# Mannaggia



## Mya57

Hi,

First time ever using a thread.  I am reading a book (in English) called Home to Italy by Peter Pezzelli.  They use the word "mannagia".  I cannot find a definition of this work.  In the book a man is doing some work that his friend does not want him to do as he is a visitor in his house.  The friend says "Mannagia"...  my friend comes back to Italy and I should be putting him to work.........


----------



## Alfry

Mya57 said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> First time ever using a thread. I am reading a book (in English) called Home to Italy by Peter Pezzelli. They use the word "mannagia". I cannot find a definition of this work. In the book a man is doing some work that his friend does not want him to do as he is a visitor in his house. The friend says "Mannagia"... my friend comes back to Italy and I should be putting him to work.........


 
it's a common Italian interjection that cannot be translated as it is;
it's similar to your "damn" or "hell"...

commonly used in the South of Italy, its meaning is 'male ne abbia'.
it expresses wrath, rage and disappointments.

hope it helps.
and since it is your very first time..... 
WELCOME


----------



## danalto

Mya57 said:
			
		

> Hi,
> 
> First time ever using a thread. I am reading a book (in English) called Home to Italy by Peter Pezzelli. They use the word "mannagia". I cannot find a definition of this work. In the book a man is doing some work that his friend does not want him to do as he is a visitor in his house. The friend says "Mannagia"... my friend comes back to Italy and I should be putting him to work.........


Hi, Mya, and welcome here!
First of all, it's *mannaggia *(double g).
You could translate it with *damn, blast, hang it*...
hope it helps!

(*DAMN*! alfry got here one minute before me!)


----------



## walnut

Hi Mya and welcome to the WR Forums! 

I shortened your thread's title to let other members rapidly identify the topic. 

Ciao! Walnut


----------



## Alfry

danalto said:
			
		

> (*DAMN*! alfry got here one minute before me!)


that's it!!!
in this case we'd say
"*mannaggia* a lui, Alfry è arrivato un minuto prima di me"
....
wait a minute... Alfry is me...


----------



## Monkling

alfry said:
			
		

> in this case we'd say
> "*mannaggia* a lui, Alfry è arrivato un minuto prima di me"


This just made my day - I understood the entire sentence!  (That will be a rare occurrence.)


----------



## Manuela

Actually *Damn* is pretty strong for mannagia which is not a curse word..so to make it nice I would translate it as "*darn It*"


----------



## BklynGiovanna

Hopefully, this is not taking this thread too far or in the wrong direction of "bad words", but I'm  just curious...  I always thought that mannaggia was worse than saying darn it.  I believe you when you say it's not!  However, if you add the word miseria to it at the end, does that make it much worse as a curse word.  It sounds worse.


----------



## Alfry

BklynGiovanna said:
			
		

> Hopefully, this is not taking this thread too far or in the wrong direction of "bad words", but I'm just curious... I always thought that mannaggia was worse than saying darn it. I believe you when you say it's not! However, if you add the word miseria to it at the end, does that make it much worse as a curse word. It sounds worse.


 
you mean "mannaggia alla miseria", don't you?
Maybe we are used to worse words but I can say that it is not that bad.

what is odd to me is that "damn" is considered to be a bad word. I've been hearing and reading it too many times, I thought it wasn't that bad.


----------



## DesertCat

Alfry, it all depends on your perspective.  I consider damn to be mild but it offends some people (probably due to being connected with "God damn).


----------



## Alfry

DesertCat said:
			
		

> Alfry, it all depends on your perspective. I consider damn to be mild but it offends some people (probably due to being connected with "God damn).


 
thank you DesertCat,
I asked about that just to be sure I won't offend anyone.


----------



## mimitabby

BklynGiovanna said:
			
		

> Hopefully, this is not taking this thread too far or in the wrong direction of "bad words", but I'm  just curious...  I always thought that mannaggia was worse than saying darn it.  I believe you when you say it's not!  However, if you add the word miseria to it at the end, does that make it much worse as a curse word.  It sounds worse.



My sainted grandmother used to say "Mannaggia" so It's NOT a bad
word.


