# dei miei stivali



## barbaraduvivier

Che cosa vuol dire "brasigliana dei miei stivali"???
I received that message from a friend, but didn t understand the meaning...
thank you for any help


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## Hockey13

barbaraduvivier said:


> Che cosa vuol dire "brasigliana dei miei stivali"???
> I received that message from a friend, but didn t understand the meaning...
> thank you for any help


 
I need more context to understand what it is that you meant. Alone, this sentence means:

Brasilian (female) of my boots...

Stivale in the singular can also refer to Italy (as it is shaped like a boot).


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## lsp

I'm pretty sure that a female Brazilian is brasiliana (note difference in spelling).


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## TimLA

I've googled "dei miei stivali" and found hundreds of examples.
It seems that it is a very idiomatic phrase and probably very negative.
They seem to use it with a person's name.
I've seen "loser" as one translation, but it seems a bit stronger than that.
We shall be in suspense for 5 more hours, 'til the real Italians awaken!!!!


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## Claudijko

"dei miei stivali" means "of no use or value"

It's a rather old-fashioned expression (now replaced by some more taboo one!) but it still used.

Note that in informal italian this expression is not as offensive as it sounds. Instead, it is usually used in a very friendly way.

per esempio:

_"ehi, traduttori dei miei stivali, come state?" 

_And yes, the right spelling is brasi*li*ana.


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## TimLA

Claudijko said:


> "dei miei stivali" means "of no use or value"
> 
> It's a rather old-fashioned expression (now replaced by some more taboo one!) but it still used.
> 
> Note that in informal italian this expression is not as offensive as it sounds. Instead, it is usually used in a very friendly way.
> 
> per esempio:
> 
> _"ehi, traduttori dei miei stivali, come state?" _
> 
> And yes, the right spelling is brasi*li*ana.


 
Welcome to the forum!!
Superb answer.
Your voice will be a nice addition.
Complimenti.


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## fox71

Non credo che le abbia fatto un complimento, ma chi gliel'ha detto è veramente molto educato...era tanto che non sentivo "dei miei stivali!"


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## _forumuser_

fox71 said:


> Non credo che le abbia fatto un complimento, ma chi gliel'ha detto è veramente molto educato...era tanto che non sentivo "dei miei stivali!"


 
Ok, it may not be as offensive as it sounds, but this is no gentleman either, especially when nationality is involved.


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## fox71

Mi riferivo all'espressione, non al contenuto!


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## _forumuser_

fox71 said:


> Mi riferivo all'espressione, non al contenuto!


 
Si' Fox, non dicevo a te in particolare. I just wanted Barbara to be aware of the negative nuances of the expression. Then only she knows how she should interpret it.


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## barbaraduvivier

Thank you very much!
I'm still not sure if the guy was insulting me, but it is ok. Thanks again!


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## TalcoTalquez

Equivalent forms are "del cavolo", "del put", "dell'accidenti", "del menga" - and of course the "del cazzo" that Claudijko was hinting at.

So: what's the correct translation of "dei miei stivali", in the end? 

Is "of my boots" okay?


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## Murphy

TalcoTalquez said:


> Is "of my boots" okay?


 
No, I don't think that would be understood at all.  You won't find an exact translation of this expression, but I'm sure there are plenty of different ways to express the same sentiment in English, depending on whether you really want to insult the other person or whether you are joking around with a friend.


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## TalcoTalquez

I find Claudijko's comment


> Note that in informal italian this expression is not as offensive as it sounds. Instead, it is usually used in a very friendly way.
> per esempio:
> "ehi, traduttori dei miei stivali, come state?"


..to be a bit misleading: "dei miei stivali" is not a bad word like cazzo, sure, but it definitively IS an insult. It's like with "bastard": you can say it to a friend without resulting offensive (such as Claudijko did in his example "traduttori dei miei stivali").

Perhaps "*good for nothing*" would be an acceptable way to translate it, when "dei miei stivali" means "worthless". (Any other options, natives? )

But in the case of "brasiliana dei miei stivali", more likely it means "you fake Brazilian", or "you so-called Brazilian". (For example, you might want to yell "idraulico dei miei stivali" to a plumber who couldn't fix your sink, or even made the leaking worse than it was. So "dei miei stivali" = "you don't deserve to be called a plumber".)


