# piccirillo



## daughter80

*H*i everyone!

*I* heard someone use the term piccirillo when referring to himself as a little boy. *I* *think* this is the word he used, but *I*'m not positive. *I'*m trying to find out what the italian term is that he did use, and what the english translation would be. *I*'m pretty sure he was trying to say something like "*I* was very little." he was talking about remembering something about his dad from about 30 years ago when he was 5 or 6 years old. *A*ny help would be much appreciated!


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## You little ripper!

*Piccirillo* is a term I've heard used by those from Calabria to mean exactly what you said you thought it means. Someone from that region may want to confirm that.


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## pandinorombante

I'm from Milan, but I confirm you that it means exactly a little boy. If you are curious to know from which region it is, then we have to wait for someone else, but for sure it's a dialect term from Southern Italy regions (maybe Calabria, but maybe also Sicilia or Campania, I have no exact idea about it), which doesn't exist in Italian.

Hope it helps!


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## You little ripper!

Webster's dictionary defines it as *infant *in the Neapolitan dialect. I'm pretty sure I've also heard it used in Calabria to mean the same thing.


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## pandinorombante

Charles Costante said:


> Webster's dictionary defines it as *infant *in the Neapolitan dialect. I'm pretty sure I've also heard it used in Calabria to mean the same thing.



Charles, you are more efficient and prepared than me, I didn't find anything about the roots of the word surfing on the net and  actually I thought in Neaples "guaglione" or the shorter form "guaglio' " was more used than "piccirillo"! So, compliments Charles! 

Anyway, it's a term used only in Southern Italy and I'm pretty sure that there are also some other regional variants (like picciriddu for example http://www.websters-dictionary-online.net/translation/picciriddu).


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## You little ripper!

pandinorombante said:


> Charles, you are more efficient and prepared than me, I didn't find anything about the roots of the word surfing on the net and actually I thought in Neaples "guaglione" or the shorter form "guaglio' " was more used than "piccirillo"! So, compliments Charles!
> 
> Anyway, it's a term used only in Southern Italy and I'm pretty sure that there are also some other regional variants (like picciriddu for example http://www.websters-dictionary-online.net/translation/picciriddu).


I thought *guaglione* was what they used in Naples as well. I can confirm that *picciriddu* is definitely Sicilian, having heard it used often by my Sicilian parents.


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## pandinorombante

Charles Costante said:


> I thought *guaglione* was what they used in Naples as well. I can confirm that *picciriddu* is definitely Sicilian, having heard it used often by my Sicilian parents.



So, I can only add that Charles is not only an expert of italian language, but also of terms from southern Italy dialects!


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## You little ripper!

pandinorombante said:


> So, I can only add that Charles is not only an expert of italian language,


I hardly think so pan, but it's nice of you to say so. 


> but also of terms from southern Italy dialects!


I had lots of friends from Rome, Naples and Calabria growing up so I understand them reasonably well, but I'm no expert. 

It would appear that the term *piccirillu* is Calabrese for *infant.*
Link 

They sound so similar to an anglosaxon, so it could be either spelling. Maybe *daughter* knows the region in Italy the person she heard using it is from.


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## daughter80

Hi everyone,

Thanks for all the thoughtful replies. The people who used it are Italian-Canadians originally from a small town just east of Frosinone.


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## london calling

Charles Costante said:


> I hardly think so pan, but it's nice of you to say so.  I had lots of friends from Rome, Naples and Calabria growing up so I understand them reasonably well, but I'm no expert.
> 
> It would appear that the term *piccirillu* is Calabrese for *infant.*
> Link
> 
> They sound so similar to an anglosaxon, so it could be either spelling. Maybe *daughter* knows the region in Italy the person she heard using it is from.


 
Charles, _piccirillo_ is also Neapolitan and can mean anything from a babe in arms to a young child (ask your friends from Naples!). 

_Cumm' sta o' piccirill'?_ How's the kid? - a very common question....!

_Guaglione_ refers to slightly older children, although this often corresponds to the Sicilian "picciriddu" (but that means small kids as well: my son's Great-Aunt Melina from Palermo called Alex "'u picciriddu" to her dying day, even if in the end he was bigger than she was!).

Alex, at age 15 and a half, is now a "guaglione", not a "piccirillo", in Neapolitan, but he's still a "picciriddu" in Sicilian!  Ye Gods.....


