Words, Meanings, Language & Quotes

 

April 22, 2020  Jessica Maggi Italy and swearing just belong together. When it comes to curse words (parolacce) and insults, no one does it quite like the Italians. One of the most fascinating things about swearing in Italian is that the vocabulary is so vast, rich and colorful. Here is a guide to the insults and bad words you will need when arguing like an Italian. Even if you don’t use them, knowing these swear words will allow you to fully understand what is being said around you, since you will surely come across them often when in Italy. Note: This post may contain terms that are inappropriate for some readers. Cazzo – F*ck In Italian, the word cazzo literally means “dick”, and is commonly used not only to express anger, but also as an exclamation of surprise, disappointment or even appreciation. It is extremely common, and mastering its usage is crucial to better relate to those around you. It can be added to a sentence, or be used as an exclamation. You can use cazzo, pronou...

Matt Garrick ABC March 24, 2023 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-03-24/attacked-darwin-security-guard-feels-linked-to-bottle-shop-death/102138142

Roslyn Petelin The Conversation November 29, 2022 The Macquarie Dictionary has announced its word of the year – “teal” – also chosen recently by the Australian National Dictionary Centre as its word of 2022. Teal, a colour that’s not quite green and not quite blue, is, of course, a peculiarly Australian choice. As is the Macquarie people’s choice: “bachelor’s handbag”. I wonder who came up with this as a term for supermarket BBQ chicken (and pork and beef) sold in plastic bags with handles. And why narrowly confine it to the demographic of “bachelor”? Did we really need this term? Will it catch on? But let’s return to the Macquarie committee’s choice. The greenish-blue colour was used by several independent candidates for their promotional material in the 2022 federal election. A loosely-aligned group of female professionals turned politicians successfully challenged incumbents in blue-ribbon seats, resulting in a “teal bath”. Teal is now used as a term to cover independent centrists ...

horripilation [ haw-rip-uh-ley-shuhn, ho- ] (noun) a bristling of the hair on the skin from cold, fear, etc.; goosebumps. ORIGIN The horri- part comes from a Latin verb meaning “to bristle,” and this verb is also the source of words such as horrendous, horrify, and horror. Unlike terror, which literally has to do with being frightened, the root of horror is all about hair standing on its end! In addition, the -pil- part of horripilation is a Latin stem meaning “hair.” Horripilation was first recorded in English in the 1650s. EXAMPLE As the truck set off on the haunted hayride route, the riders experienced some horripilation in anticipation of the scares ahead.

cacimbo [ noun] [kuh-sim-boh]  A heavy mist or drizzle that occurs in the Congo Basin, often accompanied by onshore winds. ORIGIN Cacimbo “a heavy mist that occurs in the Congo Basin” is a borrowing from Portuguese, which in turn likely adapted the term from the word for “well (for water)” in Kimbundu, a Bantu language of northern Angola. Because the former Portuguese Empire maintained a presence in several parts of western and southern Africa, numerous terms originating in African languages (particularly the Niger-Congo family) passed into Portuguese, which is still an official language in six African countries. With Portuguese as an intermediary, English has inherited batuque , samba , and the recent Word of the Day capoeira , all probably from West African languages. Cacimbo was first recorded in English in the early 1860s. EXAMPLE The wind can really get strong here, very powerful, you know. It’s so sweet in the cacimbo, when you’re inside with something warm to drink and you ...