Has anyone ever heard this expression?

As a nation state, Italy has emerged only in 1871. Until then the country was politically divided into a large number of independant cities, provinces and islands. The currently available evidences point out to a dominant Etruscan, Greek and Roman cultural influence on today's Italians.
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Squigy
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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donnawright wrote:My mother is the one who used to say it. She was one of 6....3 born in Calabria and 3 in USA. She was born USA. I heard her mother say it, and she also said it. My dad's people came from Grosseto/Tuscany, and I never heard it from any of them. I sort of think Jamoke referred to calling someone a jackass.
Maybe my great grandmother did say it. She was like your mother, except it was 9 children, 2 born in Calabria (Catanzaro province), 7 born in America.

The term seems familiar, but I am not aware of her ever using it. My mother may have heard it before.

P.S.

That's so funny you put originally from PA, too!
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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My mother says her grandmother did say Jamoke (as in "look at that old Jamoke") but not as often as other phrases. Now that I think of it, I have heard her (my mother) say it before, but again, not half as often as other phrases.
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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My mother's people are also from Catanzaro -- Pianopoli. Yours?
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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donnawright wrote:My mother's people are also from Catanzaro -- Pianopoli. Yours?
My great grandmother's family was from San Mango d'Aquino. Her youngest sister is actually still alive, and is 90 years old.
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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I went to see my GG aunt a few weeks ago (the daughter of my Italian immigrant grandparents) and she brought up the term "chooch".

She said she mentioned a couple of big chooches, and her grandson (or maybe granddaughter) said "whats a chooch, anyway" and she said, "a chooch is a jackass" and he went back to his mother and said, "grandma said a bad word" and she said, "no I didn't a jackass is a donkey."

I thought it was funny she brought that up.
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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CIUCCIO is a male-ass also spelled CIUCO while CIUCA is a she-ass.

Ciucaggine is the correct italian word for acting like an ass.
Ciucherello is a young donkey and Ciuchesco is asinine

All the remaining phrases are dialect words without any correct spelling.

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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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I had a laugh when I read all the Italian no sorry dialect words people still use. I was born in Volturara Irpina, Southern Italy but I live in the UK and CIUCCIO (donkey), CACCA means (poo or somethin dirty), my mother and mother-in-law always used to use those words when my children were small. Anybody else remembers COCE meaning (it's hot), STATI CHITTO (be quiet), SCOLAPASTA (colander) NOPICCA (a little bit) PICCERELLA (something small), I could think of so many more. Thank you for bringing back memories.
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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donnawright
kit tee putz ahh chee

I have just worked out what this means: KE TE POZZANO ACIRE means hope somebody will kill you.
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

Post by aliza24 »

My great grandmother was from Sicily. She used to always say something like: mangiadigabba!

It was kinda like "mamma mia!," usually said in response to something really frustrating happens. She'd throw her hands up in the air while saying it.

So far I've never met anyone else who has heard this expression! (It could have been corrupted some over the years though.)
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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Just a point of interest, there is no letter K in the Italian alphabet & usually Ch is pronounced as the letter K....Johnnie
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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the letter K is being informally used in Italy these days amongst the younger set replacing CH and the word Che=what chi=who =Peter=
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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Peter Thanx for the update, I didnt realize that.....Johnnie
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

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About 40 years ago I made the transition (in my Masters thesis no less) from through to thru and was accepted by the Dean of my University as an alternative spelling. Lately I have noticed a sad deterioration of english spelling and grammar here in the forum(s) and facebook type sites. =Peter=
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

Post by misbris »

Hi,

We pronounced it something like "stata zitta" and called it a "scola macarone." We never used the word pasta, it was all macaroni.

The phrase I remember was "manga pa gab" which means something like without thinking or not using you head.

Peter,

Young people who are used to texting use a whole different language, I call it internet shorthand. I think someone will one day write a dictionary of the words and symbols so those of us still in the dark ages will understand.
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Re: Has anyone ever heard this expression?

Post by blissiorio »

Squigy wrote:Yes, Suanj! I think that is it. My mother got it mixed up with another word. She said skoose-dee-mah is an insincere person. What you say makes total sense. Thanks!!

Booch-nas-kah-tah is "I hope you bust/burst". If anyone wants to try and figure that out :lol:
hahaha! My great grandmother ALWAYS used to yell that at my GGF!!! My mother translated it as "you should explode." She pronounced it a tiny bit differently but it is definitely the same phrase. I always imagined it would be spelled "buzza schiata" or "puzza schiata" ... no idea how the grammar is working there.
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[In Teramo area] - Core / Fani / Venanzi / Secone / di Luca / Vannoni / Leteo / Bianchini / Cistola / Felicione / di Marco / Casalena / Romantini / Cintioli / di Francesco / Caponi / Foschi / Traini / d'Ascenzo / Ciare / Ciavattini

[In Campagna and Eboli] - Iorio / Adelizzi
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