----------



## DDT

I agree with Manuela, I'd render "mannaggia" as "darn"

DDT


----------



## undern

I was trying to transcribe the short film of David Lynch called "The cowboy and the Frenchman", and at some point the cowboy says an interjection, which has been translated in Italian as MANNAGGIA. The fact is that I cannot understand the English word for it. It's something like "gallies", "gallowses"... Does someone have an idea of what the exact word could be?

PS: in Spanish this English word has been translated as "Anda!"


----------



## Manuel_M

Alfry said:
			
		

> you mean "mannaggia alla miseria", don't you?
> Maybe we are used to worse words but I can say that it is not that bad.
> 
> what is odd to me is that "damn" is considered to be a bad word. I've been hearing and reading it too many times, I thought it wasn't that bad.


 
Is mannaggia LA (not alla) miseria said sometimes?


----------



## pliny

this word was used in many colorful expressions in the past.  one i heard recounted was from an immigrant father to his children  "mannaggia cristofero columbo" who discovered a country like this where children could speak to their parents like that."


----------



## Alfry

Manuel_M said:
			
		

> Is mannaggia LA (not alla) miseria said sometimes?


 
Yes, I think so.
I've heard both of them


----------



## Biondo

I don't know how to spell it but the Neapolitan word if said in English would be:

Manach

Manachami

I do understand the word and it's usage and i have my own ideas of what it could be in English but as there is no direct translation i would like a few more guesses as to what it could be!


----------



## Alfry

I think it is the interjection
"Mannaggia" = damn or 
"mannaggia a me" = to hell with me 


It comes from male n'aggia = 'male ne abbia': source = Garzanti


----------



## MusicaDolce

Thanks for the postings on Neapolitan dialect!

We've been trying to figure out what the heck "managgia" (phoenetically spelled here) means. My Neapolitan uncle used to say (and phoenetically) "Managgia oh ree-owala fadenda."  Ree-owala being diavolo. I always thought it meant "damn the dirty devil."  But I can't find fadenda in the dictionary, or managgia, for that matter.  Any insights?  LOL


----------



## pinturicchio07

MusicaDolce said:


> Thanks for the postings on Neapolitan dialect!
> 
> We've been trying to figure out what the heck "managgia" (phoenetically spelled here) means. My Neapolitan uncle used to say (and phoenetically) "Managgia oh ree-owala fadenda." Ree-owala being diavolo. I always thought it meant "damn the dirty devil." But I can't find fadenda in the dictionary, or managgia, for that matter. Any insights? LOL


 
Managgia is slang for  damn.


----------



## *Giulia*

MusicaDolce said:


> Thanks for the postings on Neapolitan dialect!
> 
> We've been trying to figure out what the heck "managgia" (phoenetically spelled here) means. My Neapolitan uncle used to say (and phoenetically) "Managgia oh ree-owala fadenda."  Ree-owala being diavolo. I always thought it meant "damn the dirty devil."  But I can't find fadenda in the dictionary, or managgia, for that matter.  Any insights?  LOL



The right spelling is "MANNAGGIA". It means "damn!".  I've never heard nothing like fadenda or ree-owala but I'm from Northern Italy, not from Napoli, so I speak a different dialect.

EDIT: scusa Pinturicchio, mi hai battuta nel tempo!


----------



## pinturicchio07

*Giulia* said:


> The right spelling is "MANNAGGIA". It means "damn!". I've nerver heard nothing like fadenda or ree-owala but I'm fron Northern Italy, not from Napoli, so I speak a different dialect.
> 
> EDIT: scusa Pinturicchio, mi hai battuta nel tempo!


 Grazie per "Mannaggia" non "managgia"!


----------



## Henry63a

'_Fadenda_' could be '_fetente_' that in a colourful way means '_dirty_'.
'_Mannaggia al diavolo fetente_' sounds very funny


----------



## [ITA]Shank

*Giulia* said:


> The right spelling is "MANNAGGIA". It means "damn!".  I've never heard nothing like fadenda or ree-owala but I'm from Northern Italy, not from Napoli, so I speak a different dialect.
> 
> EDIT: scusa Pinturicchio, mi hai battuta sul tempo!



Perdonami la correzione, probabilmente l'hai scritto con la mente ancora in modalità inglese.