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## Zorinik

I'm Sicilian, and I confirm "picciriddu" is a sicilian word


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## You little ripper!

> Charles, _piccirillo_ is also Neapolitan and can mean anything from a babe in arms to a young child (ask your friends from Naples!).
> 
> _Cumm' sta o' piccirill'?_ How's the kid? - a very common question....!


Yes, I did know that, Jo. The Webster's dictionary, that I provided a link to in post 4, translates it as that. I was trying to make the distinction between piccirillo and piccirillu, the former being Neapolitan and the latter Calabrese.  



> Guaglione refers to slightly older children


That *guaglione* only refered only to slightly older children, I didn't know.


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## pandinorombante

I'm astonished by your knowledge, Charles and london calling, compliments one more time! 

Anyway, as daughter said, that term was used by people from Frosinone (close to it), so between Rome and Neaples.. therefore it's confirmed it was the Neapolitan version piccirillo. 

The distinction between piccirillo and guaglione done by london calling makes sense, also cause piccirillo derives from the italian word piccolo, so it's referred to an infant or to a young child.

Ciao


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## You little ripper!

pandinorombante said:


> Anyway, as daughter said, that term was used by people from Frosinone (close to it), so between Rome and Neaples.. therefore it's confirmed it was the Neapolitan version piccirillo.


So *daughter* did use the correct spelling. Thanks pan.


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## Lucy Van Pelt

london calling said:


> Alex, at age 15 and a half, is now a "guaglione", not a "piccirillo", in Neapolitan, but he's still a "picciriddu" in Sicilian!  Ye Gods.....


 

It depends on which area of Sicily!
In different part of Sicily also words "picciotto" and "caruso" are used to indicate an older child or a boy.


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## london calling

pandinorombante said:


> Anyway, as daughter said, that term was used by people from Frosinone (close to it), so between Rome and Naples.. therefore it's confirmed it was the Neapolitan version piccirillo.
> 
> The distinction between piccirillo and guaglione done by london calling makes sense, also cause piccirillo derives from the italian word piccolo, so it's referred to an infant or to a young child.


Ciao!

Yes, and what about "guaglionciello" (ragazzino - older child) in Neapolitan.....? 
I imagine that's similar to "picciotto", isn't it?


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## pandinorombante

london calling said:


> Ciao!
> 
> Yes, and what about "guaglionciello" (ragazzino - older child) in Neapolitan.....?
> I imagine that's similar to "picciotto", isn't it?



I do think so.. but i'm not 100% sure, since I'm from Milan. 

Although I think you are right, I'd suggest that "picciotto" in Sicily is much more used than "guaglioncello" in Neaples though.
I guess people from Neaples would use guaglio', since guaglioncello is too long and guaglione, as we suggested previously, is used for teenagers already (thanks to the ending -one, we have an augmentative). 

Let's wait for some Southern natives... _guaglioni, piccirilli, picciriddi, dove state? Perchè non ci illuminate voi?_


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## Murphy

Ciao Pandinorombante,
Just one thing: it's "N*ap*les" not "N*eap*les", although the adjective is "Neapolitan" as you have rightly said.  Just another one of those oddities of the English language


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## pandinorombante

Murphy said:


> Ciao Pandinorombante,
> Just one thing: it's "N*ap*les" not "N*eap*les", although the adjective is "Neapolitan" as you have rightly said.  Just another one of those oddities of the English language



Thanks a lot, Murphy, I got confused because some natives wrote Neaples above.. 

Anyway, Murphy, since you live in Sicily, could you give us your opinion about all the dialect terms we have just discussed about?


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## Murphy

pandinorombante said:


> Anyway, Murphy, since you live in Sicily, could you give us your opinion about all the dialect terms we have just discussed about?


Sure, my non-native understanding is that "picciriddu" can be used for any child, from the very young up to the early teens, and that "picciotto" is used for older teenagers and young men. Quite where the cut-off point comes for "picciotto", though, is unclear to me, as I've even heard it applied to my husband who's in his 40s! I get the impression it's used to talk about anyone who is quite a bit younger than the speaker.

Edit: I don't know "caruso", apart from the opera singer


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## You little ripper!

