# abbracciare le ciccette



## __Mary__

Esiste un modo carino per definire il grasso, la ciccia, come volete chiamarlo, in inglese? in tono amorevole si intende..
Tipo il mio ragazzo mi dice "non vedo l'ora di abbracciare le ciccette", che ovviamente non è niente di offensivo.

Is there a nice way to define fat, flab, whatever you want to call it, in English? in a loving tone I mean..
For example my boyfriend tells me: can't wait to hug the "ciccette", which obviously is nothing offensive.


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## Wordy McWordface

Welcome to the forums, Mary.

It's hard to find a positive word for fat. We sometimes use the term 'curves' to refer to the feminine shape of a woman who has ample flesh on her boobs, hips and bum. So, if your boyfriend likes the fact that your figure has 'curves', it's a nice thing to say that he's looking forward to hugging them.

NB  Don't be tempted to use 'chubby': it's positive for a round-cheeked baby, but not flattering for a grown man or woman.


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## giginho

Ciao,
Un chiarimento: per ciccette non intendi due persone grasse ma le cosiddette "forme"?

Nel secondo caso, magari roly poly potrebbe fare al caso tuo, ma non essendo esperto aspettiamo pareri di madrelingua


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## Wordy McWordface

giginho said:


> roly poly


 I don't think that Mary's boyfriend would last long if he called her a 'roly poly'. It is not a 'nice' thing to call someone!


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## giginho

Ooooops! Sorry!!! 

What would you suggest?


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## Wordy McWordface

I suggested 'curves' in #2, because it's the only positive description I could think of.  A woman who is 'curvy' is likely to be seen as sexy and attractive, so a reference to a girlfriend's curviness is a positive comment for a boyfriend to make.

Of course, a well-rounded woman (or man) might enjoy being called 'dumpling' or 'pudding' by their partner, but that's their business and nobody else's. There is no direct equivalent of _ciccio _and its derivatives in English; I don't think that we have a commonly used or standard term of endearment involving 'fat'.  Any attempt to refer to someone's fat bits in an affectionate way is likely to backfire.


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## Tegs

"I love your curves" is the safest way of talking about ciccette without getting a death glare from your girlfriend 

Roly poly, no. Fat, flab, chub, blubber, no. Oh dear, you would get a slap for any of those. 



__Mary__ said:


> "non vedo l'ora di abbracciare le ciccette"


Maybe "I can't wait to get my hands on your curves".


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## __Mary__

Thank you so much! this term "ciccette" is referred to some specific parts, like the little fat on the belly, or on the hips, or the soft part on the inner thigh, he usually says it as a lovely and cute thing..
It's also a way to tell he loves all these parts, that we women usually hate.


Wordy McWordface said:


> I suggested 'curves' in #2, because it's the only positive description I could think of.  A woman who is 'curvy' is likely to be seen as sexy and attractive, so a reference to a girlfriend's curviness is a positive comment for a boyfriend to make.
> 
> Of course, a well-rounded woman (or man) might enjoy being called 'dumpling' or 'pudding' by their partner, but that's their business and nobody else's. There is no direct equivalent of _ciccio _and its derivatives in English; I don't think that we have a commonly used or standard term of endearment involving 'fat'.  Any attempt to refer to someone's fat bits in an affectionate way is likely to backfire.



He saw a photograph of me and told me "è l'estasi delle ciccette" LOL, I laughed so much.
And as I am posting this pic, I wanted to write this funny thing in the caption, but I really can't find anything that renders the idea.. "the ecstasy of fat" is absolutely horrible.


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## Pietruzzo

Tegs said:


> I love your curves" is the safest way of talking about ciccette


The problem is that "curve" doesn't 'imply exceeding fat (at least in Italian) while "ciccetta"  does (albeit in an endearing way). Also, we should maybe point out that the plural "ciccette" is a personal invention, since "ciccia" is not a countable noun.


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## __Mary__

Pietruzzo said:


> The problem is that "curve" doesn't 'imply exceeding fat (at least in Italian) while "ciccetta"  does (albeit in an endearing way). Also, we should maybe point out that the plural "ciccette" is a personal invention, since "ciccia" is not a countable noun.


"ciccette" is even in Bridget Jones and is so used, so nothing new or invented... it's just a diminutive.. it's a term of endearment..