----------



## *Giulia*

[ITA]Shank;1421376 said:
			
		

> Perdonami la correzione, probabilmente l'hai scritto con la mente ancora in modalità inglese.



Mmmm.. per questa volta ti perdono... 

Scusate gli errori ma sto già dormendo.

"fadenda" = "fetente" sounds good!!


----------



## JoeyJack

My grandmother, and my mother have always used 1 phrase in Italian that they learned from my great grandmother when theyre frustrated or upset. I can't figure out what they are actually saying and I don't know the spelling. It sounds something like "menagia" and sometimes they also say "menagia l'america". With the emphasis on the "a". I'm curious as to what it means. The only translation that I could peice together was something to the effect of "Mena gia l'america", which I don't think would be correct. Can anyone venture a guess on this one?


----------



## suproff

Definitely "mannaggia", therefore "mannaggia l'America" would be "Blast America/Damn America/To hell with America"


----------



## Giannaclaudia

JoeyJack said:


> My grandmother, and my mother have always used 1 phrase in Italian that they learned from my great grandmother when theyre frustrated or upset. I can't figure out what they are actually saying and I don't know the spelling. It sounds something like "menagia" and sometimes they also say "menagia l'america". With the emphasis on the "a". I'm curious as to what it means. The only translation that I could peice together was something to the effect of "Mena gia l'america", which I don't think would be correct. Can anyone venture a guess on this one?


 

From Garzanti linguistica:
*mannaggia*
Sillabazione/Fonetica [man-nàg-gia]
Etimologia Voce merid.; da _male n'aggia_ 'male ne abbia'
Definizione _i__nter_. (_fam_.) imprecazione che esprime ira, irritazione, contrarietà: _mannaggia a voi!_; _mannaggia la miseria!_ PEGG. _mannaggiaccia_


----------



## myoho

Hello I am new on this forum, I am not from the south, so I am not sure of the dialectal spelling, but I think the phrase is "Mannaggia o diavolo" which I believe would translate in Italian "Che mal venga al diavolo."
Great meeting you all

myoho


----------



## elijah15

Hi, I'm new here also. I was wondering if anybody could help me out.. my grandfather used to say something in Italian all the time but never told us what it meant. I don't know the exact spelling but it sounded something like "Mannaggia la-vis-ta-la-zone" I know the first word is "damn" but the last part is probably a few words and I can't figure out what it could mean?


----------



## Never Got a Dinner

Comunque, abbiamo un genuino bisogno di una thread che dà tutte le possibilità di espressioni con mannaggia -- parola importantissimo, non lo neghiamo.

Mannaggia la miseria!
Mannaggia la morte!
Mannaggia chi t'ha fatto! (che Nonno diceva a Papà, stranamente)
Mannaggiaccia!
Mannaggia il diavolo!
Mannaggia l'America!
Mannaggia Sant'Antonio!
(e il mio preferito) Mannaggia la putana Eva!


----------



## Paulfromitaly

Never Got a Dinner said:


> So che c'è già una thread di titolo Mannaggia.  Comunque, abbiamo un genuino bisogno di una thread che dà tutte le possibilità di espressioni con mannaggia -- parola importantissimo, non lo neghiamo.
> 
> Mannaggia la miseria!
> Mannaggia la morte!
> Mannaggia chi t'ha fatto! (che Nonno diceva a Papà, stranamente)
> Mannaggiaccia! *(never heard)*
> Mannaggia il diavolo!
> Mannaggia l'America!
> Mannaggia Sant'Antonio!
> (e il mio preferito) Mannaggia la pu*tt*ana Eva!



Keep in mind I'm from North and we don't say mannaggia.


----------



## IlPetaloCremisi

I'm from the North and I say mannaggia! Anyways I dont use all the expressions that NGAD wrote...sometimes I just say "Mannaggia" alone or I also say "Mannaggia a te/ a lui"...
I'd say that mannaggia may be translated in general as "accidenti"...this translation fits almost all the expressions with mannaggia!


----------



## Poianone

In my opinion, mannaggia, whose origins are in the southern dialects but that has been become common in the whole Italy, can be used to make up a plenty of expressions: it is "mannaggia" that is idomatic, not the restant part of the expression (except for mannaggia la morte and mannaggia la miseria - always in my opinion). So, you can say "mannaggia a _something/someone_" without losing the meaning of the expression, which is an expression of anger/frustration/astonishment directed towards something/someone.


