Slang of the week

CHE PALLE!

This vivid expression litterally means: " What balls " (with reference to testicles) and it's used to voice intolerance, impatience, boredom or dislike. Very informal and common, it's not really offensive but should be used with prudence, and avoided in formal occasions.

Examples:

1) Che palle la grammatica ( Grammar is a pain in the neck/boring)
2) Che palle che sei! ( You are such a pain in the ass/boring!)
3) Che palle stasera! ( Tonight it's bloody boring!)
4) Che palle! ( How boring! Also: How annoying!)

Construction:

Che palle + Something (an action, a person's name, a subject, weather, etc...)

Try yourself!

Exercise: Make 4 sentences using this colourful expression, list them in the answer of this post. You can use the suggestions in the brackets or not, be creative! For my students: we can discuss the subject during lesson time. Enjoy!

1) Example - Tv night: your girlfriend/boyfriend insists on watching her/his favourite soap opera/soccer match, the one you just can't stand anymore. Express your disagreement. (Possible solutions: Che palle che sei! Or: Che palle il calcio/le soap opera! Or: Che palle guardare la Tv con te! )

2) Your teacher Cris keeps giving you lots of homeworks on irregular verbs. (Cris - homeworks - do homeworks - grammar - study grammar, etc...).

3) Without prior notice your boss decided to hold a meeting after the normal working hours, spoiling all your evening plans. (your boss - his name - your job - working overtime - attend meetings - night meetings, etc...).

4) You've planned a weekend of sun and sea on Huandao Road, but no sooner had your shorts/bikini on than it begins to rain. (now try to find yourself!)

5) The gal/guy you met last night at KK Club finally called you, but your mobile it's not very cooperative, and suddenly turns off out of power cutting your sweet conversation.

Use it with cautiosness!!

Picture of the week

PETTEGOLEZZI

Pettegolezzi (gossips) are very popular in Italy, news dealers are packed of magazines displaying celebrities in awkward postures or accompanied by their new lover (or alleged new lover). Soccer players, models, politicians are heavy targeted by tireless "paparazzi" all over the country. Occasionally a photographer get beaten by the hot tempered star who overreact to his never-stopping exposure to public nosiness. In Summer, those magazine' covers show indecent pictures that may easily fall in the "softcore" category. An endless exhibition of butts and tits, and sometime more, accompany italian sweltering summers. Some people condamn it, while many others love to engage in lively discussions about the last gossip while sipping espresso al fresco or resting under beach umbrellas. What's your opinion on this issue?

Word of the week

ACIDA

Fem. adjective, used to name a very sour/waspish/shrewish female.

Examples:

Quanto sei acida! (You are so sour!)

Lucia è proprio acida stasera (Lucy is very unfriendly tonight)

Ha un carattere acido (She has a sour temper)

Exercise:

1) Find some synonym of this word in Italian

2) Find a word in your language that has a close meaning

Picture of the week

The word paparazzo (plural: paparazzi) was introduced by the 1960 film "La Dolce Vita" directed by Federico Fellini. One of the characters in the film is a news photographer named Paparazzo (played by Walter Santesso). Nowadays this term is used to name photographers who take unstaged and/or candid photographs of celebrities.

Word of the day

Figo!

Slang word, it means "Cool".

Word of the day

Salve!

Informal greeting, it can be used anytime to greet friends or colleagues.

Word of the day

Stammi bene!

Used as an informal leave taking, common among friends and colleagues, its meaning is close to "take care". You shouldn't use it in formal situations.