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## Tegs

"I love your wobbly bits" could be offensive if you're at all worried about your weight. If you rejoice in your wobbly bits, you might well find it cute and funny. It seems like in your context it would be fine - you sound self-confident and comfortable with yourself.

Perhaps as a caption "The wobbly bits wonderland"


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## __Mary__

Tegs said:


> "I love your wobbly bits" could be offensive if you're at all worried about your weight. If you rejoice in your wobbly bits, you might well find it cute and funny. It seems like in your context it would be fine - you sound self-confident and comfortable with yourself.
> 
> Perhaps as a caption "The wobbly bits wonderland"


this sounds so cute ❤️


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## alfaalfa

Ciao,


__Mary__ said:


> "ciccette" is even in Bridget Jones and is so used, so nothing new or invented


quindi è stato tradotto "ciccette" dall'originale inglese. Com'è l'originale?


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## Wordy McWordface

Another thought:
How about 'love handles'?

(The term may or may not feature in Bridget Jones.)


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## Mary49

alfaalfa said:


> Ciao,
> 
> quindi è stato tradotto "ciccette" dall'originale inglese. Com'è l'originale?


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## alfaalfa

Mary49 said:


> View attachment 68875



Ta-dah, _Mary_
​


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## elroy

Wordy McWordface said:


> How about 'love handles'?


I was just about to suggest this!  They’d have to be in the waist area, though.



__Mary__ said:


> è l'estasi delle ciccette


“lovely love handles”?
“the love handles I love”? 



__Mary__ said:


> non vedo l'ora di abbracciare le ciccette


“Can’t wait to handle your love handles”?


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## LetsZoom

I was thinking "love handles" too, but I've only heard it used about men, not women. Not in the US, at least. 

Wobbly bits is hilarious! But isn't it just what that one woman character happens to say in that movie? I.e., not something everyone has heard.... 

I'm afraid here in the US you'd have to listen in on every couple's intimate conversations in intimate moments to find out what various men might say about his girlfriend or wife's..... um.... squishy parts?


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## __Mary__

alfaalfa said:


> Ta-dah, _Mary_
> ​


it's me who found the video hahahah


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## Tegs

Wordy McWordface said:


> How about 'love handles'?


I suspect that's too specific.  Wobbly bits are all the fatty bits that roll, wobble and shake all over your body. Love handles are only on the hips.


LetsZoom said:


> Wobbly bits is hilarious! But isn't it just what that one woman character happens to say in that movie? I.e., not something everyone has heard....


Not at all, this is a very well known expression in the UK and Ireland. It's not specific to Bridget Jones. Remember, Bridget Jones is an ordinary English woman, so she speaks like an ordinary English woman and uses common and idiomatic expressions that most people understand. The fact that you've not heard of it makes me suspect it's probably not used in American English.


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## elroy

Tegs said:


> The fact that you've not heard of it makes me suspect it's probably not used in American English.


Not as an established expression, no.  But the meaning is clear.

I didn't think it was an established expression in the UK or Ireland either; I thought it was just the sum of its parts.


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## Tegs

It is established here. You can either refer to these parts of the body generally as wobbly bits, point to a particular bit and say "ugh, I hate this wobbly bit" or you can use other terms for specific wobbly bits. For example, "love handles" at the hips and "bingo wings" on the upper arms.


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## Wordy McWordface

Love handles don't wobble, do they?


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## Paulfromitaly

Wordy McWordface said:


> Love handles don't wobble, do they?


Well, depending on how large they are, they might...


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## giginho

Paulfromitaly said:


> Well, depending on how large they are, they might...



If they are large enough to wobble they become a panic bar, not love handles!


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## LetsZoom

Tegs said:


> It is established here. You can either refer to these parts of the body generally as wobbly bits, point to a particular bit and say "ugh, I hate this wobbly bit" or you can use other terms for specific wobbly bits. For example, "love handles" at the hips and "bingo wings" on the upper arms.



Ah, in AE, as far as I know, we refer to the wiggly (or wobbly?) flesh hanging on the upper arms as *bat wings*! I've never heard of bingo wings. Is that because in general it's old ladies who go to bingo night at their church or community center?