----------



## cscarfo

Mannaggia li pescetti!
Mannaggia la pupazza!
Mannaggia 'sto beccamorto
These expressions are Roman.
The etymology of "mannaggia" is simple: "mal ne abbia", by the way.

Ciao


----------



## Never Got a Dinner

> Mannaggiaccia!  (never heard)



It's been heard on this very Forum!  See http://forum.wordreference.com/showpost.php?p=1703228&postcount=18



> Mannaggia l'America!



Ditto:
http://forum.wordreference.com/showpost.php?p=1703187&postcount=16

I must, therefore, say:

Mannaggiaccia! 
Mannaggia l'America!


----------



## gabrigabri

Never Got a Dinner said:


> Comunque, abbiamo un genuino bisogno di una thread che dà tutte le possibilità di espressioni con mannaggia -- parola importantissimo, non lo neghiamo.
> 
> Mannaggia la miseria!
> Mannaggia la morte!
> Mannaggia chi t'ha fatto! (che Nonno diceva a Papà, stranamente)
> Mannaggiaccia!
> Mannaggia il diavolo!
> Mannaggia l'America!
> Mannaggia Sant'Antonio!
> (e il mio preferito) Mannaggia la putana Eva !


 
Io non uso (e non userei) NESSUNA di queste espressioni!!
Secondo me sono tutte molto forti!!


----------



## roberta79

Credo che "Mannaggia la miseria" o "Mannaggia a te/lui etc." siano quelle che userei di piú..ma nessuna di queste mi sembra MOLTO forte, anzi rispetto a certe espressioni che si sentono al giorno d'oggi queste mi sembrano molto "soft"


----------



## gabrigabri

roberta79 said:


> Credo che "Mannaggia la miseria" o "Mannaggia a te/lui etc." sono quelle che userei di piú..ma nessuna di queste mi sembra MOLTO forte, anzi rispetto a certe espressioni che si sentono al giorno d'oggi queste mi sembrano molto "soft"


 

Quelle due sì, soprattutto in senso ironico. 
Tu considera però che degli stranieri chiedono informazioni riguardo a questa parola, e io, personalmente, non mi sento di dire loro che "mannaggia Sant'Antonio" può essere usato tranquillamente! Ai miei occhi è una bestemmia.
Mannaggia di per sé va bene, ma in quelle combinazioni secondo me no.


----------



## roberta79

Sì, ecco, l'accostamento a santi ecc. non sta mai bene in nessuna imprecazione..su questo condivido pienamente, solo che a me non sembrano espressioni così forti..poi il fatto che io non le userei è un altro discorso..anzi sinceramente alcune non mi era mai nemmeno capitato di sentirle!


----------



## pescara

cscarfo said:


> Mannaggia li pescetti!
> Mannaggia la pupazza!
> Mannaggia 'sto beccamorto
> These expressions are Roman.
> The etymology of "mannaggia" is simple: "mal ne abbia", by the way.
> 
> Ciao


 
I hope this is not a separate topic that requires a new thread, but I'd like to ask cscarfo how you would translate "mal ne abbia."  Thanks.


----------



## MarcoMac

pescara said:


> I hope this is not a separate topic that requires a new thread, but I'd like to ask cscarfo how you would translate "mal ne abbia."  Thanks.


[He/she impersonal] could be damned/wounded/ashamed/slandered
You can think at "honni soit" (w/out "qui mal y pense") ...


----------



## Never Got a Dinner

> Mannaggia 'sto beccamorto


Su Google non potevo trovare nientissimo come questo.

Mannaggia il beccamorto. 
Mannaggia questo beccamorto. 
Mannaggia 'sto beccamorto. 
Mannaggia 'stu beccamorto. 
Mannaggia il beccamorti. 
Mannaggia questo beccamorti. 
Mannaggia 'sto beccamorti. 
Mannaggia 'stu beccamorti. 

NESSUNO di questi appare su Google.

Ah! Ne ho ricordato un altro, molto importante:

Mannaggia 'u suricillo!

