Expressions with cavolo

[rambler]

Would you please tell me if I’ve translated the following expressions correctly?

(1) Italian expression: non me ne importa un cavolo!
Literal transaction: [to me, it doesn’t matter a cabbage!]
Free translation: I don’t care about it!

(2) col cavolo che lo farò!
[with the cabbage that I’ll make!]
????

(3) sono cavoli miei!
[they are my cabbages!]
that’s my business!

(4) che cavolo vuoi?
[what cabbage do you want?]
what do you want?

(5) è una testa di cavolo
[he’s a head of cabbage]
he’s an egghead

(6) c'entra come il cavolo a merenda
[it enters like the cabbage as snack]
it has nothing to do with it

(7) salvare capra e cavoli
[to save goat and cabbages]
????

(8) non sono cavoli tuoi
[they are not your cabbages]
none of your business

(9) non sono cavolacci tuoi
[they are not your ???]
????

Thank you for your help!

 

[paolom]

(2) col cavolo che lo farò!
[with the cabbage that I’ll make!]
No way I am going to do that!

(4) che cavolo vuoi?
[what cabbage do you want?]
what do you want? (quite rude expression)

(7) salvare capra e cavoli
[to save goat and cabbages]
It means to be able to do two things that seemed to exclude each other.

(9) non sono cavolacci tuoi
[they are not your ???]
Just a little bit stronger than "Non sono cavoli tuoi": "cavolacci" is the pejorative form of "cavoli"

E' il mio primo intervento, ne approfitto per salutare tutti ed incoraggiarvi a correggere il mio Inglese. /
Hello everybody, this is my first post. Corrections to my English are welcome!

 

[stanfal]

Would you please tell me if I’ve translated the following expressions correctly?

(1) Italian expression: non me ne importa un cavolo!
Literal transaction: [to me, it doesn’t matter a cabbage!]
Free translation: I don’t care about it!
I don't give a damn about it


(7) salvare capra e cavoli
[to save goat and cabbages]
To have one's cake and eat it too (or - I found - eat one's cake and have it too) - meaning to try to have two incompatible things...

Ciao
S.

 

[lsp]

Isn't cavolo standing in for a stronger word in these expressions?

 

[Saoul]

Isn't cavolo standing in for a stronger word in these expressions?

Yes lsp, you're a right! Cavolo, cacchio, capperi, are all substitutes for cazzo

Mizzica is for minchia, fischia for figa... there are quite a few.

 

[lsp]

Yes lsp, you're a right! Cavolo, cacchio, capperi, are all substitutes for cazzo ...

Thanks, I was beginning to wonder since the others hadn't mentioned it...

 

[Saoul]

I think I'll open a thread asking if you have anything similar in English.
Let me know.

 

[Poianone]

Yes lsp, you're a right! Cavolo, cacchio, capperi, are all substitutes for cazzo

Mizzica is for minchia, fischia for figa... there are quite a few.

This isn't true at all, too. In Salvare capra e cavoli (you find a solution that allow you avoiding to perfom planned sacrifices) to and c'entra come i cavoli a merenda (you don't make snack with something like cabbage) it doesn't work!

 

[Saoul]

Yeah you are right Poianone. This is not always true, but I think lsp was referring to the "non me ne frega un cavolo" sentence. And in that case that's quite true, indeed, even because the transaltion showed a funny "damn".

 

[lsp]

Yeah you are right Poianone. This is not always true, but I think lsp was referring to the "non me ne frega un cavolo" sentence. And in that case that's quite true, indeed, even because the transaltion showed a funny "damn".

Yes, you're right. But I should have said "some of these expressions."

 

[lsp]

I think I'll open a thread asking if you have anything similar in English.
Let me know.

Sure we do, I don't give a fig.
No flippin' way.

There are lots!

 

[rambler]

Grazie a tutti! Also, welcome to the forum, paolom, and thanks for your comments.

Am I correct in assuming that the following expressions use ‘cavolo’ as a euphemism?
(1) non me ne importa un cavolo!
(2) col cavolo che lo farò!
(3) sono cavoli miei!
(4) che cavolo vuoi?
(8) non sono cavoli tuoi
(9) non sono cavolacci tuoi

And do the following expressions use ‘cavolo’ as ‘cavolo’ itself?
(5) è una testa di cavolo
(6) c'entra come il cavolo a merenda
(7) salvare capra e cavoli

Thanks again!

 

[Willi]

And do the following expressions use ‘cavolo’ as ‘cavolo’ itself?
(5) è una testa di cavolo
(6) c'entra come il cavolo a merenda
(7) salvare capra e cavoli

Thanks again!

In the fifth sentence too cavolo is an euphemism.

BTW I've always heard C'entra come i cavoli a merenda

EDIT The expression Salvare capra e cavoli comes from a riddle in which a peasant has to take in his boat to the other side of a river a wolf, a goat and a basket full of cabbages, preventing the wolf from eating the goat and the goat from eating the cabbages, and taking only one thing at a time.

 

[rambler]

Fantastic, thank you! (And did the peasant find a solution to the riddle?)

 

[Willi]

Yes, he did. Can you? It's quite simple if you think about it. If you don't find it I can PM you.

 

[rambler]

I figured it out. Thanks again for explaining the expression.

 

[rambler]

I have a question about expression (2): “col cavolo che lo farò!”

Apparently, this translates freely as “No way I am going to do that!”

But why? I just don’t get it. I understand all the other expressions, but not this one.

Literally, it means “with the cabbage that I’ll make!” Even allowing for the fact that ‘cavolo’ is a euphemism for a vulgar word, I still don’t understand how you go from “lo farò” to “no I won’t”.

Can someone help explain this?

Grazie!

 

[lsp]

Even allowing for the fact that ‘cavolo’ is a euphemism for a vulgar word, I still don’t understand how you go from “lo farò” to “no I won’t”.

How about "The f**k I will!" Does that shed any light?

 

[joanpeace]

Would it be appropriate to say "Santo Cavolo!" as a non-offensive expression of frustration?

 

[Alfry]

In this arena everything is possible.

You can make up your own imprecations .

I've never heard it but it makes me smile.

 

[Rose1828]

Two friends were talking about about a bad day one of them had had and he used the expression 'La mia parrucca col cavolo'..
Obviously literally translated 'my wig with cabbage' makes no sense at all! But could someone explain the meaning of this expression in English. Many thanks.