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disse il pazzo alla puttana

English translation: said the madman to the whore

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Italian term or phrase:disse il pazzo alla puttana
English translation:said the madman to the whore
Entered by: Lara Barnett

08:49 Jan 29, 2018
Italian to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Character-based fiction
Italian term or phrase: disse il pazzo alla puttana
I don't get what he is saying here. The young guy has just dropped in a girl he met and, having passed by her home the night before and seeing a man leaving her block of apartments, he is now interrogating her about who she has had in her bed. She has no idea what he is talking about and does not seem to have had anybody there the night before.


“Sei pazzo. Completamente fuori di testa.” (Girl)
“Ognuno ha i suoi difetti, disse il pazzo alla puttana.” (Guy)
Lara Barnett
United Kingdom
Local time: 02:02
said the madman to the whore
Explanation:
He's saying that he might be mad, but she's a whore...

I think

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Note added at 5 hrs (2018-01-29 14:01:21 GMT)
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actually "crazy guy" might be better, having seen Lisa and Anthony's suggestions:

She says "You're crazy" He replies "said the crazy guy to the whore"....

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Note added at 6 hrs (2018-01-29 15:48:05 GMT)
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Personally I like "You're mad.....and then "madman"
Selected response from:

julie-h
Local time: 03:02
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3said the madman to the whore
julie-h
4 +1"...said the screwball to the slut."
Janice Giffin
3 -1said the nut job to the female fucker
Barbara Cochran, MFA


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


3 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
"...said the screwball to the slut."


Explanation:
Given the placement of the quotation marks, we don't actually know if she really is a prostitute. We only know that he calls her that.
Since the original text uses two nouns starting with "p", I though the same effect might be achieved in English: "crackpot to the call girl" could be another possibility.

Janice Giffin
Italy
Local time: 03:02
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 78

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  writeaway: depends if Asker prefers a more literal translation. As to actual context, it's anyone's guess
1 hr
  -> Good point. Those quotation marks are telling, however...
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
said the nut job to the female fucker


Explanation:
Another, much more colorful possibility.

Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 21:02
Meets criteria
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 42

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  Janice Giffin: "Fucker" doesn't seem to be a good translation of "puttana"; isn't it a vulgar insult meaning a stupid or contemptible person?
1 hr
  -> No, it can also mean someone who has sex, in a vulgar kind of way: www.collinsdictionary.com/dictionary/english/fucker.
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8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
said the madman to the whore


Explanation:
He's saying that he might be mad, but she's a whore...

I think

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 hrs (2018-01-29 14:01:21 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

actually "crazy guy" might be better, having seen Lisa and Anthony's suggestions:

She says "You're crazy" He replies "said the crazy guy to the whore"....

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 6 hrs (2018-01-29 15:48:05 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Personally I like "You're mad.....and then "madman"

julie-h
Local time: 03:02
Meets criteria
Works in field
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 8
Notes to answerer
Asker: I did put mad, but I did not think about how the next line reads, I guess: “You’re crazy. You are completely off your head.” (followed by) "Everybody has their flaws, said the crazy-man to the whore " ???

Asker: So is it crazyman or madman, the final choice?


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Lisa Jane: Or mad guy
1 hr
agree  Anthony Mazzorana (X): Or crazy man, because I think it'll be dictated by how you translated "sei pazzo" If you went with, "you're crazy, outta your mind!" Then the next line should be imo said the crazy man to the whore. He's not denying that he's crazy...
4 hrs
  -> I thought that but then decided that "crazy man" isn't actually something you'd say, whereas "madman" is.
agree  philgoddard
5 hrs
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