Come lo si direbbe italianamente? Mannaggia il topolino? Ma non si dice.


----------



## cscarfo

Mannaggia 'sto beccamorto forse non è diffuso, lo diceva un operaio a casa mia.
Importante è "Mannaggia a me!" = "Quanto sono scemo (ho sbagliato a fare qualcosa)".
Ciao


----------



## gabrigabri

cscarfo said:


> Mannaggia 'sto beccamorto forse non è diffuso, lo diceva un operaio a casa mia.
> Importante è "Mannaggia a me!" = "Quanto sono scemo (ho sbagliato a fare qualcosa)".
> Ciao




Secondo me è diffuso, anche perché in fin dei conti basta dire "mannaggia" più qualsiasi cosa!!
Certo, dire "mannaggia sto stendipanni magari non si usa molto!!  
Però col beccamorto l'ho già sentito!


----------



## jrd1955

*Damn, *strictly speaking, is a curse, and not merely an interjection. Some variations: dammit, damn it, g_d damn it, g_ddammit, damn it to hell.... Various euphemisms: dang, dangit, darn, darnit, ding-it, gosh dang it, gosh darn it, gol-darn-it.

My understanding is that "mannaggia" is merely a lamentation, analogous to (but more fun than) "woe is me" in English. Italo-americani often used it as synonymous with "damn". Mannaggiamerica was common enough.

My kids find "mannaggia" quite the amusing word, and we all just had a discussion on whether it was fitting for them to use it. Conclusion: yes. On the other hand, we would not be pleased if they used "damn". (Euphemisms being euphemisms, we do not mind them using "darn" etc.)


----------



## lsp

jrd1955 said:


> *Damn, *strictly speaking, is a curse, and not merely an interjection. Some variations: dammit, damn it, g_d damn it, g_ddammit, damn it to hell.... Various euphemisms: dang, dangit, darn, darnit, ding-it, gosh dang it, gosh darn it, gol-darn-it.
> 
> My understanding is that "mannaggia" is merely a lamentation, analogous to (but more fun than) "woe is me" in English. Italo-americani often used it as synonymous with "damn". Mannaggiamerica was common enough.
> 
> My kids find "mannaggia" quite the amusing word, and we all just had a discussion on whether it was fitting for them to use it. Conclusion: yes. On the other hand, we would not be pleased if they used "damn". (Euphemisms being euphemisms, we do not mind them using "darn" etc.)


I think that's a generalization about damn, jrd, that overlooks both its long-considered legitimate use as a verb (to condemn), and the possibly more contemporary tendency to look at it as an acceptable exclamation (from the dictionary, these examples show its harmlessness ""Damn, I forgot!" "Don't be so damn silly!" "Well, I'll be damned!" which is simply described as an expression of surprise.) Your kids' amusement over mannaggia is equal to the reaction of many (including censors, apparently) to today's "damn."


----------



## jrd1955

Smile. Perhaps. But as words, "mannaggia" and "damn" are fundamentally different. They are often used for the same purpose, certainly. But that does not make one an exact translation of the other. 

The fascination and amusement that kids find for "bad words" is one thing. The thing that amuses *my* kids about "mannaggia" is just the way it sounds. They were delighted and amused before they had any clue what it means. They asked someone what it means and that person said it means "damn", but everything I am reading here tells me that it does not. 

There are many words, such as "damn" that have "legitimate" meanings apart from their "offensive" uses (e.g. bitch, bastard, teat). At least in my home, we prefer not to use such words in their offensive contexts. No one would object to their use in a "legitimate" context. On the other hand, I cannot think of any context that would make "mannaggia" offensive.


----------



## Biondo

I'd like to add that the word "mannaggia" is used all the time in southern Italy and is generally pronounced “mannagg’!”. The word used by itself doesn’t hold any great weight in the respect of being offensive but is frequently used in conjunction with other words “mannaggia la miseria!” which ends up sounding like “mannagg’ a mise’!” which again really doesn’t hold any great weight when considering the combinations of words that are used together with “mannaggia”. The majority of combinations are not fit for writing on this site as they are so extreme, but to give you an idea, they range from words regarding prostitutes, mothers, sisters, and frequently blasphemy. However, one ‘writable’ expression is “mannaggia la cappa tuoi!” “mannagg’ a cappa toije!” literally translated to “Damn your head!”... That always makes me chuckle when I hear it!


