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An Annotated Criminal
Slang Dictionary
[modified from "Vocabolari 'dla Mala", Torino, 1989]
The following list is but a small portion of the expressions used by the Turin criminal underworld (La Mala, literaly "The Bad One") through the years. The terms listed are the most general and (probably) the most useful to add a bit of colour to a Turin-based campaign. Words with a (*) are not restricted to the underworld, and are informally of general use among the population. Whenever possible a translation of the slang term has been provided.
A note on pronunciation: Piedmontese is closely related to French, and therefore a French pronunciation of the following espresions might help to approssimate the actual sounds.
Italian Slang English Ammattire bate le cuerce * Get Crazy (to clang on pails) Ammazzare barbé le ghete * Kill (to steal the spats) Arma tagliente sacagn Cutting implementArrestare beive(to drink) Grab/Arrest
Assassino sassin * Assassin Aver Freddo pernisé(to stew) Get Cold Beghina pepia * Bigot Bello gansso Good Bere cirì Drink Bifolco barot * Redneck Bisticciare botalé, cioché * Quarrell Bocca gaiofa * Mouth Borsaiolo pinsa(pliers) Pickpocket Cane taboj, tabo Dog Capo capataz Boss Carabinieri fratelli branca Carabinieri (famous distillery), caramba, cagna(bitch) Cimitero camp ed coj(cabbadge patch) Graveyard Coltellata botonera(buttonhole) Knife Wound Confidente canarin(canary) Police Spy Debito gancio(hook), puf Debt Delinquente brut(ugly) Criminal Evitare schiné * To Avoid
Fabbrica boita * Factory
Ferire sacagné Hurt
FIAT la feroce(the fierce)* FIAT Filar Via pedalé(to pedal) Run away Fortuna cul(bottom), * Luck paracqua(umbrella) Furbastro falabrach * Smartass Furto 'l ciòch(the mess) Robbery Giornale busiarda(liar) * Newspaper Gruppo chiassoso maraja Noisy group Imbroglione zanzibar Con-man Informazione drita(straight one) Information In gamba en piota "On the ball" Ladro grata(scrathcer) Thief Lavorare ponté(to push), * To Work rusché(to scratch) Lento/Pigro gargh * Slow/Lazy Mangiare lapé, pité Eat Mangiare a sbafo spòrze la gheuba To scrounge a meal (show the bump) Manicomio balengheria, Sanitorium babi(toad) Mano pinsa(pliers) Hand Manrovescio torcet(a hard biscuit) Slap Matto gabia(cage), sonà(ringing), Crazy garola Mercato nero sciangai Black market Morire saré ij ante * To Die (to close the blinds) Mussolini pera o oli(stone or oil), Mussolini ceruti(Mr Smith) Nascondere 'pianté(to plant) To hide Notte la bruna(the dark one) Night Operaio FIAT barachin(lunch pail) * FIAT worker
Osteria tanpa(pit), piola * Ale house Pagnotta grola * Bread loaf Palo la cioca(the bell), Lookout la nona(the granny) Passaggio armari a mur(wall closet) Secret passage Pedinare tapiné To track Perquisire fogné, fe le pules To search (to look for fleas) Picchiare onse(to oil), To Beat passé 'l buì(to offer dinner) Pistola tron(thunder), canon, Gun sciopet(blunderbuss) Polizia pola(chick), madama(the Lady) Police la giusta(the Right One) Portafogli 'l quai(ulcer) Wallett Postribolo el ciabot(the shack) Whorehouse Prete cornajass(crow) Priest Prigione stildo Jail Raggiro bidon(barrell) * Swindle Rapina la dura(the Hard One) Robbery Refurtiva arponcia The booty Robivecchi feramiù * Ragman Rubare graté(to scratch), To steal cacé(to hunt),berliché(to lick) Sacco di Botte volpin(a fox coat) A severe whack
Sbronza sumia(ape) Noisy drunkennes Scansafatica fagnan * Lazy man Sciocco gagio, ciola Fool Sfortuna sgaro Ill luck Soffitta colombera(pigeonhole) Attic Sordido salop Sordid Spia porta pachet * Spy (parcel carrier) Tacere buté berta en sach To be silent (to put Berta, the Mouth, in the sack) Truffa bidun(barrell), pachet(parcel) Swindle Truffatore bidunista(barrel maker) Swindler gabolista Ubriacatura piomba(the Leaden One) Quiet drunkennes Uccidere scursé(to shorten) To kill Vecchia ciospa * Old woman Veleno brod d'ondes ore Poison (the late night soup) Vestito tapo Suit Zingaro sinto Gipsy
This text is (C) 1998 by Davide Mana; send comments to doctor.dee@libero.it
