Old insult in Italian

[Sunnym00n]

My late grandmother said the literal translation was (or something close to) "you are a little donkey's behind" and sounded something like ma que thoosie na choocha redda. Any idea what the actual Italian would be?

[PippoM]

As I understand from the way it sounds, it might be (in some southern dialect):

"Ma che tu si' 'na ciucciaredda?" (or " nu ciucciareddu")
"Are you a little donkey?"

[AngelaGrace56]

As I understand from the way it sounds, it might be (in some southern dialect):

"Ma che tu si' 'na ciucciaredda?" (or " nu ciucciareddu")
"Are you a little donkey?"

Ciao Pippo

I've always understood a donkey to be either "na ciuccia" or "na ciucciarella". My family are from Potenza in the South. I can't exactly remember what it meant if someone was referred to as "na ciuccia". Possibly "na ciucciarella" would be less offensive?

Angela

[joetucciarone]

My parents used that expression when one of us kids was really mischievous. Thanks for the memories!

[PippoM]

Possibly "na ciucciarella" would be less offensive?

Angela

I think it would. "Ciuccio" is a donkey (is it the same word for a male or a female?)
"Ciucciariello" is a little donkey, so, it sounds less offensive.

[darkerhorse]

I have donkey as "sceccu" or "asinu".

I wonder if "behind" came into the translation as a result of the similarity between ass and donkey, with ass meaning donkey (ass) or behind (ass).

[MarcuccioV]

Possibly "na ciucciarella" would be less offensive?

Angela

I think it would. "Ciuccio" is a donkey (is it the same word for a male or a female?)
"Ciucciariello" is a little donkey, so, it sounds less offensive.

In our family, the Roman side used "asino" while the Sicilian side preferred "ciuccio"... But it was interchangable for either...

[PippoM]

I have donkey as "sceccu" or "asinu".

"sceccu" is typically Sicilian

[darkerhorse]

Semu d'accordu.

[AngelaGrace56]

Possibly "na ciucciarella" would be less offensive?

Angela

I think it would. "Ciuccio" is a donkey (is it the same word for a male or a female?)
"Ciucciariello" is a little donkey, so, it sounds less offensive.

I followed up with one of my older syblings who still speaks dialect quite well and that's what she remembers too 'na cioccia' or '(n)u cioccio'. I don't know what the dialectal words were for a female donkey or a male donkey?

Yes I knew that "ciucciariello/a" would mean little.

Angela

[arturo.c]

In 1951 Neapolitan singer-songwriter Roberto Murolo wrote a song titled 'O ciucciariello, which became very popular in that time.

Here is the version of Renato Carosone: https://youtu.be/YE06PEENwu4.

[arturo.c]

Also, the renowned Sicilian singer-songwriter Otello Profazio wrote a well known song about the donkey, and in the introduction of this video tells some Sicilian proverbs about donkeys, the first of which is: 'U sceccu nun è sceccu picché è sceccu, ma picché nun sape d'esse sceccu (The ass is not an ass because he is an ass, but because he doesn't know that he is an ass).
https://youtu.be/TkUfjE66tAc

[Pit]

the donkey is retained a stupid and stubborn animal. To be a donkey (ciuccio-ciucciariello-somaro-ciuco) means to be a stupid person. In the school the teachers always shouted " ciuccio/somaro !!!" to the childrens that didn't studied the lesson and wronglly answered to the simplest questions. In this case very often schoolboys were humiliated wearing a big carton donkey ears ont their head during the lesson. I remember this cruel practice until the end of 1960 in Italian Schools. But ciucciariello is not necessarily so negative. It's the typical mother's warning, " don't be silly!" but in an more loving sweet way.
Pit

[darkerhorse]

Sounds like the difference between "dumb ass" and "silly ass" in English.

In early America, such students had to wear a dunce cap instead of donkey ears.

[vineviz]

I followed up with one of my older syblings who still speaks dialect quite well and that's what she remembers too 'na cioccia' or '(n)u cioccio'. I don't know what the dialectal words were for a female donkey or a male donkey?

Yes I knew that "ciucciariello/a" would mean little.

Intersestingly, Cioccia is one of the surnames in my family tree.

Based on his view of that side of the family, my dad might agree with the the use of the word "cioccia" to mean donkey.