Glossary entry

Italian term or phrase:

quaquaraquà

English translation:

a worthless man

Added to glossary by Umberto Cassano
Jun 13, 2012 19:31
11 yrs ago
3 viewers *
Italian term

quaquaraquà

Italian to English Other Slang
In an interview in a popular Italian magazine, Gioa, the question to a famous Italian tenor was:

Che cosa sono state le donne per lei?

The answer was:

Un capitolo fondamentale. Perché confesso, senza pudori, di avere una natura estremamente passionale. Rientro in quella categoria di uomini che sentono l'attrazione fatale verso il gentil sesso. Senza scadere, mi auguro, in quelle forme patetiche di disperazione gonnellara, che fa di un uomo un quaquaraquà.

How would the end of the last sentence be translated? e.g., "in quelle forme patetiche di disperazione gonnellara, che fa di un uomo un quaquaraquà."

I am translating for a private group of about 100 people in the USA who are interested in this tenor and most of whom know no Italian and rely on me to accurately translate articles from the Italian press for them. Sometimes the translation is also posted on a public forum where it may be accessed by anyone.
Change log

Jun 21, 2012 20:10: Umberto Cassano Created KOG entry

Jun 21, 2012 20:11: Umberto Cassano changed "Edited KOG entry" from "<a href="/profile/128582">Umberto Cassano's</a> old entry - "quaquaraquà"" to ""a worthless man""

Proposed translations

+6
27 mins
Selected

a worthless man

A "quaquaraquà" is usually a worthless man .

http://www.treccani.it/vocabolario/quacquaraqua/

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quaquaraquà

https://researchspace.auckland.ac.nz/bitstream/handle/2292/6...

HTH

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Note added at 32 mins (2012-06-13 20:04:30 GMT)
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You could also consider 'blabbermouth' which gets closer to the onomatopoeic quality of the Italian term.

http://thesaurus.com/browse/BLABBERMOUTH

http://thesaurus.com/browse/LOOSE-LIPPED
Peer comment(s):

agree bluenoric : blabbermouth is just perfect!
42 mins
agree Russell Jones
1 hr
agree bluedahlia
1 hr
agree Daniela Zambrini
2 hrs
agree Shera Lyn Parpia
9 hrs
agree Mailand : I prefer "blabbermouth" as well, as the Italian "quaquaraquà" also refers to a man who talks too much - with empty words - all words, no action
10 hrs
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer. Comment: "I think that worthless, rather than blabbermouth fits the context of the staement in this case. Thanks!"
8 mins

gadabout

"without coming across as some kind of hopeless skirt chaser or gadabout"

of course, this could be rendered in a lot of more 'colorful' ways as well...

Something went wrong...
34 mins

fool

Rather than worthless, I'd say he's more a 'fesso', a stupid man...
Something went wrong...
39 mins

weathercock

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