girarello
Italian
Etymology
From girare (“to spin”) + -arello.
Noun
girarello m (plural girarelli)
- (Rome, informal) a spinning thing (Is there an English equivalent to this definition?)
- 1832, Giuseppe Gioachino Belli, “Per un punto er terno”, in Sonetti Romaneschi, lines 3–4:
- Pe’ ffà er terno cór dua der girarello, / Nun ho scartato er tre der Cappuccino?!
- To get three winning numbers with the two of the roulette wheel I didn't discard the cappuccino's three!?
- 1894, Cesare Pascarella, “Sonetto XXXIII”, in La scoperta de l'America, lines 1–3:
- Perchè er servaggio, lui, core mio bello, / Nun ci ha quatrini... e manco je dispiace.. / Che lì er commercio è come un girarello.
- Because the savage sweetheart, doesn't have any money... and he doesn't even mind, because there the trade is like a spinny-thing [???].
- 1930, Trilussa, “Er telefono”, in Libro n. 9, lines 1–4, page 43:
- Co’ quello antico? Vergine Maria! / Giravi per un’ora er girarello / e, se volevi un oste, sur più bello / te risponneva quarche farmacia.
- With the ancient one [telephone]? Oh Virgin Mary! You spun for an hour the rotary dial and if you wanted an innkeeper, at the climax, some pharmacy answered.
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Further reading
- AIS: Sprach- und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz [Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland] – map 1507: “l'arcolaio, il guindolo” – on navigais-web.pd.istc.cnr.it