L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 19, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano T h e I t a l i a n expression non ci sto (non tchi stoh) translates to "I don't agree" or "I won't stand for it" in English. It is often used to express firm disagreement or rejection of a proposal, situation, or idea. The phrase breaks down a s f o l l o w s : n o n m e a n s "not," ci refers to "there" or "in this," and sto comes from the verb stare, meaning "to stay" or "to be." Together, non ci sto literally means "I don't stay in this" or "I am n o t i n i t , " c o n v e y i n g t h e speaker's refusal to partici- pate or accept the situation. The phrase became par- ticularly famous in Italy in 1993 when then-President of the Republic, Oscar Luigi Scalfaro, used it publicly to reject political pressures. In a speech delivered during the Tangentopoli scandal, a nationwide political cor- ruption investigation, Scal- faro addressed the nation v i a a b r o a d c a s t , f i r m l y 5 (we) will lie (tell an untruth) 6 help 7 age 9 (plural of) in the; moles 10 (I) start (to set in motion) 12 (we) rest Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 wish 2 (has) been 3 three 4 (we) stop (not continue) 8 (you/tu) start (to set in motion) 11 you (plural) rejecting allegations that l i n k e d h i m t o m i s u s e o f s e c r e t f u n d s d u r i n g h i s tenure as Minister of the I n t e r i o r . H e h a d declared, A questo gioco al m a s s a c r o i o n o n c i s t o , that is "I won't be part of this massacre." In everyday usage, non ci s t o i s c o m m o n l y h e a r d when someone is disagree- ing strongly or refusing to compromise. It's a way of standing one's ground in a discussion, negotiation, or confrontation. Mi dispiace, ma non ci sto a fare tutto questo lavo- ro da solo I ' m s o r r y , b u t I w o n ' t s t a n d f o r d o i n g a l l t h i s work alone Non ci sto a subire que- ste accuse ingiuste I w o n ' t a c c e p t t h e s e unfair accusations M i h a n n o c h i e s t o d i accettare questo compro- messo, ma non ci sto They asked me to accept t h i s c o m p r o m i s e , b u t I won't stand for it LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Non ci sto: the phrase you say when you want to stand up for yourself (Photo: Volodymyr Tverdokhlib/Dreamstime) 1 bird 2 man 3 to look 4 to drink 5 to hold 6 heart 7 three 8 light 9 book 10 one 11 two 12 son 13 head 14 door 15 father 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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