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## theartichoke

LetsZoom said:


> Ah, in AE, as far as I know, we refer to the wiggly (or wobbly?) flesh hanging on the upper arms as *bat wings*! I've never heard of bingo wings. Is that because in general it's old ladies who go to bingo night at their church or community center?


I've heard of "bingo wings" (named for the reason you've guessed) and I've always assumed it was AE / CanE, because I don't think of bingo-playing as a British thing -- though what do I know? Anyway, "bingo wings" are pretty far removed, I suspect, from the _ciccette _that Mary's boyfriend is into (and I can't imagine ever using the term endearingly).   Come to think of it, "wobbly bits" sounds distinctly BE, but I don't think AE has a translation nearly as good.


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## You little ripper!

I thought 'wobbly bits' referred to the female breasts and 'jiggly/dangly bits' to the male genitals.

Edit: I notice this dictionary says it can mean all of them:

wobbly bits

1. The female breasts.
2. The male genitals.

wobbly bits

(Noun) fat parts of the body; curves; not necessarily just female breasts
Usage: "Please cover my wobbly bits."


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## LetsZoom

You little ripper! said:


> I thought 'wobbly bits' referred to the female breasts and 'jiggly/dangly bits' to the male genitals.
> 
> Edit: I notice this dictionary says it can mean all of them:
> 
> wobbly bits
> 
> 1. The female breasts.
> 2. The male genitals.
> 
> wobbly bits
> 
> (Noun) fat parts of the body; curves; not necessarily just female breasts
> Usage: "Please cover my wobbly bits."


 
Well that's disappointing. I was planning on adopting "wobbly bits" to refer to my saddle bags (is this used in BE?) and other saggy flesh I've gotten in the last decade. I'm not using it if it means breasts and male genitals, though! Probably for the best, since without a British accent it loses most of its charm.


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## You little ripper!

LetsZoom said:


> Well that's disappointing. I was planning on adopting "wobbly bits" to refer to my saddle bags (is this used in BE?) and other saggy flesh I've gotten in the last decade. I'm not using it if it means breasts and male genitals, though! Probably for the best, since without a British accent it loses most of its charm.


Cheer up LetsZoom, because the third definition (fat parts of the body) would cover your 'saddle bags'. We do use that terminology in Australia by the way, although 'love handles' is probably more common. 🙂


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## Wordy McWordface

Then there's "muffin tops"....


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## mr cat

Any votes for 'fleshy bits?'


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## Pietruzzo

You little ripper! said:


> I thought 'wobbly bits' referred to the female breasts


This  would had been my first guess for "abbracciare le ciccette" too, hadn't the OP explained the meaning.


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## Tegs

theartichoke said:


> Anyway, "bingo wings" are pretty far removed, I suspect, from the _ciccette _that Mary's boyfriend is into (and I can't imagine ever using the term endearingly).


Yes, I can’t imagine it used endearingly either.


You little ripper! said:


> I thought 'wobbly bits' referred to the female breasts and 'jiggly/dangly bits' to the male genitals.


This is the first time I’ve heard of this meaning of wobbly bits. Maybe an Australian usage? Dangly bits I have heard of with that meaning (though not jiggly bits).


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## You little ripper!

Tegs said:


> This is the first time I’ve heard of this meaning of wobbly bits. Maybe an Australian usage?


Tegs, it's the first entry of the dictionary I provided a link for. It's an online community dictionary, not an Australian one. It's also in the Urban dictionary, for what it's worth.

Urban Dictionary: Wobbly Bits

The Females Breasts

_Women have Wobbly bits, Men have Dangly Bits_


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## Tegs

I've just never heard that meaning before, that's why I suspected it might be used somewhere other than the UK. Have you heard it yourself, or are you only going off the definitions you found? (Dictionaries that don't have a professional editing team behind them are not the most reliable, in my opinion.)


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## You little ripper!

Tegs said:


> I've just never heard that meaning before, that's why I suspected it might be used somewhere other than the UK. Have you heard it yourself, or are you only going off the definitions you found? (Dictionaries that don't have a professional editing team behind them are not the most reliable, in my opinion.)


I can't remember when I last heard it, but I've always thought it meant breasts on a woman. If an extremely large woman used the expression, I'd probably think that they were referring to more than their breasts (any part of their anatomy that wobbled).


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