----------



## la-mejo-citta-der-monno

Actual usage of mannaggia...

I was on a university tour bus from Brindisi to Rome late at night, when smoke began pouring out the engine at the back of the bus. The students, forgetting any Italian, start screaming "fuego", and the bus driver stops the bus. He realizes that he has sprung a leak in an oil line which is now pouring oil over the hot engine block and creating a smokey mess.

It turns out that our Catholic chaplain, Father Cain, was seated at the front of the bus. While Father Cain was at the front, the driver in the driver's seat was saying nonstop: "mannaggia! mannaggia! mannaggia!" Being from Rome, I had heard this plenty.

Then Father Cain got up to go to the back of the bus to talk to the students, and the driver began saying a lot of other things I did not understand (not being a native speaker). But when Father Cain returned to the front of the bus, the driver immediately switched back to "mannaggia! mannaggia! mannaggia!"

From which story I concluded (correctly, it seems) that "mannaggia!" is something that you can say in front of a Catholic priest...and note that this was nearly 40 years ago when people were more careful about what they said in public, especially in front of a priest who was also his temporary employer.

Bill


----------



## rach252

Ciao a tutti

Ho una demanda in merito a questa parola....l'ho usata senza accorgemene in una chat con mia collega della sede italiana al mio lavoro su teams e adesso ho paura di sembrare sgarbata.....ecco la nostra chiacchierata.....ci tengo ad aggiungere che la sede si trova al nord d'Italia...e che mia collega a cui scrivevo ha 20 anni piu di me....

Io...Stacchi presto o lavori tardi stasera?
Lei....Devo lavorare tardi.....probabilmente fino alle 9 di sera
Io.....mannaggia....

Che voglio chiedere e:

Mannaggia in questo contesto e sgarbato?

Oppure non e esattamente sgarbato ma in questo contesto sembra un po fuori posto nel senso che ci si mette sulle spine leggendolo / e inopportuno ?

Che cosa sarebbe stato un modo migliore per rendere l'idea... per cortesia? Per qualche ragione ho l'impressione che quello che ho scritto sembrasse un po...inadatto....non voglio sembrare maleducata...

In attesa di un consiglio

Grazie 1000


----------



## Odysseus54

No, sgarbata direi di no.  Un po' 'off target', perhaps, yes - depending on what you really wanted to express.  

'Mannaggia!', in an exchange like that, sounds more like expressing disappointment - for instance, you wanted to take her out to dinner.

'Accidenti!' would express solidarity or admiration.  "Damn! You are working so late, poor thing!" , or "Damn! What would they do without you!"

Either way, no blood was spilled.  Besides, the way people speak Italian these days...

Why don't you try and write the same exchange in English, with what you wanted to say, connotations and all?

Mostly, don't sweat it.  "Mannaggia" is something that kids say in front of their teachers, Nonnas, their teachers' Nonnas etc.  The mildest expression of disappointment known to the Italian language.


----------



## Balothello

For some reason I always associated 'mannaggia' with the manna that the Israelites ate in the wilderness during the Exodus. They ate so much of it that they started hating it, I believe. So, in a similar way I thought of 'mannaggia' as 'darn, more manna!', or 'more bad manna', or 'bad manna to you' - the 'ggia' ending in 'mannaggia' giving it that negative connotation, etc. But of course I was linguistically wrong all along


----------



## rach252

Grazie for your reassuring posts, I was getting worried.....@odysseus54 I see what you mean by off target.... if mannaggia is normally used to express disappointment then this was not really what I wanted to convey...I think as you say 'accidenti!' would have been more in line...

If we had been writing in English this is what I would have written:

me.....are you leaving soon or working late tonight?
her....I have to work late....probably until 9 this evening
me.....yikes...

'Yikes' would be an expression of astonishment / mild horror ....also solidarity. A bit like "you poor thing, that's terrible!" A super mild thing to say and there are lots of other expressions in English with exactly the same meaning....good grief, holy moley, my goodness....these would have fit as well.....

