SILLY WEEK - PROVERBS AND IDIOMS

To round off  Silly Week, here are some strange - though sometimes very apt - Sicilian proverbs and idioms.  To make it more interesting, I've turned it into a quiz so see if you can match the proverbs and idioms 1 - 6 with their meanings a - f. The answers are at the bottom of the post.

Proverbs

1.  Cui sputa 'n celu, 'n facci cci torna.
2.  Màritati e mùli hanu a stàri suli.
3.  Unni ci sù vòsca ci su' lùpi e ùnni ci sù campàni ci sù buttàni.
4.  L'amuri è comu 'n çiuovu, si 'u scippi ci rresta 'u pirtusu.
5.  Sutta 'i linzola siemu tutti richi.
6.  Cu' è fissa si ni stapi a sa casa.

a.  We are all rich under the sheets.
b.  He who spits towards the sky will get the spit back in his face [or "What goes round, comes round".]
c.  Where there are woods there are wolves and where there are bells [ie., in towns] there are whores.
d.  Let a stupid person be stupid at home [to protect him and save the family from shame!]
e.  Love is like a nail - when you pull it out, you can still see the hole.
f.  Married couples and mules need to be left alone [ because the married couple need time alone and if you leave a mule alone you can't get kicked!]

Idioms


1.  Ti sienti tuttu carciuòfila.
2.  Sunu tuttu amuri e bruoru di çiçiri.
3.  Chiddu mi pari paliccu.
4.  Ci puoi calari a' pasta!
5.  Farisi cacari am mucca.
6.  Hai 'i manu ri ricotta.

a.  He looks like a toothpick [said of someone who is too thin or of someone whose opinion counts for nothing.]
b.  You've got ricotta hands [said to someone clumsy].
c.  You can throw the pasta in the pot [meaning you can count on something].
d.  They're all love and chickpea broth [said of people who are lovesick].
e.  You feel like an artichoke [said to someone who gives themselves airs].
f.  To make someone defecate in their mouth [meaning to humiliate someone].

For answers, highlight the space below:
Proverbs: 1b; 2f; 3c; 4e; 5a; 6d.  Idioms: 1e; 2d; 3a; 4c; 5f; 6b.