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## Murphy

Well, in the last case you mention (the plumber), in BE slang you could say "_you cowboy!_" but that would only work when referring to people doing (badly) that sort of job (plumber, builder etc). Eg "my garage was built by a bunch of cowboy builders!  The roof fell in after 3 months"

All of your other suggestions (worthless, good-for-nothing, etc) are valid in the right context. You can also just use the word "shit" as an adjective, if you want to be more offensive.

Eg You are a shit plumber/student/computer engineer! etc


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## marco.cur

Murphy said:


> You can also just use the word "shit" as an adjective, if you want to be more offensive.


Penso proprio di no! La frase in italiano, per quanto possa essere offensiva, non è volgare. La traduzione deve rispettare anche il linguaggio, non solo il significato.


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## Il chirurgo

Can ''Ma quel medico dei miei stivali'' be translated as ''That excuse of a doctor''?


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## Black Opal

I would have translated it loosely as:

Brazilian, my a**e

Not a compliment, insinuating that the object of the phrase is trying to pass for Brazilian and isn't, in fact.


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## GavinW

Yes, that's a nice translation... Also: "that poor excuse for a doctor" and maybe "that two-bit doctor" ("second-rate" etc...).

I hope nobody used this epithet to the surgeon-doctor who posed this question! ;-)

EDIT: (response to post 17)


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## Il chirurgo

GavinW said:


> Yes, that's a nice translation... Also: "that poor excuse for a doctor" and maybe "that two-bit doctor" ("second-rate" etc...).
> 
> I hope nobody used this epithet to the surgeon-doctor who posed this question! ;-)
> 
> EDIT: (response to post 17)


 

Lol, actually i came across this exact phrase in the dictionary, it coincided with my username (actually i'm still a med student).


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## Crofy

Black Opal said:


> I would have translated it loosely as:
> 
> Brazilian, my a**e
> 
> Not a compliment, insinuating that the object of the phrase is trying to pass for Brazilian and isn't, in fact.


 
I agree with you Black Opal.. "Brazilian, my a**e!   in the sense of "who are you kidding"


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## KiArale

Actually the italian expression "dei miei stivali" is not devaluing the  previuos term itself, but the person to whom is addressed. It has to be  understood the ironic sense behind the sentence. 
Basically "dottore  dei miei stivali" doesn't mean that you are bad as a professional, but  as a person. Dottore is used as an appellation (or nickname) to  re-inforce the irony of the message.
Brasiliana dei miei stivali as to be meant like: 
You are brazilian -> I define you as a person using your nationality / I define the whole using a part (Synecdoche) -> Irony
You are a cheap person, your value as a person is slightly under the average -> slightly negative and ironic meaning


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## GavinW

Thanks, KiArale, I think you've added something important. 
So, maybe we get:
my fine Brazilian friend (ironic + derogatory)
my fine doctor friend (ironic + derogatory)


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## curiosone

Black Opal said:


> I would have translated it loosely as:
> 
> Brazilian, my a**e
> 
> Not a compliment, insinuating that the object of the phrase is trying to pass for Brazilian and isn't, in fact.



At first I thought you had mispelled ass (by adding an "e" at the end) - as that's the word I'd use, in the same sentence.  Then I realized your asterisked word must be arse, and now I'm wondering if the word you used is perhaps more frequently used by BE speakers, and that the one I would have used is AE usage.  Because while I understand arse, I cannot remember ever using it!


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## Faroucheux

‘dei miei stivali’ is a nearly litteral of a common American expression ‘my foot!”  It connotes extreme skepticism or negation.  ‘doctor, my foot!’ would mean there’s no way that person is or could be a doctor.  It wouldn’t suggest the person is a bad doctor, but rather that he isn’t a doctor at all.  The British ‘My a**e’ is a little more colorful, but it means the same thing.


