younginrome

This is an egg.

You can either continue saying ‘the white part of the egg,’ and the ‘yellow part of the egg’ in Italian, or you can take this opportunity to be fancy and use, albume and tuorlo. 
Albume = egg white (m. noun)
Tuorlo = egg yolk (m. noun)

Albume comes from the Latin, albus, or white. (I guess that’s where albino comes from too.)
Tuorlo comes from the Latin, torulus, meaning a round perturbation, much like the round yolk of an egg.

Italy may not be at the forefront of egg dishes or omelette-ry, so you’re probably not going to be asking for an egg white anything, but it’s still good to know… for like cake purposes maybe…

Example:
‘Mangio solo l’albume dell’uovo, perchè il tuorlo non è sano.’ – I only eat the egg white, because the yolk is not healthy.

Dressed to the nines, that’s what today’s Word of the Day means. In other words, dressed in a very fancy way. Depending on how you use the phrase, it can also mean being overdressed.

Gingheri is always used with the verbs ‘essere in’ or ‘mettersi in,’ to be in, or to put yourself in, respectively. From what I can understand, ghingheri is an adjective mutated from the verb agghinghare, mutated from the verb abbigliare, or to dress, to clothe. Apparently, Tuscans used ‘essere in ghingheri‘ as a synonym to ‘essere in gala,’ AKA, all dressed up.

Examples:
‘Ti sei messo in ghingheri per questa festa?!’ – You got all dressed up for this party?!

‘Guglielmo è tutto in ghingheri stasera.’ – Guglielmo is dressed very fancy tonight.

It’s not often that Italians pay homage to France or French culture. For the most part, Italians mock and frown upon all-things/people-French. But if you’re like me, you’re probably wishing Rome had some French restaurants where you can bathe yourself in butter instead of olive oil for a night (like confit duck leg, mmm).
But no matter how prominent their distaste is for France, Italians are pretty much OK with incorporating some French words into their vocabulary.

One example of said word-borrowing is moquette. This noun (f) is basically the French word for carpet. Italians use it in the same way: a fitted carpet, or wall-to-wall carpeting. Needless to say, fitted carpets are not the style of Roman apartments for the most part, but I do occasionally see an apartment listing that has a room with a moquette. To each his own…floor covering!

Example:
“Penso di mettere la moquette nella mia stanza da letto.” – I am thinking of putting a carpet in my bedroom.

Thanks to the guy sitting next to me on the bus today, (prompting me to look this up), I now know how to say dandruff in Italian: forfora.

It comes from the Latin furfur, meaning a bran (Merriam-Webster: “the edible broken seed coats of cereal grain separated from the flour or meal by sifting or bolting.”) Basically, a speck, a freckle, or a small disc.

Example:
Devo comprare lo shampoo contro la forfora.’ – I have to buy dandruff shampoo.

Note: I, personally, do not have to buy the dandruff shampoo, but the person in the example does. Just wanted to clarify…

As you all can imagine, most words in the Italian language come from Latin or other romance languages, with some words occasionally borrowed from German or English. Today’s word of the day comes from… maybe you guessed it already… ARABIC!

Salamelecco is an Italian noun (m) used mainly in its plural form, salamelecchi, meaning excessive formality, or ‘bowing and scraping.’ Basically, a big hoopla when saying hello. The word is used with the Italian verb to make, or fare, meaning to make a big deal when saluting someone: to bow and scrape in front of someone.
It’s not used very often, but I still think it’s pretty awesome, and definitely fun to say.

This phrase in Italian is taken from the Arabic salute, salam aleikum, meaning ‘peace be upon you.’ Italians have taken the popularly used Arabic greeting and adapted it to describe one who salutes with exaggerated reverence and unceremonious formality.
It must be said that its use in Italian is in slight mocking and jest of the Arabic salute.

Example:
‘Vorrei entrare senza fare mille salamelecchi.’ – I would like to get in without exaggerating greetings and hellos.

Today’s cute, little word of the day, bis, is a Latin adverb meaning twice. Not surprisingly,  since bi is used across many languages to refer to ‘two’ or ‘twice.’

Bis also has a theatrical meaning: an encore. Used in this way, as an exclamation, it means ‘play that part again!’ In other words, a crowd screams out, ‘Bis! Bis!’ when they want to hear a certain part/song for the second time.

Examples:
‘La pasta è così buona, faccio un bis.‘ – The pasta is so good, I’m taking seconds. (I am taking a second portion.)

‘Kanye ha fatto il bis di Gold Digger, la mia canzone preferita!’ – Kanye played Gold Digger twice, my favorite song!’

Coming from the Latin, bauca, a type of round vase used for water or wine, boccia is a bottle, pitcher, or carafe. The Italian noun is used frequently, mostly when referring to a bottle of alcohol or wine.

A boccia also refers to the ball that is tossed, or bowled when playing bocce ball: bocce is the plural of boccia. Still a fun and popular game, bocce ball was played all the way back in ancient Rome!

Example:
‘Porta una boccia di prosecco a cena.’ – Bring a bottle of prosecco to dinner.

A 1949 shot: Kubrick with showgirl, Rosemary Williams

MedFilm Festival 2012: In its 18 edition, the Mediterranean Film Festival, the main festival promoting European and Mediterranean cinema in Italy, lands in Rome. Films from many countries will be shown, including Algeria, Slovenia, Cyprus, Romania, France, and more. The opening ceremony (invitation only) will take place today, Friday the 19th at 8 PM. The festival goes until the 28th, with many opportunities for you to catch a bunch of films.
Full program can be found here, in pdf format.
Films will mostly be screened at the Casa del Cinema and Instituto Cervantes, with special ceremonies at the Auditorium Conciliazione.
Tickets cost between €3-€4, with a packet of 15 entrances costing ONLY €15.
For more info, check out the festival’s site, offering more info in Italian than in English.

Stanley Kubrick. Photographer: Also opening today, the 19th, is a photography exhibit of famed film director and screenwriter, Stanley Kubrick. The 160 photos exhibited were all taken between 1945-1950, when Kubrick was 17-21 years old, working for Look Magazine. The photos demonstrate an unusual mastery for such a young photographer, and they also show how photography was a stepping stone for Kubrick’s following genius in film.
The exhibit runs until November 25th. Ticket prices go from €4-€9, depending on discounts. The show is hosted at Chiostro del Bramante (a few steps from Piazza Navona), and open everyday from 10 AM to 8 PM. For more info, check out the exhibit’s site.

Ottobrata Monticiana: Everyone head to Monti this weekend, because the hoods-a-rockin! Starting today at 6 PM until Sunday the 21st, the historic area of Rome, Monti, will be celebrated with a program full of concerts (DJ sets too!), markets, shows, and exhibitions! Details and times of all that is scheduled for this neighborhood can be found on the event’s facebook page, or on Roma Capitale’s website. And don’t forget to pop by Mercato Monti (Via Leonina, 46) on Sunday, offering stands with all sorts of vintage, hand made, and one-of-a-kind cool apparel and accessories. For more info check out the market’s site.

Feel like DANCING? Stop by these noteworthy sets:

Friday the 19th:
Main OFF 2012: 9th congress of independent electronic artists at Cinema Palazzo, details.
Tiga & Martyn: electro-mania at Lanificio 159, details.
Balam Acab: “contemporary witch house” at Circolo degli Artisti, details.
Nathan Fake + Mass Prod: electornic music from the UK at GOA, details.

Saturday the 20th:
Discodromo: Italians with a Berlin-DJ sound at Teatro lo Spazio, details.