My grands used to speak to me in italian and i would answer in english. Finn saw vito going down on another guy in a parking lot, hes definitely a fanook. If you sat down to dine with the sopranos and discussed tonys waste management business, or maybe the witnessprotection program for one of new jerseys 10 most wanted, chances are youd soon hear words like goombah, skeevy, and agita tossed around. The series revolves around the new jerseybased italian american mobster tony soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting. Every swear word on every episode of the sopranos, ever, in chronological order. We invented this s, and all these other csuckers are. Real italians from italy dont act like that and my wife and her sisters find it embarrassing, hence calling anyone that acts like the sopranos a medegon.
With all that in mind, id have to say that the pidgin italian ive heard on the sopranos sounds awfully authentic to me. It took you a while to realize that ricot meant ricotta pie and that gabagool is sicilian slang for capicola. Found an article about one of the stars of the sopranos whos working on a new movie about feuding pizza parlor owners. I know the actors who portray italians are really of italian descent, but are they speaking italian in the show. The word is italianamerican slang derived from the italian agitare meaning to agitate. The story of new jerseybased italian american mobster tony soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Special pronunciations of words with italian origins meaning to mean only.
Not only was ralph a made guy, but, as silvio pointed out, tracee was not. My italian is a little rusty but i do believe gabagool is a colloquial term for capicola which in italy is the finest cut of pork. The higher the terms are in the list, the more likely that theyre relevant to. Gabagool is slang for capicola, a thinly sliced italian luncheon meat, taken from the shoulder collo and neck capo head of a pig.
I grew up hearing italian a lot, but never learned to speak, read and write it really although i can swear fluently in italian. Coffee chains further evidence along with pizza parlors, imported olive oil, etc. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. As popularized by the television show the sopranos, it is also known as gabagool in italian american slang. The word is based on the italian word pisciare which means to urinate.
American italian is an italian american pidgin language developed in the early 20th century by italian immigrants settling in american cities and metropolitan areas, especially in new york and new jersey. I watch the sopranos and i know almost all the words they use. The italian language is a language with a large set of inflammatory terms and phrases. I would link to the the website directly but its kind of shitty.
Glossary for italian phrases used in the sopranos reddit. What is stugots when translated from italian to english. Linguistically, a language is a complete form of communication, but american italian is actually an incomplete language a pidgin language that needs to be supplemented with italian or english or both in order to function. Sopranos actor steve schirripa celebrated the term in his 2002 book a goombas guide to life. The sopranos season 5 subtitles english 92 subtitles. Melfi on the fear of hostessing, entertaining with the sopranos is a worthy addition to the library of anyone who loves italian food.
Note that this thesaurus is not in any way affiliated with urban dictionary. The official urban dictionary api is used to show the hoverdefinitions. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. However piscadu is a slang word coined by italian americans. Its not gangster slang terms like whack or vig, if thats what you are thinkingnope, this is real guido tawk. Gagliano wrote this sentence as he phonetically hears it without realizing that its comprised of two very simple italian words. Tv gangsters and the course of the italian american. The article talks about hbos show the sopranos and how it used italian american food slang words that only new yorkers know. Well, my italian girlfriend just last night pointed to her head and said i. I also realize its not all slang terms, a lot of the list is direct translations from italian or acronyms. In the sopranos, are the italian insults real italian. Recall the episode in season 2 when paulie is in naples and he asks a waiter where the piscadu is and the waiter gives him a blank stare not understanding what paulie was saying. Capicola also spelled capocollo, capocolla, capacollo, and cappicola is a thinly sliced italian luncheon meat, taken from the shoulder collo and neck capo head of a pig. Popularised by american television drama the sopranos 1999.
Italian slang dictionary slang italian words and colloquial expressions. The mafia is a network of organized crime groups based in italy and america and it originated in sicily, an island ruled by foreign conquerors, including the romans, arabs. Dina di maio, isda contributor this week, an article appeared in, part of the usa today network, that begins you may be speaking sopranoand not even know it. If thats the case, then its time to learn some italian slang. Italian profanity are profanities that are blasphemous or inflammatory in the italian language. Or i was underpaid as in, i worked my tail off and i got stugo.
American slang the whyos why ohs were one of five of five major gangs in. When italian americans use the term among themselves, it signals affection and shared identity. A friend of mine is just another jamook on the street. Sfogliadell ss fee ah del italian pastry shell shaped this feature is not available right now. All of these words derive from southern italian dialect, which tends to make the c a g, and vice versa. Hailed as one of televisions essential dramas, the sopranos follows james gandolfini as tony soprano. Words like gabagool and goomad are corrupted pronunciations of italian dialect words. Actor, producer and author steve schirripa the sopranos, blue bloods brings ben and kellie to harrys italian restaurant in new york city to get a crash course in classic italian cuisine.
Italian food and slang with steve schirripa pickler. Here is an index of some southern italian foods and dishes with italian american colloquial names, pronunciations and brief descriptions, which have appeared or may appear on the sopranos. Italian american slang city university of new york. Italian, southern italian and sicilian dialect phrases and naughty words. What the hell is gabagool, and why does tony soprano. Why not, on a hot summer day, sit on the deck with a glass of peaches in red wine. With a southern italian or neapolitan accent, it sounds more like statta zeet if written in english phonetics. On the sopranos, i often hear of an italian food, maybe. If you grew up in new jersey, have an italian heritage, or. It is another misconception of what italians really are like, just like the sopranos and the godfather.
How to talk like a soprano family member thoughtco. They use the word medegon as a derogatory term towards italian americans that act in an exaggerated stereotypical manner. Most immigrant groups in the united states retain certain words and phrases from the old language even if the modern population cant speak it. It is based on the italian language, but it contains a mixture of sicilian and neapolitaninspired dialect words and phrases as well as.
Looking at language in the sopranos joe trotta ar amerikan av italiensk harkornst. I object even more when italian americans use it to describe themeselves. In some areas its used to describe someone unusually skinny, pedophilia, and ive even heard homosexual. You think im gonna give you armatz with ginny upstairs. They are mispronounciations of words in southern dialects spoken by most of the italians who came to this country in the early twentieth century.
The closest i come to an answer is the word for armor in italian, but i can see thats not it. But it did not take you long to realize just how important food is to the sopranos universe. The top members of the family, usually composed of the boss, underboss. Before the show, these and a few of our other favorite italianamerican food slang words, which we remind you of below were familiar to. It was developed and spoken in tightlyknit italian communities and neighborhoods. If youre resigned to watching the sopranos season opener sunday with closed captioning, youre not alone. Before the show, these and a few of our other favorite italian american food slang words, which we remind you of below were familiar. Below is an italian slang dictionary with definitions in english. A guide to new jersey italian lingo paul, danny on.
Formally known as capicola, gabagool is by no means the most trendy or popular of the italian cold cuts, but it is the most fun to say. Every swear word on every episode of the sopranos, ever. The italian mafia and slang sopranos style if youve ever been a fan of the television show the sopranos, chances are you heard some italian slang a few times before. The episodes title is a plural of the italian language word commendatore, which is an. He saw vito in a fanook bar upstate dressed in a leather biker outfit holding some guys hand. Commendatori is the seventeenth episode of the hbo original series the sopranos and the. Due to the way the algorithm works, the thesaurus gives you mostly related slang words, rather than exact synonyms. The word has different meaning based on where its said, but it all references italians. Eew, ive got agita swallows give me some soda now, yuck. A guide for midwesterners and other madigans of nonitalian. The sopranos is an american television drama created by david chase.