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## Blackman

TalcoTalquez said:


> I find Claudijko's comment
> 
> ..to be a bit misleading: "dei miei stivali" is not a bad word like cazzo, sure, but it definitively IS an insult. It's like with "bastard": you can say it to a friend without resulting offensive (such as Claudijko did in his example "traduttori dei miei stivali").
> 
> Perhaps "*good for nothing*" would be an acceptable way to translate it, when "dei miei stivali" means "worthless". (Any other options, natives? )
> 
> But in the case of "brasiliana dei miei stivali", more likely it means "you fake Brazilian", or "you so-called Brazilian". (For example, you might want to yell "idraulico dei miei stivali" to a plumber who couldn't fix your sink, or even made the leaking worse than it was. So "dei miei stivali" = "you don't deserve to be called a plumber".)


What an intriguing discussion! As a native I understand that exactly as Talco explained many years ago. It was one of my mum's favourite expressions. Surely can be used in more subtle ways, but this is what it means in the end.


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## Odysseus54

Faroucheux said:


> ‘dei miei stivali’ is a nearly litteral of a common American expression ‘my foot!”  It connotes extreme skepticism or negation.  ‘doctor, my foot!’ would mean there’s no way that person is or could be a doctor.  It wouldn’t suggest the person is a bad doctor, but rather that he isn’t a doctor at all.  The British ‘My a**e’ is a little more colorful, but it means the same thing.



False friend.  From the Treccani :



> la locuz. aggettivale _dei miei stivali_, riferita a persona o cosa di cui non si ha nessuna stima, che si pensa non valga nulla: _intellettuale_, _medico dei miei s._; _è uno dei soliti provvedimenti dei miei stivali_.



Not a _fake_ doctor, a _bad_ doctor.


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## Pietruzzo

barbaraduvivier said:


> brasigliana dei miei stivali


What about "you two-bit brazilian chick"?
I think the wrong spelling is made on purpose to make it sound more sarcastic.


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## Tellure

Qualche sinonimo:

Locuz. prep.: pop., *dei miei stivali *[che non vale nulla, detto di persona di cui non si ha nessuna stima: _intellettuale dei miei s._] ≈ da nulla, da strapazzo, (_volg._) dei miei coglioni, (_pop._) del cavolo, (_pop._) d'Egitto, (_volg._) del cazzo.
stivale in "Sinonimi e Contrari"


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## Odysseus54

Tellure said:


> Qualche sinonimo:
> 
> Locuz. prep.: pop., *dei miei stivali *[che non vale nulla, detto di persona di cui non si ha nessuna stima: _intellettuale dei miei s._] ≈ da nulla, da strapazzo, (_volg._) dei miei coglioni, (_pop._) del cavolo, (_pop._) d'Egitto, (_volg._) del cazzo.
> stivale in "Sinonimi e Contrari"



The register is all over the place, though 

"Dei miei stivali" is a G-rated expression, as bland as it can be.  Maybe Pg-13 because as a kid you are not supposed to blabber your mouth like that.

'Worthless', perhaps?   "You worthless Brazilian" ?


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## Benzene

_I agree with Ody.

WRF Dictionary says: "dei miei stivali" = "good for nothing, worthless adj".

Please look at here: dei miei stivali - Dizionario italiano-inglese WordReference

Bye,

*Benzene*_


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## Tellure

Peccato, però, che non ci sia un'espressione altrettanto "pittoresca" in inglese... O forse c'è...
Da piccola, usavo molto l'espressione "d'Egitto"; in effetti, adesso si sente meno. Era molto d'effetto, se si può dire così. 

Edit:
Ho trovato una diversa traduzione, anche se traduce "quel medico dei miei stivali":

(pejorative) that apology for a doctor!
Traduzione inglese di “stivale” | Dizionario italiano-inglese Collins

Non conosco questo modo di dire, ma, dato che è in un dizionario autorevole come il Collins, lo propongo e sottopongo al vostro giudizio.





Da Compact Oxford Italian Dictionary
Compact Oxford Italian Dictionary"

Per "my eye", in una vecchia discussione, _london calling _parla di espressione datata:
Better, my eye!


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## Odysseus54

"My foot" has already been suggested and explained at #18 and, more recently, at #25.  It corresponds, in my opinion, to 'un cavolo', 'un accidenti', 'un cacchio' etc.

The more I think about it, a simple 'damn' may do the job in a lot of the possible contexts, at least in the US.


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