Italian · Frustration
Che due palle!
kay DOO-ay PAHL-lay · /ke ˈdu.e ˈpal.le/
What an unbelievable pain in the ass!
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"What two balls"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
"Che palle" with the volume up — specifying both testicles adds emphasis, like escalating from "ugh" to "oh for crying out loud." Same coarse-but-common register. Reach for it when one "palle" doesn't capture the tedium.
Heard in the wild
Devo rifare tutto da capo? Che due palle!
I have to redo it all from scratch? What a colossal pain!
Where it lands
Universal across Italy
Quick answers
- What does "Che due palle!" mean?
- In Italian, "Che due palle!" means "What an unbelievable pain in the ass!". Literally it's "What two balls". "Che palle" with the volume up — specifying both testicles adds emphasis, like escalating from "ugh" to "oh for crying out loud." Same coarse-but-common register. Reach for it when one "palle" doesn't capture the tedium.
- Is "Che due palle!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 2/5 (Bar-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances.
- How do you pronounce "Che due palle!"?
- Say it "kay DOO-ay PAHL-lay" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ke ˈdu.e ˈpal.le.
Related in Italian
Cazzo! KAHT-tso Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse. Che palle! kay PAHL-lay What a pain in the ass! / So annoying! Rompiscatole! rom-pee-SKAH-to-lay Pain in the neck / nuisance Mannaggia! mahn-NAH-jah Damn it! / Curse it! Porca puttana! POR-kah poot-TAH-nah Holy shit! / Goddammit! Porca troia! POR-kah TROY-ah Fucking hell! / Goddammit!
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