sbrodeghezzi e potacci

Status
Not open for further replies.
disegno

disegno

Senior Member
San Francisco
United States English
Che vuol dire "sbrodeghezzi" e "potacci"? Penso che siano le disgrazie (disgrace)

"Se inzuppavamo il pane nella salsa, gridava: Non leccate i piatti! Non fate sbrodeghezzi! Non fate potacci! Sbrodeghezzi e potacci erano, per mio padre, anche i quadri moderni, che non poteva soffrire.

If we soaked our bread in gravey, he yelled, don't lick your plates. Don't disgrace yourselves. Disgraces were, for my father, also modern paintings, that he couldn't tolerate.
 
    • No, they are not disgraces: "non fate potacci!" is similar to "non sporcate!"; the same for "sbrodeghezzi". They also indicate stains: e.g. a little child that hasn't learn how to eat properly, probably "si sbrodegherà" (verb). So, if the father in question thinks that modern art is just "potacci", he thinks it's just stains with no meaning.

    It's very common where I live, but I guess it's dialect, not exactly Italian; we say "sbrodeghi", though.
     
    DanyD said:
    No, they are not disgraces: "non fate potacci!" is similar to "non sporcate!"; the same for "sbrodeghezzi". They also indicate stains: e.g. a little child that hasn't learn how to eat properly, probably "si sbrodegherà" (verb). So, if the father in question thinks that modern art is just "potacci", he thinks it's just stains with no meaning.

    It's very common where I live, but I guess it's dialect, not exactly Italian; we say "sbrodeghi", though.
    Click to expand...

    Grazie per la spiegazione. Non sono riuscita a trovare le parole nel dizionario. Addesso ha senso. Sto leggendo "Lessico famigliare" di Natalia Ginzburg e la famiglia abitava a Turin...forse è dialetto anche di questa zona.
     
    Probably you wanted to say "Torino"... :)
    Dialects of northern Italy have a lot in common, it's possible that "sbrodeghezzi" is the same as our "sbrodeghi".
     
    I would translate "sbrodeghezzi" as "schizzi/sbrodolate" and "potacci" as "patacche" (smears) especially because of the allusion to art.

    Raffaella
     
    I keep wondering whether the word sbrodeghezzi is a derivation of the word brodo (broth or soup) and potacci has a connection to the Italian version of potage (thick soup).
     
    I've just found the etymology of the word potaggio which is very similar to potaccio, so there may be a connection. Link

    This is the etymology of the closest word I could find to sbrodeghezzi. It's sbrodolare.
    Link
     
    I don't know anything of etymology, but "sbrodeghar(se)" is the Veneto dialect for "sbrodolar(si)", so your "broth theory" may be right!
     
    Nel mio dialetto potacci si dice pocci e significa pasticci, plurale di pasticcio; dal Devoto-Oli, Il Dizionario della lingua italiana, Le Monnier: Pasticcio nel sign.2 fig. simbolo di disordine e di confusione
     
    Here we say "pocci", too, but we also say "potacci". I didn't know it came from "pasticci": when I think of pocci/potacci, I usually think of stains of something liquid.
     
    DanyD said:
    Here we say "pocci", too, but we also say "potacci". I didn't know it came from "pasticci": when I think of pocci/potacci, I usually think of stains of something liquid.
    Click to expand...

    It is unlikely that we Veneti use the double 'c'. It should be 'pocio/poci' 'potacio/potaci'. Do you agree?
     
    I think we pronounce it similar to "potaci" but the spelling is "potacci".

    An explanation for foreigners: in Veneto we pronounce double consonant almost the same way as a single consonant.
     
    Status
    Not open for further replies.
    Back
    Top