Selection of Sicilian proverbs, sayings and idioms most used in Sicily, including translation into Italian, as testimony to the wisdom of its people.
Sicilian idioms
- Prisons, illness and nicissities, see the choruses of friends. (In prison, in sickness and in needs, the hearts of friends are seen)
- Zoccu now sucks veni lu tempu ca si ddisia. (What is now despised one day will be desired)
- Ccu friends and ccuparents, 'an accattari and' a vinniri nienti. (With friends and relatives, don't buy or sell anything)
- Uomu of panza uomu of sustanza. (Belly man, substance man)
- Cu ’è picciottu è riccu. (Who is young is rich)
- U venniri is nature, as it updates dark accussì. (Friday is natural, as day goes, so it dies)
- Cu avi lingua arrives in Rome. (Who has language arrives in Rome)
- Respect is measured, where you wear it. (Respect is measured, whoever brings it receives it)
- Cu bonu simina, megghiu arricogghi. (He who sows well, best reaps)
- U lupu of bad bearing as it works accussì penza. (The dishonest wolf thinks of others what he could do)
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- Cu campa pava e cu mori is cunnutu. (He who lives pays, and who dies "lies")
- All the cunsigghi pìgghia, but u to nun u lassari. (Listen to all the advice, but don't give up on your idea)
- Cu campa vecchiou is done. (Who lives becomes old)
- Triulu 'nsigna in chianciri. (Suffering teaches or cry)
- Cu lassa a vecchia ppà nova worse is found. (Anyone who leaves the old for the new will be hurt.)
- Teniri na vipera intra the sleeve. (Raising a snake in the breast)
- Aceddu ‘nta la aggia does not sing puri amuri, but more rays. (Bird in a cage does not sing out of love, but out of anger)
- Such patri ei figghiu. (Like father Like Son)
- Water, cunsigghiu and salt to cu n’addumanna `n ci nni dari. (Water, advice and salt don't give to anyone who doesn't ask you)
- Such mothers, such fighia, goes 'bbiassi' nta larigghia. (Like mother, like daughter, I'd throw you on the grill)
- A ucca is quantu n’aneddu, you eat turri, palaces and casteddu. (The mouth is as much as a ring, but you eat towers, palaces and castles)
- Spi spade and you will enrich, para spade and 'nzirtirai, tip spade and campirai. (Spend little and you will get rich, talk little and it will be the best choice, eat little and live long)
- Amuri nun hear cunsigghi. (Love hears no advice)
- You are more afraid of crows' and you sow linusa, not putissimu aviri la cammisa. (If for fear of the crows we do not sow linen, we could not have a shirt)
- A pignata vaddata you never empty. (The pan watched never boils)
- Simina ventu and ricpesta timpesta. (Sow wind and reap storm)
- Aspitrari and non veniri, jiri a tavula and non manciari, jiri or lettu and non durmiri su` tri penises of muriri. (Waiting for someone who doesn't come, go to table and not eat, go to bed and don't sleep are three pains to die for)
- Scàcciti juncu ca passes the china. (Bend over rush because the flood passes)
- Attack lu sceccu unni flights u patruni. (Tie the donkey where the master wants)
- Get rich with good taste, get poor with chistu. (He enriches himself by contenting himself with "as good as he is", he is impoverished with curiosity "this is what")
Sicilian sayings
- Bon tempu and malu tempu, nun dura tuttu tempu. (Good weather and bad weather don't always last)
- When the pear is ripe it falls by itself. (As time goes by, situations clear up on their own)
- Prisons, illness and nicissities, see the choruses of friends. (In prison, in sickness and in needs, the hearts of friends are seen)
- Quannu u diavulu allies fly your weapon. (When the devil flatters you he wants the soul)
- Ccu friends and ccuparents, 'an accattari and' a vinniri nienti. (With friends and relatives, don't buy or sell anything)
- Quannu lu jardinu and siccu, abbivira. (When the garden is arid, it is watered)
- Cu ’è picciottu è riccu. (Who is young is rich)
- Quannu the language flights parrari, first to lu cori to dumannari. (When the language wants to speak, it must first ask the heart)
- Cu avi lingua arrives in Rome. (Who has language arrives in Rome)
- Quannu amuri flights, find locu. (When love wants, find how to do it)
- Cu bonu simina, megghiu arricogghi. (He who sows well, best reaps)
- Quannu the furtuna votes every amicu suntun. (When luck turns its back on all friends go away)
- Cu campa pava e cu mori is cunnutu. (He who lives pays, and who dies "lies")
- Before 'parari chews the words. (Before speaking she chews the words)
- Cu campa vecchiou is done. (Who lives becomes old)
- Every dog is there in the house. (Every dog in his house feels like a lion)
- Cu lassa a vecchia ppà nova worse is found. (Anyone who leaves the old for the new will be hurt.)
