A pantofolaio  – click here to hear it pronounced – is defined in he dictionary as a “person who spends life in their slippers”.

In English, you might lovingly refer to this person a ‘homebody’, or less kindly as a ‘couch potato’.

The Italian word pantofolaio is derived from the word for slippers (pantofole), and, as you can probably guess, it describes a person who prefers a quiet life – in the comfort of their own home.

The word has been around for decades, and some say it comes from the French pantouflard, which means exactly the same thing.

It’s a way of living that some of us adopt as the weather gets colder, and one that we might be all too familiar with from 2020.

I lockdown sono stati difficili, anche per i pantofolai a cui non piace uscire

The lockdowns were hard, even for the homebodies who don’t like going out

It also suggests that a person might be particular about their habits, and somewhat set in their ways.

While some might use it as a mild insult, we probably all know one person who’s happiest at home with a good book – and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Non so se andranno d’accordo. Lei è una pantofolaia e non le piace andare alle feste, mentre lui è sempre in giro.

I don’t know if they will get along. She is a homebody and doesn’t like going to parties, whereas he is always out and about.

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