Page 82 of The Enforcer’s Revenge (Untamed Hearts #4)

Traditional Italian and Sicilian

Note from Tino: There are a lot of New York Italians who use broken-up, Americanized phrases in Italian, but this isn’t it.

This section is traditional Italian the way my mother spoke it and traditional Sicilian the way Carlo’s mother spoke it.

They’re not the same. They are different languages, but close enough that we can understand each other.

Talking to Carlo in Italian required a learning curve, but we’re keeping them together in tribute to old-school, original gangsters like Carlo.

There aren’t too many left. Most of them don’t even know what it means to take the oath.

Aiuto —Help.

Amuri —Love in Sicilian, often used as a term of endearment. It is the Sicilian equivalent of the Italian word amore .

Amore mio —My love. Romantic. A term of endearment.

Andate via! —Go away! Only to multiple people, as opposed to just one.

Andiamo —Let’s go! It’s the Italian version of vámonos in Spanish.

Bastarda —A female bastard. Words ending in A usually mean female, except when it doesn’t like minchia (cock—obviously male) because, I dunno, my people like wine.

Bastardi —More than one bastard. For example, the house I grew up in was full of bastardi because my ma had an aversion to wedding rings and nice guys. Italian words ending in I mean more than one.

Bastardo —Male bastard. Words ending in O mean male in Italian.

Buon compleanno— Happy birthday

Buttana —Sicilian version of puttana. Slut. Whore.

Capisce —Do you understand? This is one of those I assume everyone knows, but sure, we’ll add it in.

Cazzo —Fuck. Technically means dick, but it’s used universally the same way fuck is in English.

Che minchia hai fatto —What the fuck have you done?

Ciao —Hello.

Coglione —It technically means balls, but we’ll use it to call someone an asshole or a motherfucker.

Cretino —Idiot.

Cristo Santo —Holy Christ. Basically, our way of saying Jesus Christ.

Dacci un taglio —Give it a rest.

Dannazioni —Sicilian word for damn or damnation. In Italian, it’d be dannazione. So, close enough. Sounds about the same.

Deficiente —Not just a motherfucker, but a dumb motherfucker. Usually used to refer to someone who did something especially moronic or dangerous.

Diavolo—Hell.

Dio —God.

E odio anche te —And I hate you too.

Ehi —Hey. You know when American Italians say “Eh!” all the time when they run into each other? It comes from a real fucking word. Imagine that. I don’t think most of them know that, but still…

Ehilà! — Hey there!

Figlio di puttana —Son of a bitch. Technically son of a whore, but you get it.

Figli di puttana —More than one figlio di puttana. (See above.)

Finirà —It will end.

Grazie —Thank you.

Io passo —I’ll pass.

Italiana —Italian woman.

Italiani —More than one Italian.

Italiano —Italian man.

Macchiato con zucchero — A macchiato with sugar. The only way to drink it.

Maledizione —Curse. As in, curse you! It’s used sort of like damn or damn it. My ma liked this one a lot. She was always cursing us. Maybe she should’ve thought that through a little better. (Note, don’t tell Nova I said that, but you have to admit, I gotta point.)

Maronna —The Sicilian version of Madonna, or Madonna mia.

Basically, it’s calling out to the Mother for help, but it’s blasphemous.

It’s the Carlo equivalent to Madonn’, which is a little more New York Italian and a little less old-school Sicilian like Maronna.

The Don says Maronna too. A lot of old-school Sicilian gangsters do.

Medda —Shit in Sicilian. Carlo’s way of saying merda.

Merda —Shit. (Note, yes, I know. It sounds a lot like mierda, which is shit in Spanish. A lot of words are similar; it’s why I understand it so easily. Well, that and growing up in El Barrio.)

Minchia —Dick in Sicilian. Very universal and used a lot like cazzo or fuck. Clearly we like swearwords revolving around cocks and balls. Big shock.

Miu àncilu —My angle in Sicilian.

No, vai a fanculo tu! Uscite! O vi farò buttare fuori!

—No, fuck you! Get out! Or I’ll have you thrown out!

(Note, if Carlo had known Lola was Italiana, he would’ve expected this response before he told her to fuck off.

Nova told me he called her a troia too. I do not want to know what Carlo had to do to make it up to her.)

Nonna —Grandmother.

Nonno —Grandfather. Not to be confused with godfather, unless you’re lucky enough to be me. Then they’re one and the same.

Nipotina mia —Little granddaughter. It’s a term of affection the Don uses for Carina.

Pezzo di merda —Piece of shit.

Picchì —Why? In Sicilian.

Piccola mia —My little one, or my baby, only for a female.

Piccolo —Little one, but often used the way the term baby is here by mothers or, in my case, brothers who picked up the bad habit. Youngest children know what I’m talking about, when you end up being “the baby” until you’re twelve. Same thing, only in Italian.

