Mescu Yanu

[darkerhorse]

mesca - mean? Just my two cents here.

Angela

"Mesca" would make a lot of sense. Is it a Sicilian word?

I've seen "meschino" in Italian, meaning miserable or mean. If used for an adult could it be shortened to "mescho"?

What I remember sounded like "mescu yanu" - four syllables. I assumed the second part was the name Yanu but I suppose it could have been all one word - meschino or meschinu.

Or, it could have been "Mesca Yanu" as you suggested.

I don't know if it referred to his behavior or his speech, or to something else. Given Sicilian nicknames I doubt it was complimentary.

[darkerhorse]

Yes, it might have been "mesca yanu" instead of "mescu yanu".

I suppose Sicilians might say "mescu" instead of "mesca"?

He died at age 38, so we wonder about foul play, especially if he was disliked.

[AngelaGrace56]

mesca - mean? Just my two cents here.

Angela

"Mesca" would make a lot of sense. Is it a Sicilian word?

I've seen "meschino" in Italian, meaning miserable or mean. If used for an adult could it be shortened to "mescho"?

What I remember sounded like "mescu yanu" - four syllables. I assumed the second part was the name Yanu but I suppose it could have been all one word - meschino or meschinu.

Or, it could have been "Mesca Yanu" as you suggested.

I don't know if it referred to his behavior or his speech, or to something else. Given Sicilian nicknames I doubt it was complimentary.

He may of also been a bit of a meddler?

When my parents used the word I understood it to mean "mixed". They pronounced it "meshca". In fact dad who loved playing on words and also making words rhyme would often refer to anything that was not right as "na meshca beshca". So not sure whether that was a Saponarese saying or one of his own ones.

Angela

[MarcuccioV]

My aunt's Sicilian family used "meschinu" to describe an adult member who had a nervous condition -- I always took it as a term of pity towards him (it was usually used by his mother, my aunt's aunt). They were from Carini near Palermo, so variations in the spelling/pronunciation would not be a surprise.

[darkerhorse]

In fact, what I heard from my father years ago - he only mentioned it once - could very well have been "meschinu" instead of "mescu yanu". My father was recalling something from years back to begin with. I didn't have the interest then to pursue it, and it never came up again.

His first name was Sebastiano so I assumed the ending was "yanu" but I could be wrong.

However, along with the appellation my father said the nickname had something to do with his speech - he might have said stutter or stammer or lisp - I really don't recall. That would be more consistent with nervous condition or perhaps mixed (as in spoonerisms) rather than negative behavior like a meddler or meanie. My reason for considering a miscreant was the recent story about the fire-cracking wise-guy in that town with the same name - Sebastiano - in the same time-frame.

Again, I'll never know. But if I had to guess, I'd say speech over behavior.

I suppose it's possible that the fire-cracker miscreant has lived on in town folklore. I'll have to ask someone who grew up in that town.

[suanj]

In fact, what I heard from my father years ago - he only mentioned it once - could very well have been "meschinu" instead of "mescu yanu". My father was recalling something from years back to begin with. I didn't have the interest then to pursue it, and it never came up again.

His first name was Sebastiano so I assumed the ending was "yanu" but I could be wrong.

However, along with the appellation my father said the nickname had something to do with his speech - he might have said stutter or stammer or lisp - I really don't recall. That would be more consistent with nervous condition or perhaps mixed (as in spoonerisms) rather than negative behavior like a meddler or meanie. My reason for considering a miscreant was the recent story about the fire-cracking wise-guy in that town with the same name - Sebastiano - in the same time-frame.

Again, I'll never know. But if I had to guess, I'd say speech over behavior.

I suppose it's possible that the fire-cracker miscreant has lived on in town folklore. I'll have to ask someone who grew up in that town.

oh yes, right, more probable that"meschinu" in sicilian dialect could be right explanation.. pronounce like meh-skee-noo.. meaning poor thing, which normally expresses affectionate sympathy...

[darkerhorse]

How about the word "mascaru" as a possibility?

[darkerhorse]

mesca - mean? Just my two cents here.

Angela

Thanks.

[AngelaGrace56]

mesca - mean? Just my two cents here.

Angela

Thanks.

I'm sorry, I don't think the translation "mean" is correct. (Somehow I misinterpreted.) I believe what Mark and Suanj have both said makes much better sense

Angela

[darkerhorse]

On second thought, I'm fairly certain that the word or phrase in question ended in "yanu" which I take as short for Sebastiano. So I think it was something-yanu.

[darkerhorse]

Someone suggested the nickname might have been "cry baby", something like "meschinu" in Sicilian dialect.

Thoughts?

[MarcuccioV]

Someone suggested the nickname might have been "cry baby", something like "meschinu" in Sicilian dialect.

Thoughts?

I'm sure it's 'meschinu'. My aunt's aunt used it constantly to describe her son, who had a nervous condition. it was a term of pity. Sort of like "poor thing".

My grandmother tended to use 'povero figlio' for the same...

[darkerhorse]

The confusion is that this grown man's proper name was Sebastiano, so I thought "Yanu" would be part of his nickname.

Years ago, when I heard the nickname, it sounded something like "miscoo yanu" but I may have been forcing the "yanu" sound when it was really "meschinu".

Adding to the confusion is a book written by someone whose family is from the same hometown. He describes a man called "mescu yanu" who was disliked for throwing firecrackers at people's feet. He didn't know the man's identity or meaning of the nickname.

That's quite a coincidence.

If it's the same man, I would think "mean" as suggested above fits better than "poor thing".

The only other clue is that the man in question had some kind of distinctive way of speaking, perhaps a speech impediment like a lisp or stutter. In that case, "poor thing" would fit better.

No one alive knows.

[MarcuccioV]

The confusion is that this grown man's proper name was Sebastiano, so I thought "Yanu" would be part of his nickname.

Years ago, when I heard the nickname, it sounded something like "miscoo yanu" but I may have been forcing the "yanu" sound when it was really "meschinu".

Adding to the confusion is a book written by someone whose family is from the same hometown. He describes a man called "mescu yanu" who was disliked for throwing firecrackers at people's feet. He didn't know the man's identity or meaning of the nickname.

That's quite a coincidence.

If it's the same man, I would think "mean" as suggested above fits better than "poor thing".

The only other clue is that the man in question had some kind of distinctive way of speaking, perhaps a speech impediment like a lisp or stutter. In that case, "poor thing" would fit better.

No one alive knows.

Yes, I know the feeling of "no one alive knows" all too well. I'd guess either a misconstrued memory (that often happens to me when I research various things) or even possibly a dialectical inflection.

Another possibility is just a subconscious combining of the two words -- Sebastiano and meschinu. I can't recall offhand, but I believe I've heard such "combinations" before...

Such terms I think were pretty common. My grandmother always referred to my uncle (who had his own issues) as "sciacquato" which basically means "rinsed out" or "washed up". Her nickname for my mother was "bestia" (beast). Mine was "cattivo" (naughty). She was not the least judgmental person in the room...

[darkerhorse]

Yes, I've heard Sicilian nicknames were often sarcastic, facetious, humorous, obscene, etc. The only one I remember was "the countess" (contessa?) for my grandfather's 1st cousin, a woman who was pretentious.

I only heard the nickname "mescu yanu" spoken once - by my father - maybe 35 years ago. He was just repeating what he heard once from someone from that town. So it's just here say.