little easier to follow in the coming days.

Do you have an 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.

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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