Ebolitan Sayings and Proverbs

Tanté vaié a l'acqua a muscetora, ca se ne car'u maneché: So goes the pitcher to the fountain that the clay handle falls

Meaning: it all ends, but life goes on forever.

I ciucce se sciàrrane e i varréle vanne pe sott(e): Donkeys do the kicking and barrels suffer the damage

Meaning: The innocent pays for the sinners' sins

Chi sparte, av 'a meglia parte: The one dividing keeps the best half for himself.

Jinx and experience

Pònne cchiù l'uocchie ca i scuppettate: The eyes can do more than bullet shots. `Ncopp'o ccuotte, l'acqua vulluta: On top of the burn the water boils (meaning: one bad thing after another) Chi tène lenga se mmarìte, chi no, reste zita: who has tongue gets married, who doesnt use it stays single Parl'e parle, 'a nnammurata è sorda: You talk and talk, the lover is deaf (or: there is no worse deaf than he who doesn't want to hear) A ogne santu Vito, 'a mugliera vatt'u marite, ma si se vota 'a bannèra u marite vatt` a mugliera: With every occurrence of San Vito the wife beats the husband but if he loses his patience the husband beats the wife. 'A prèsse nunn'è mai bbona: Being in a hurry is never good. 'A vecchia cu i càuze rosse: The old lady with red socks.

Fatality and fortune

U' Pataterne manne i vascuotte a cchi nun tène riente: The holy father sends biscuits to the toothless A chi tante, e a chi niente: Some get a lot, some get nothing. Chi figlie e chi figliastre: Some are sons, some are stepsons Uocchie ca nun vére, còre ca nun sènte: Eye doesn't see, heart doesn't hear. A bbone re Ddie: come vène, vène: As God wants: we take what God gives us.

Spilorci, approfittatori ed egocentrici

I solde ru carrucchiar, se god u sciampagnone: the money of the greedy isn't enjoyed by them. Poche spiènne, poche appiènne: You spend little, you hang little. (saying of the poor). U sparagne è male guaragne: Saving is bad earning. Chi nunn'accatte e nun vénne, nun saghe e nun scenne: He who doesnt sell and doesn't buy doesn't go up or down. Petrusine ogne mnesta: Parley for every pot (said about people who always have something to say about everything)

Ambiguity and disappointments

Nun vutà 'a pizza: Don't flip the pizza; meaning don't change the cards dealt. Scart frusce e vvène premere: It is useless to change the game if bad luck follows you. Men 'a preta e accov 'a mane: Throws the stone and hides his hand. 'A gallina face l'uove, e o galle nce `ncrosche u cule: The hen lays the egg and the rooster gets scabs in his anal region.

Giochi di strada

Carrettella: Wooden planks with built in ball bearings on the bottom. These were used by young Ebolitans to speed down the steepest roads of the city sitting on them. Kids would race to see who was the fastest and who built the best Carrettella.

Ceppa: This game was played with prickly pears still on the cactus, they would clean them of their thorns. The game had different levels, in all of them the aim was to throw a knife with different techniques and different positions and successfully stab the prickly pears. Lu ppà: Some coins were places down creating a triangle shape. The person playing the game would hold it’s breath and then saying “ppà” with pressure would try to flip over as many coins as possible. He then won the coins that flipped.

Lisciato: game like hide and seek where the person seeking had to “tag” the people he/she found.

Scannatiello: game like hide and seek where the person counting had to tap an empty can on the ground to announce the people he/she found.

Scarruozzo: Game played by boys. They would lean against each other trying to form a curve and trying not to lose their balance as more and more kids joined in.

Settimana: Game similar to hopscotch.

Teccuà: Hide and Seek Uno, due, tee… stella!: Game similar to “red light, green light”

Zompa nguollo e pass’annanze: Game in which a person ducks down for the next person to run and jump over them pushing against their back with their hands.