Do Italians Say?

[darkerhorse]

Do Italians say "cafone" instead of "gabone"?

[MarcuccioV]

Do Italians say "cafone" instead of "gabone"?

For the most part, yes. Since I was raised around both mainland Italians and Sicilians, I became used to both pronunciations, although it wasn't a commonly used term...

[darkerhorse]

I've also seen it spelled "gabon".

It sounds in English like what it means in Italian.

Bob Grant, of Neaploitan background, used it often ("real gabone") and also pronounced it "gabone" like Sicilians. It might be a Southern Italian thing. He also used "sfacime" a lot.

[darkerhorse]

I think he also used "jadrool" and "caccasotto" in a similar way.

[MarcuccioV]

I think he also used "jadrool" and "caccasotto" in a similar way.

"jadrool" from the Sicilian side for sure...

[MarcuccioV]

My grandmother used to refer to her counterpart (my cousin's other grandmother) as "testa vuota"...

My friend's brother (Sicilian) used "pipe d'strunzu"...

[PippoM]

I've never heard "gobone"!
I think "jadrool" is the way it sound in English "cetrulo" (as you may know, in most southern dialects the last vowel sounds nuanced. Cetrulo is a dialectal word for cucumber; so, in this sense, it has the same meaning as "testa vuota"
"Sfaccimma" (a vulgar dialectal word meaning sperm) is used to mean someone who is very cunning, or just as an interjection (for instance, "e che sfaccimma!" that can't be literally translated...I'd say "Damn!")
"Cacasotto" is someone who is very fearful.
Have I been able to help, or did you already know the meaning?

[darkerhorse]

I've never heard "gobone"!
I think "jadrool" is the way it sound in English "cetrulo" (as you may know, in most southern dialects the last vowel sounds nuanced. Cetrulo is a dialectal word for cucumber; so, in this sense, it has the same meaning as "testa vuota"
"Sfaccimma" (a vulgar dialectal word meaning sperm) is used to mean someone who is very cunning, or just as an interjection (for instance, "e che sfaccimma!" that can't be literally translated...I'd say "Damn!")
"Cacasotto" is someone who is very fearful.
Have I been able to help, or did you already know the meaning?

Yes, that helps.

Jadrool (cetrulo) is another pronunciation for cucumber. To me it's a knucklehead.

Sffacime (sperm of the devil?) has been spoken on the radio in the U.S., so I didn't think it was all that obscene. It's used more in the sense of a low-life or a heel.

Gabon or gabone is cafone. At least, that's how we say it in America. A hick or an idiot, usually used in a good-natured teasing or comical way, as in "You're a real gabon" (cafone).

[darkerhorse]

I thought caccasotto meant sh*t head.

[darkerhorse]

Americans use a somewhat different vocabulary which has evolved here, likely not always "correct" Italian (or Sicilian). It also varies by region here in the U.S. New York Italians are a good example, being their own breed.

[MarcuccioV]

I would think of 'caccasotto' as "crappy pants", or as Pippo noted, someone fearful, or a scaredy-cat.

BTW, 'pipe d'strunzu' (pipe of the turd) in their (Mezzojuso) dialect was '@$$hole'...

[MarcuccioV]

To us, a cafone was more like a 'goofball'...

[darkerhorse]

Isn't it literally a hick?

[MarcuccioV]

Isn't it literally a hick?

Hick, boor, goofball, knucklehead, moron, cad, lout, philistine... They all apply depending on the context & whether playful or serious...

[PippoM]

Isn't it literally a hick?

I'd never heard the word "hick", but may be correct.
"cafone" was someone who came from the country, worked the land, and was not accustomed to gentle behaviour, let's say.