According to Webster's dictionary the standard spelling for the Sicilian word is *picciottu* (which is how my parents pronounced it).* Picciotto *sounds like an italianized version of the same, or perhaps it is pronounced like that in certain parts of Sicily?


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## pandinorombante

I don't know either but, whereas I'm definitely sure about the word "picciotto" (which is widely used), I'm not sure equally about "caruso", also because I know that "aruso" is instead a bad word.. 

We can just hope that some Southern Italians can light us up.


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## You little ripper!

pandinorombante said:


> I don't know either but, whereas I'm definitely sure about the word "picciotto" (which is widely used), I'm not sure equally about "caruso", also because I know that "aruso" is instead a bad word..
> 
> We can just hope that some Southern Italians can light us up.


*Caruso/a* is just another word for *young boy/girl*. *Carusi* is a word that translates to the English *kids*. (I'm refering to the provincia di Messina; it may be different in other parts of Sicily)


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## Murphy

Charles, you may well be right about the spelling "picciottu", especially as I believe the article is "u" and I think the endings usually agree.  I have to admit, though, that I've never formally studied Sicilian, and I'm totally incapable of spelling it  If no actual natives can enlighten us here, I can ask someone


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## london calling

pandinorombante said:


> I guess people from Naples would use guaglio', since guaglioncello is too long and guaglione, as we suggested previously, is used for teenagers already (thanks to the ending -one, we have an augmentative).
> 
> Let's wait for some Southern natives... _guaglioni, piccirilli, picciriddi, dove state? Perchè non ci illuminate voi?_


 
_Guagliò_ è comunissimo, ma _guaglionciell'_ è molto usato a Salerno e a Napoli per dire un insieme di ragazzini (kids)...non sono una _southern native_ italiana (inglese sì: sono londinese!), ma sono qui da 27 anni ("quaccos' aggi' imparat' "!!) e mio marito è campano....

Troppo divertente questo thread....


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## You little ripper!

Murphy said:


> Charles, you may well be right about the spelling "picciottu", especially as I believe the article is "u" and I think the endings usually agree. I have to admit, though, that I've never formally studied Sicilian, and I'm totally incapable of spelling it If no actual natives can enlighten us here, I can ask someone


Wikipedia says:
_picciotto_ (from _picciottu_): young man, but also the lowest grade in the Mafia hierarchy;

I presume that means that you can use both. It could actually be an italianization of the word *picciotu,* as I said earlier. When I was in Sicily many years ago a lot of Sicilians when speaking Italian would often italianize a Sicilian word if they couldn't remember what the Italian word was - they'd use a Sicilian word and try and make it sound Italian.


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## Murphy

Charles Costante said:


> Wikipedia says:
> _picciotto_ (from _picciottu_): young man, but also the lowest grade in the Mafia hierarchy;


That you hear all the time, especially in very bad films from the 1970s


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## pandinorombante

london calling said:


> _Guagliò_ è comunissimo, ma _guaglionciell'_ è molto usato a Salerno e a Napoli per dire un insieme di ragazzini (kids)...non sono una _southern native_ italiana (inglese sì: sono londinese!), ma sono qui da 27 anni ("quaccos' aggi' imparat' "!!) e mio marito è campano....
> 
> Troppo divertente questo thread....



Sono d'accordissimo... E' divertente anche per me che sono di Milano, anche perchè sono assimilabile a uno straniero su questi termini    Anzi, a onor del vero, sono sicuro che london calling ne sa molto molto più di me, visto che vive lì da 27 anni e "quaccos' aggia' imparat' "!!!


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## NyLa

ciao a tutti!
sono abruzzese e da noi si usa il termine "piccirill'" con il significato di "piccolo", riferito sia a bambini che a cose ecc..
per quanto riguarda il termine "guaglione" da noi si usa nella variante "uaion' " riferito a ragazzi e ragazzini
ps scusate se non scrivo in inglese ma non sono ancora molto pratica


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## Lucy Van Pelt

Charles Costante said:


> *Caruso/a* is just another word for *young boy/girl*. *Carusi* is a word that translates to the English *kids*. (I'm refering to the provincia di Messina; it may be different in other parts of Sicily)


 

In the provincia of Enna, too, everybody use the word "caruso/i", even if they are speaking Italian.
Picciotto is not used in that area.


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