L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, DECEMBER 28, 2023 www.italoamericano.org 20 L'Italo-Americano T h e I t a l i a n w o r d botti (boht-tee, s i n g u l a r b o t t o ) carries an aura of mystery in its ety- mology. Its meaning, denot- ing a sharp blow or crack, leads us to consider its possi- b l e c o n n e c t i o n t o a n o t h e r Italian word, botta, a term rooted in the worlds of physi- cality and combat, that traces its lineage back to the Old French boter (to strike), and even further to the Frankish *buttan (to hit, strike). Origi- nally, the word "botta" in Ital- ian was connected to fencing. T h e p l u r a l f o r m b o t t i , specifically referencing fire- works, further enriches the word's semantic field; in Ital- ian culture, i botti di Capo- d a n n o ( " N e w Y e a r ' s f i r e - w o r k s " ) e p i t o m i z e s t h i s u s a g e , w h e r e t h e s h a r p , explosive sounds of fireworks m i r r o r s t h e w o r d ' s c o r e meaning. This auditory and symbolic association extends to everyday language, where botto can vividly describe the suddenness and impact of an event, much like the unex- pected burst of a firework in a night sky. The word's adaptability is evident in various phrases. 1 (he) has 2 into, going inside 5 (he) does; makes 7 female bear 8 (you/tu) swim 11 one 14 nine 15 (you/tu) weigh 18 (he) is (going, staying) 20 chair 22 tail 23 tea 24 the 25 king Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 (they) have 3 us; we 4 (you/tu) use 6 I 9 egg 10 you 11 (feminine of) a, an 12 months 13 (feminine of) my, belonging to me 16 (you/voi) stay 17 (feminine plural of) the 19 with the 20 (you/tu) know 21 from For example, fare il botto (lit- erally "to make a bang") collo- quially means to achieve great success, akin to making an impactful noise that catches everyone's attention. Con- versely, dare il botto (literally, "to explode") can mean no longer being able to handle a situation, as in Ha lavorato tutta la stagione per 15 ore al giorno e poi ha dato il botto ("He worked all season 15 hours a day and then he just exploded"). Of course, botti is the ver- sion of this word we like the most because we associate it with the joy and celebrations of New Year's Eve, when we all look up to the sky to enjoy the botti. But if you have pets, m a k e s u r e t h e y a r e s a f e indoors: ai cani e ai gatti i botti fanno paura! ("Dogs and cats are scared of fire- works!"). -Hai visto i botti ieri sera? Che meraviglia! - Did you see the fireworks last night? They were amaz- ing! -Quella canzone ha fatto il botto dopo che l'hanno usata in TV T h a t s o n g b e c a m e v e r y popular after they used it on TV LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Botti: we need them to welcome the new year! (Photo: R. Gino Santa Maria/Shutterfree Llc/ Dreamstime) 1 hand 2 book 3 two 4 light 5 Tuesday 6 friend 7 to drink 8 to run 9 to hold 10 head 11 door 12 three 13 to listen A C R O S S D O W N ITALIAN WORD SEARCH The solution to these word games will be available on the next edition. Games courtesy of Lexis Rex

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