Gianfranco Lotti
Dizionario degli Insulti

THE REVIEW

"Tell me how you insult and I'll tell you who you are" T.P.

Never like in recent days have I seen bursts of more or less colorful and imaginative insults reappear, both in real life and (why not) online. Incredible, isn’t it?

We often experience the annoying overtaking of a reckless scooter, a particularly rude shop assistant, or a grumpy and unkind postal worker. In such cases, we find ourselves automatically reciting, like mantras, mostly dated and often banal insults and invectives, phrases that are ingrained and sedimented in our brains, having absorbed swear words and insults of all sorts since childhood. Let’s admit it: even in insulting, we lack attention to form and style, easily descending into gratuitous vulgarity that is neither amusing nor intelligent. We settle for the first word that comes to mind in a fit of rage and little more, forgetting to add "our own touch" or personalize the epithet.

To remedy this annoying handicap, there is the "Dictionary of Insults" (Ediz. Orsa Maggiore, 1991) by Gianfranco Lotti, who meticulously researched the semantic and historical origins of certain offenses we commonly use: from the traditional vaffanculo to figlio di puttana, which we've all used at least once in our lives. The research is thorough and complex and also considers (from A to Z) sayings or words drawn from historical works or books, such as the Aeneid or The Betrothed. Expressions now obsolete, which if spoken today would only bring a smile.

The dictionary is, however, missing a host of words that have come into prominence in recent years (from DeBaseriota to VaffanClooney to MoSonMarrazzituoi), making the work an incomplete hybrid aimed more at the learned researchers of the Ancient Ars Oratoria than at people who urgently need a quick reference guide, akin to guides or phrasebooks when traveling abroad.

In short, while some stories linked to certain expressions (Malimortaccitua, typical of Rome, has a truly curious genesis) may have a somewhat folkloric, even amusing flavor, others get lost in sterile research of very little relevance that tends to be obsessive and dull.

Nevertheless, this will always be the classic dictionary that remains always "old", as insults are renewed day by day, and no one will ever be able to put an end to an Art (?) debated and controversial, in continuous evolution, in which Italians excel worldwide.