Piccolo succhiacazzi —Little cocksucker. (Jesus, I hate this one. HATE IT. I’d rather be called a guinea forever. It’s such a disgusting insult. I hate it for so many reasons, not the least of which was it being Dominic Brambino’s favorite one to toss at me, but tag piccolo in there. Ugh.)

Porca puttana —Dirty whore or dirty bitch. We use it sort of like son of a bitch. It’d be porca buttana in Sicilian.

Preferirei mangiare merda piuttosto che leccare i tuoi stivali —I would rather eat shit than lick your boots.

(I stand by that twelve years later, by the way.

I would literally eat shit before I’d lick a Brambino’s boots, and Nova would too, ’cause you guys have no fucking idea just how much we hate those motherfuckers.

Some days, I hope I end up in hell just so I’d get eternity to hurt them.)

Pronto —Ready. As in, I’m ready, or hello. It basically means I’m ready to listen. So speak already. It’s how we answer the phone in Italian.

Puttana —Whore. Bitch. Similar to puta in Spanish and used just as often.

This is one of Nova’s favorite insults. He calls everyone puttana, particularly men, which Carina says makes him a sexist asshole since it means female whore, and is the equivalent to bitch in English, but he’s using it as an insult towards men. She probably has a point.

Puttane —More than one puttana. (See above.)

Puttaniere —A male slut or a male whore if that’s what you want to call it.

A man whose primary motivation in life is to fuck.

Only Italians would need an insult like this, and it is used all the time.

We’ve all been called a puttaniere. I know I have.

Nova has too. Sometimes we say it when we look in the mirror, and it’s not a compliment.

It means you’re a cretino who only thinks with his cock and balls, so basically, every Siciliano ever.

Quaranta —Forty.

Sapevo che era stata lei —I knew it was her.

Sei bellissima —You are beautiful.

Sei pazzo —Are you crazy?

Sí —Yes. Just like in Spanish.

Sicilia —Sicily.

Siciliana —Sicilian woman.

Siciliani —More than one Sicilian. Depending on who you talk to, they may claim to simply be Sicilian and not Italian.

In case you haven’t noticed, we have some issues there.

I consider myself Italian. Very Italian.

They don’t get to steal my heritage because they’ve got issues.

I consider myself Sicilian too, but everyone has a different opinion, and I respect that.

Siciliano —Sicilian man.

Solo io —Only me.

Solo tu —Only you.

Solo noi —Only us.

Stai zitta —Shut up, directed at a woman. I wonder how that turned out?

Stai zitto —Shut up, directed at a man.

Sticchiu —Sicilian for pussy.

Stronzi —Multiple assholes.

Stronzo —Male asshole.

Stronza —Female asshole. You don’t hear this one too much, maybe because calling an Italiana an asshole isn’t too great for your health. Don’t believe me? Go call my sister stronza and see what happens.

Stronzate —Bullshit.

Strunz —Asshole in Sicilian. It’s the Sicilian version of stronzo.

Sucami a minchia —Suck my dick in Sicilian.

Succhiacazzi —Cocksucker.

Te lo prometto —I promise you.

Testa di cazzo —Dickhead.

Tette —Tits.

Ti amo —I love you. It’s a romantic I love you. It’s the one you say to the woman you adore, and that’s it. So basically, these are the two words you’re likely to never hear leave Nova’s mouth. Ever.

Ti amo anch'io —I love you too, also romantic.

Ti voglio bene —I love you. This is the affectionate way to say it, rather than romantic like ti amo. This is how you tell your brothers you love them.

Troia —Whore. The dirty, nasty version of whore.

Almost better translated into cunt whore.

This is a throw-down, cruel insult that will get a gun shoved in your mouth if you say it to the wrong person.

I’m serious; don’t test this one on me. Call me a whore or a puttana all day, but I gotta fucking tic over this one that makes my trigger finger itchy.

Though it means the same, puttana is not nearly as harsh as troia.

(See above.) Nova calls me puttana all the time.

He’d bite off his own tongue before he called me a troia.

Università —University. College.

Va tutto bene, piccolo. Andrà tutto bene —It’s okay, baby. It’s going to be okay. (No fucking wonder you couldn’t get Nova to do the dictionary. I forgot about this. Thanks for bringing it up. And it’s right under troia. Awesome.)

Vafanculu —The Sicilian version of vaffanculo. This is how a Sicilian tells you to fuck off. Depending on how they say it, this one should make you a little nervous. They could be playful, or they could be very serious, which would mean you should actually take their advice and fuck off .

Vaffanculo —Fuck off. (Usually said while flipping your hand under your chin and then giving them the middle finger. A lot of Italian has accompanying hand gestures. I know people make jokes about Italians talking with their hands, but there is some of it that has actual meaning.)

Vai a fanculo —Go fuck yourself.

Zii —More than one uncle.

Zio —Uncle.