Markie/Marky John and what does it mean?

[PunzoNewHaven]

Can anyone tell me what the Markie John designation means? My grandmother on my father's side was Napolitain, she used to make "comments" as only she could that my mother's family was "thick headed" and Markie/Marky John. Can someone tell me what that means? I am thinking it relates to where they came from?

Thanks!

[arturo.c]

She probably referred to the adjective marchigiano.

[MarcuccioV]

I agree with Arturo. Most likely from Marche (S of San Marino and E of Florence on the east coast of Italy)...

[PippoM]

In Roma, "marchigiano" is used to mean someone stinge and/or greedy.
That's because in the Papal State the tax collectors were from Marche.
Does "thick headed" mean "stupid", or "stubborn"?

[AngelaGrace56]

In Roma, "marchigiano" is used to mean someone stinge and/or greedy.
That's because in the Papal State the tax collectors were from Marche.
Does "thick headed" mean "stupid", or "stubborn"?
[/quot

If someone is "stubborn" they might be referred to as "hardheaded".

A person who seems not to be very intelligent or a bit "slow at catching on to things" might be referred to as "thickheaded".


Angela

[MarcuccioV]

My grandparents used "testa dura" (hard-headed) for stubborn and "testa vuota" (empty-headed) for dim-witted...

[AngelaGrace56]

My grandparents used "testa dura" (hard-headed) for stubborn and "testa vuota" (empty-headed) for dim-witted...

We spoke dialect and the words in dialect sounded like:

cape tosta (hard head) and cape vacante (empty head or vacant head)

Angela

[MarcuccioV]

My grandparents used "testa dura" (hard-headed) for stubborn and "testa vuota" (empty-headed) for dim-witted...

We spoke dialect and the words in dialect sounded like:

cape tosta (hard head) and cape vacante (empty head or vacant head)

Angela

LOL. We had plenty of dialect terms also. I remembered these as the first was often used to describe both my grandfather & me...

BTW, speaking of dialect, "testa" sounded more like "day-shtah". LOL

[AngelaGrace56]

My grandparents used "testa dura" (hard-headed) for stubborn and "testa vuota" (empty-headed) for dim-witted...

We spoke dialect and the words in dialect sounded like:

cape tosta (hard head) and cape vacante (empty head or vacant head)

Angela

LOL. We had plenty of dialect terms also. I remembered these as the first was often used to describe both my grandfather & me...

Gee, I wonder why? (Just kidding.) Yes I remember one of my older syblings was sometimes referred to as "cape tosta"

BTW, speaking of dialect, "testa" sounded more like "day-shtah". LOL

"Testa" is Italian. Suddenly after years of using "cape" (Italian Capa - head) my mother started using "testa" when she was telling me she had a headache (na mal di testa). She pronounced "testa" as you would expect it be pronounced in Italian. (Initially, I didn't know what she meant.)

What region were your grandparents from?

Angela

[MarcuccioV]

We spoke dialect and the words in dialect sounded like:

cape tosta (hard head) and cape vacante (empty head or vacant head)

Angela

LOL. We had plenty of dialect terms also. I remembered these as the first was often used to describe both my grandfather & me...

Gee, I wonder why? (Just kidding.) Yes I remember one of my older syblings was sometimes referred to as "cape tosta"

BTW, speaking of dialect, "testa" sounded more like "day-shtah". LOL

"Testa" is Italian. Suddenly after years of using "cape" (Italian Capa - head) my mother started using "testa" when she was telling me she had a headache (na mal di testa). She pronounced "testa" as you would expect it be pronounced in Italian. (Initially, I didn't know what she meant.)

What region were your grandparents from?

Angela

Valmontone, east-central Lazio. DNA shows recent ancestry (in order) from Campania, Lazio, Abruzzo, Sicily and Puglia. But they must have arrived in Lazio before Civil records began (1871). I have only one ancestor so far (a 3GG) from outside of town (and she was from the next village north, Labico)...

We used "capoccia" in place of "testa" at times...

[MarcuccioV]

Thinking about it, another dialect term popular in the family was "matt'an capo" (crazy in the head).

[PippoM]

In Roma, "marchigiano" is used to mean someone stinge and/or greedy.
That's because in the Papal State the tax collectors were from Marche.
Does "thick headed" mean "stupid", or "stubborn"?
[/quot

If someone is "stubborn" they might be referred to as "hardheaded".

A person who seems not to be very intelligent or a bit "slow at catching on to things" might be referred to as "thickheaded".


Angela

Thanks, Angela!

[AngelaGrace56]

In Roma, "marchigiano" is used to mean someone stinge and/or greedy.
That's because in the Papal State the tax collectors were from Marche.
Does "thick headed" mean "stupid", or "stubborn"?
[/quot

If someone is "stubborn" they might be referred to as "hardheaded".

A person who seems not to be very intelligent or a bit "slow at catching on to things" might be referred to as "thickheaded".


Angela

Thanks, Angela!

You are welcome, Pippo.

Angela

[mcurletta]

The name of the region (Marche) derives from the plural of the medieval word marca, meaning "march" or "mark" in the sense of border zone, originally referring to a borderland territory of the Holy Roman Empire, such as the March of Ancona and others pertaining to the ancient region.

The above is from Wikipedia. The other posts in response to your question are not accurate and frankly are insulting to me. My father was from Civitanova, Marche and he was very proud of the city and region where he was raised.

[tommchris]

Depending on regional slang, "markie" could have other meanings or connotations, though these would vary widely and might not be universally recognized.