Category Archives: Word of the Day

Word of the Day: Fastidioso

Posted on August 13, 2012 by

After Thursday’s word of the day, when I explained that one cannot use the false-friend, annoiato to mean ‘annoyed,’ I’m sure everyone was thinking to themselves: ‘Well, Zvia, how does one say annoyed in Italian then? Tell us! Please tell us!’ OK, … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Annoiato

Posted on August 9, 2012 by

It’s time to whip out a huge Italian-English false friend: annoiato. It doesn’t matter that I’ve lived in Italy for almost three years, I occasionally still use annoiato to say that I am annoyed, when in fact, it means bored. Yes, … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Cianfrusaglia

Posted on August 7, 2012 by

Cianfrusaglia is the Italian noun (f) for knick-knack, bric-à-brac, or junk. Basically ‘stuff,’ especially stuff of not much value. The plural is cianfrusaglie. Word on the etymological street is that cianfrusaglia comes from the even more fun word to pronounce, cianciafruscola. That word … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Sgabuzzino

Posted on August 6, 2012 by

Looking for an apartment in Rome? Besides for it being super frustrating, there may be some ‘house’ words used in ads that one might not recognize. For example, sgabuzzino, the Italian noun (m) for a storage room, or a closet. … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Carnagione

Posted on July 31, 2012 by

If you spend as much time as I do on the beach, then it’s probably good for you to learn today’s Word of the Day: Carnagione. Carnagione is the Italian noun (f) for complexion. Being as white as I am, … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Sciupato

Posted on July 25, 2012 by

Will you ever use today’s Word of the Day? Maybe. Is it fun to say? Yes. Is the only reason I choose it based on the fact that it makes me think of Salt ‘N’ Pepa’s Shoop? Probably. So as … Continue reading →

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Letter of the Day: ‘S’

Posted on July 24, 2012 by

Very rarely, if ever, do I dedicate the Word of the Day to a letter, but the letter ‘S‘ in Italian rocks hardcore. For the most part, you can add the letter ‘S‘ to any verb, and it becomes its … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Pioggia

Posted on July 23, 2012 by

If you were as excited as I was this morning upon waking up, it must have been because of the rain. After a solid 1.5 months of tortuous, no AC-ed living in the heat of Rome, a little rain is … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Zanzara, and more!

Posted on July 17, 2012 by

It’s summer, and there are a ton of mosquitoes. In honor of these hellish insects, today’s post will be all things related to mosquitoes. Zanzara: the Italian noun (f) for a mosquito. The plural is zanzare. Example: ‘Maledetta zanzara!’  - … Continue reading →

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Word of the Day: Sterzare

Posted on July 11, 2012 by

So instead of heading into the Justice concert that you paid €40 to see, when you start to hear music playing, you sit outside at some kiosk, drinking beers, smoking cigarettes. Why? Because no way the super famous French DJs … Continue reading →

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