I am always frightened of committing some blunder as a result of not really understanding what I am saying and the words I am using and in doing so inadvertently offending someone....so good to have a better understanding of this word and I'm relieved that it's inoffensive...


----------



## ohbice

_Caspita_, _Cavolo_, _Oddio_, the Ody's _Accidenti _are all terms that will fit the bill.
Mannaggia in that context means nothing, to me it seems only ambiguous.
Mia opinione, s'intende 

Credo però che la collega in Italia sarà tollerante nei confronti del tuo uso "disinvolto" dell'italiano ;-)


----------



## Starless74

Balothello said:


> For some reason I always associated 'mannaggia' with the manna that the Israelites ate in the wilderness during the Exodus


Come già immediatamente specificato in _#2_,
l'evoluzione è: _male ne abbia_ → _mal n'abbia_ → _mal n'aggia_ → _mannaggia_
che, in inglese, potrebbe corrispondere pressappoco a: "damn".

[fine ripetizione]


----------



## Paulfromitaly

*NOTA:*

Questa discussione contiene 57 messaggi; assicuriamoci di leggerli tutti prima di aggiungerne un'altro che ripete concetti già espressi.
Grazie


----------



## Wordy McWordface

Here's another bit of detective work for Italian speakers.

I recall Italian colleagues, a long time ago, exclaiming something that sounded to me like "Mannaggia ma dosga".

Any idea what the (almost certainly misheard) final words might have been?


----------



## Odysseus54

rach252 said:


> Grazie for your reassuring posts, I was getting worried.....@odysseus54 I see what you mean by off target.... if mannaggia is normally used to express disappointment then this was not really what I wanted to convey...I think as you say 'accidenti!' would have been more in line...
> 
> If we had been writing in English this is what I would have written:
> 
> me.....are you leaving soon or working late tonight?
> her....I have to work late....probably until 9 this evening
> me.....yikes...
> 
> 'Yikes' would be an expression of astonishment / mild horror ....also solidarity. A bit like "you poor thing, that's terrible!" A super mild thing to say and there are lots of other expressions in English with exactly the same meaning....good grief, holy moley, my goodness....these would have fit as well.....
> 
> I am always frightened of committing some blunder as a result of not really understanding what I am saying and the words I am using and in doing so inadvertently offending someone....so good to have a better understanding of this word and I'm relieved that it's inoffensive...



Yeah - it's mild, but I also see that among the milder expressions you are listing you don't have 'damn!', which in my opinion is the closest you can get to 'mannaggia!'.

How bad is 'damn!' for you?  Would you consider it a swear word, too rough to be used in your conversation?

Just to split the hair in 4, 'mannaggia' here is not _really_ wrong.  Let me tweak the exchange a bit:

- Are you leaving work early tonight?
- Well, I wanted to, my daughter is turning 19 and we are throwing a little party.  But I'll have to work until 9...
- Mannaggia!  That really sucks!


----------



## Wordy McWordface

Odysseus54 said:


> How bad is 'damn!' for you?  Would you consider it a swear word, too rough to be used in your conversation?


No, it's very mild. More of an informal intensifier than a genuine profanity.
You can use 'damn' in pretty well any context nowadays.
The only English speakers I can imagine being offended by 'damn' are your Bible-belt Christians in the rural areas of some US states.


----------



## giovannino

Wordy McWordface said:


> Here's another bit of detective work for Italian speakers.
> 
> I recall Italian colleagues, a long time ago, exclaiming something that sounded to me like "Mannaggia ma dosga".
> 
> Any idea what the (almost certainly misheard) final words might have been?


It was “mannaggia alla madosca “.
From Treccani:”forma eufemistica popolare, usata in luogo di Madonna in esclamazioni blasfeme”.


----------



## Wordy McWordface

giovannino said:


> It was “mannaggia alla madosca “.
> From Treccani:”forma eufemistica popolare, usata in luogo di Madonna in esclamazioni blasfeme”.



I see. So not such a mystery after all 
And, in fact, I realise this has even been asked here before:

Mannaggia la marosca

Anyway, that was something that's been rattling around in my brain for nearly 40 years, and finally I know what means.
Thank you!


----------

