PAST, PRESENT, AND FUTURE
GLOSSARY OF ITALIAN TERMS
acqua — water
aiutami — help me
ammoratas — girlfriends (Italian-American slang)
andiamo — we go, let’s go
arrivederci — good-bye
aspetta — wait
avanti — come in
bambino — baby
basanogol — basil (Italian-American slang)
basta — enough
bella — beautiful
bene — well
biscotti — cookies
blu marinos — Navy (Italian-American slang)
boccalone — big mouth, gullible one
bocce — Italian ball game
bravo — good, congratulations
brigantaggio — thieving
briscola — card game
brutto — ugly
buon giorno — good day
cafone — crude person
Calabresi — people from Calabria
Calabria — southern region of Italy
cannolo — an Italian pastry
capisci? — do you understand?
caro — dear
castello — castle
che cosa fa? — what are you doing?
chiazza — town square
ciao — hello/good-bye
coglioni — balls
come si chiama? — what’s your name?
con — with
contadini — peasants
cos’è successo? — what happened?
cosí bella — how beautiful
cugina — cousin
culo — butt
dago — derogatory term for Italian-American
Dio mio — my God
disgraziato — miserable one, wretch
dottore — doctor
due — two
farmacia — pharmacy
festa — party
finalmente — finally
forza — go
fratello — brother
gabbadotz — stubborn (Italian-American slang)
gedrool — jerk (Italian-American slang)
glantuomini — the gentry
gombada — friend that’s like family (Italian-American slang)
grande — large
grazie — thank you
guarda — look
inglese — English
l’alta Italia — the north of Italy
La Mano Nera — The Black Hand
l’America — America
levatrice — midwife
loro brutti puzzolenti mafiosi — ugly lowlife gangsters
lupo — wolf
ma — but
macchiette — musical theater sketches
maestro — master
mafioso — thug, crook
mala femmina — bad woman
malocchio — evil eye
medza menz — half and half (Italian-American slang)
Mezzogiorno — the south of Italy
mille grazie — a million thanks
mio fratello — my brother
molto — very
mustasole — a type of hard cookie
Napolitano — person from Naples
niente — nothing
nome — name
nonno — grandfather
non parlo inglese — I don’t speak English
occhi — eyes
opera buffa — comic opera
padrone — owner/wealthy
paesani — countrymen
pasticcini — pastries
pazzo — crazy
pensione — small hotel
perché — why
per favore — please
pescatori — fishermen
pescespada — swordfish
piacere — please/pleased to meet you
Piemontese — person from the Piedmont region in northern Italy
Pokerino — card and board game
pomodoro — tomato
prego — excuse me/you’re welcome
principessa — princess
professore — professor
Puglia — region of Italy
puttana — whore
questa — this
Risorgimento — Italian revolution
schifoso — lowlife
Scillese — person from Scilla
scopa — card game
scusa — excuse me
sì — yes
signora — ma’am
signore — mister
sindaco — mayor
smettila — cut it out
sorella — sister
sporcaccioni — pigs, slobs
strega — witch
stronzo — turd, shit
terremoto — earthquake
torta — cake
tre — three
uno — one
va al diavolo — go to the devil
va bene — okay, fine
vaffanculo — go fuck yourself
vai — go
voto — vote
wop — derogatory term for Italian-American
yia-yia — grandmother (Greek)
zia — aunt
zio — uncle
zucchero — sugar
PROLOGUE
“We lived at 202 Elizabeth Street.” My grandmother looked away from the video camera to my head. “How come you don’t do anything about your hair? Why don’t you go to the beauty parlor?”
I ignored her. It was a refrain, not a question. “Nanny, try not to move around so much. You keep coming out of the frame.”
For the tenth time, I got up to adjust the camera. My grandmother was seated on the couch and wore a red polyester shirt. Her dyed blonde hair had been set so that two curls framed her face, which was overwhelmed by her gold-rimmed glasses. She was eighty years old and could remember details from more than half a century ago, but not what she had eaten for lunch.
“How many more questions?” complained Nanny halfheartedly.
As Nanny had gotten older, she had mellowed. She said hello to people she didn’t know well and showed her grandchildren more affection. It had taken two decades, but at twenty-eight, I was as close to my grandmother as anyone could be. Still, she was stubborn, and if I was going to get what I wanted on tape, it would take manipulation and coaxing.
“We just got started,” I said, trying to sound sweet and patient.
“I don’t know why you’re doing this anyway,” she grumbled.
“I told you. My memory isn’t as good as yours. You don’t want me screwing up the facts if I try to tell these stories to my kids someday.”
“Some things you shouldn’t tell.”