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Italian · Frustration

Porca paletta!

POR-kah pah-LET-tah · /ˈpor.ka paˈlet.ta/

Darn it! / Dang!

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"Pig little-shovel"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

The most innocent branch of the "porca ___" family: pairing the pig with a tiny shovel is deliberately silly, a way to start the blasphemous cadence and swerve into cuteness. Family-safe, a bit playful, slightly retro-charming. Comedians love it.

Heard in the wild

Porca paletta, ho sbagliato strada.

Dang it, I took the wrong road.

Where it lands

Universal across Italy

Quick answers

What does "Porca paletta!" mean?
In Italian, "Porca paletta!" means "Darn it! / Dang!". Literally it's "Pig little-shovel". The most innocent branch of the "porca ___" family: pairing the pig with a tiny shovel is deliberately silly, a way to start the blasphemous cadence and swerve into cuteness. Family-safe, a bit playful, slightly retro-charming. Comedians love it.
Is "Porca paletta!" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "Porca paletta!"?
Say it "POR-kah pah-LET-tah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈpor.ka paˈlet.ta.

Related in Italian

Cazzo! KAHT-tso Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse. Merda! MEHR-dah Shit! / Damn it! Che palle! kay PAHL-lay What a pain in the ass! / So annoying! Porca miseria! POR-kah mee-ZEH-ryah Dammit! / For heaven's sake! Minchia! MEEN-kyah Holy shit! / Wow! / Damn! Cavolo! KAH-vo-lo Darn! / Shoot! / The clean stand-in for cazzo.

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Damn".

how to say "Damn" →

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