Main piece: Ummarell Transliteration in Italian: omarello, omino, ometto Transliteration in English: little man Translation: old man who is retired M.P.: This is a typical Bolognese expression, which indicates those old men who are like retired and spend their time looking at construction sites. In the common imaginary they are portrayed in their typical pose,… Continue Reading »
Main piece: “Get your dirty laundry off the field!” Context: “In (American) football, the way for the referee to stop a play is to throw a flag in the air and then everyone will stop and they’ll announce what happened. (A penalty?) Yeah, a penalty. And then usually anytime you see that yellow, heinous thing… Continue Reading »
Context: The informant (T) is a 56 yr. old woman originally from Philadelphia, PA. She owns a shore house in South Jersey where she and her extended family spend the summer. She explains to me the term Shoobie and the negative connotation it holds among the inhabitants of Philadelphia and South Jersey. The conversation took… Continue Reading »
You don’t know shit from Shinola. According to the Informant, he heard this phrase growing up from his father. It was typically said by Person A in situations in which Person B doesn’t know what’s going on or for general naivety. It’s not exactly a proverb, because it ridicules those without wisdom instead of imparting… Continue Reading »
The main piece: Shinola (Proverbial Insult) “You don’t know shit from Shinola.” Background information about the performance from the informant: why do they know or like this piece? Where/who did they learn it from? What does it mean to them? Etc. “My grandpa used to say it to my dad, and my dad said it… Continue Reading »