Italian word of the day: 'Rimorchiare'
Here's an Italian word you'll want to pick up.
If you've ever studied for your foglio rosa (provisional driver's licence) exam in Italy, you're sure to have come across the word rimorchio (trailer).
Theory test T/F question: 'The width of the trailer must never exceed that of the vehicle pulling it.'
Credo che dovremo noleggiare un rimorchio per trasportare tutta la merce.
I think we might need to rent a trailer to transport all the goods.
And rimorchiare, along with the more formal trainare, means to haul or tow.
La barca è stata rimorchiata a riva.
The boat was towed to shore.
But rimorchiare isn't just used to talk about vehicles. It also means to pick or chat someone up, or hook up with them.
Sono usciti per rimorchiare.
They've gone out on the pull.
Se n'è appena andata con un tipo che ha rimorchiato.
She just left with some guy she picked up.
A rimorchiatore is a tugboat, but can also mean a player/persistent flirt, and rimorchione/a also describes someone who's constantly chatting people up.
In some parts of the country, meanwhile, you might hear someone described as a provolone - a big tryhard or wannabe player.
That's a wordplay based on the reflexive verb provarci, meaning 'to try it on with', and the famous Italian cheese.
È un gran provolone ma non riesce mai a rimorchiare.
He's a real tryhard but he never manages to pull.
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If you've ever studied for your foglio rosa (provisional driver's licence) exam in Italy, you're sure to have come across the word rimorchio (trailer).
Theory test T/F question: 'The width of the trailer must never exceed that of the vehicle pulling it.'
Credo che dovremo noleggiare un rimorchio per trasportare tutta la merce.
I think we might need to rent a trailer to transport all the goods.
And rimorchiare, along with the more formal trainare, means to haul or tow.
La barca è stata rimorchiata a riva.
The boat was towed to shore.
But rimorchiare isn't just used to talk about vehicles. It also means to pick or chat someone up, or hook up with them.
Sono usciti per rimorchiare.
They've gone out on the pull.
Se n'è appena andata con un tipo che ha rimorchiato.
She just left with some guy she picked up.
A rimorchiatore is a tugboat, but can also mean a player/persistent flirt, and rimorchione/a also describes someone who's constantly chatting people up.
In some parts of the country, meanwhile, you might hear someone described as a provolone - a big tryhard or wannabe player.
That's a wordplay based on the reflexive verb provarci, meaning 'to try it on with', and the famous Italian cheese.
È un gran provolone ma non riesce mai a rimorchiare.
He's a real tryhard but he never manages to pull.
Do you have a favourite Italian word or expression you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
Don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our app (available on Apple and Android) and then select the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.
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