- Occhiu ca non viri, cori ca non doli. (Eye that does not see, heart that does not hurt)
- Cu tip makes muddichi. (Who eats makes crumbs)
- Either you miss soup or you have a window. (Either eat this soup or throw yourself out the window)
- Cu mania non pinia. (Who has his hands in dough is fine)
- Nun ludari la jurnata dark nun the sirata. (Don't praise the day if the evening hasn't passed)
- Cu n’ arrisica na ’arrussica. (Nothing ventured nothing gained)
- There is no sabitu without suli and there is no female without amuri. (There is no Saturday without sun and there is no woman without love)
- Cu ’nesci, arrinesci. (Whoever goes out succeeds)
- You are not always arriri a muggheri do latru. (Not always the thief's wife laughs)
- Cu does not nenti not sbagghia nenti. (Only those who do nothing don't make mistakes)
- No prumettiri and saints diuna nor carusi cudduruna. (Don't promise fasting saints and buns to boys)
- Cu pava first, eat pisci fitusu. (Who pays first, eats rotten fish)
- Nuddu is pigghata si non resumigghia. (People are chosen because they look alike)
Sicilian proverbs
- First of all, think about the uttimu suspira. (Who does not think before acting, in the end he just has to sigh)
- Don't let us fall and wall. (I have nowhere to fall and die)
- Cu spatti avi a megghiu parti. (Whoever divides has the best part)
- Non aiu mancu salt salera. (I don't even have salt from the salt shaker)
- Cu spits 'ncelu' nfacci ci tonna. (Who spits - blasphemy - in heaven, returns to our faces)
- Christmas or suli and Easter or tizzuni tannu is in true staggiuni. (Christmas in the sun and Easter in the cold, then it's the real season)
- Cu u u spassu flights hangs on signa. (Who wants a pastime buys the monkey)
- Munti cù munti non sincontrunu never. (The mountains never meet with other mountains)
- Whose vine vines, and chianta vines, never vinnigna. (Whoever removes the vine, and replanted the vine, never reaps)
- Mercuri intra and simana fora. (Wednesday in and week out)
- Marti neither apologizes nor leaves. (Tuesdays do not marry or leave)
- Megghiu l'ovu today ca to iaddina dumani. (Better the egg today than the hen tomorrow)
- Say `rose 'thorn. (Of ‘a thorn you are born’ in a rose. From a rose a thorn is born, from a thorn a rose is born)
- Malidittu u mummuriaturi, but very close to being a mummuriary. (Cursed those who shoot, but more those who get talked about)
- Dui su 'i putenti, cu avi molto e cu avi nenti. (Two are the powerful, those who have a lot and those who have nothing)
- Lu sazio nun cridi a lu dijunu. (Those who are satisfied do not believe in fasting)
- Do goods and forget them, do evil and think about it. (Do it well and forget it, do it wrong and think about it)
- Lu gilusu mori curnutu. (The jealous dies cuckold)
- Bearded female, mancu di luntanu says goodbye. (Bearded woman, not even from afar)
- The omu is lu focu, and the woman is the stuppa; lu diavulu come and go. (The man is the fire, the woman is the tow, the devil comes and blows us)
- Fimmina pilusa bona vinturusa. (Hairy woman is lucky)
- Good language, good weapon. (Good language, good soul)
- Geniu is bidding. (Intelligence makes beauty)
- Woe to the pinata you know the spoon. (The trouble of the pot knows them the spoon)
- The woman, lu ventu and the vintura pocu dura. (The woman, the wind and the fate do not last)
- The good girl makes the house, the mad woman gets rid of it. (The good woman makes the house, the mad woman destroys it)
- Omu of bad bearing, comu operates in cussi ’penza. (The man of bad conscience, how he acts so he thinks)
- The Amuri is musuratu, cu lu porta, havi purtatu. (Love is measured, whoever wears it will get it back)
- The matinata makes the jurnata. (The morning makes the day)
