Italian · At the Match
Arbitro venduto!
AR-bee-tro ven-DOO-to · /ˈar.bi.tro venˈdu.to/
The ref's been bought! / Bent referee!
2/5 Bar-safe
coarse but friendly; fine among acquaintances
Literally
"Sold referee"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The other half of the terrace's greatest hits: an accusation of corruption rather than a personal insult, so it's a step milder than "cornuto." Given Italian football's real history of match-fixing scandals (calciopoli), it lands with feeling. "Ladri!" (thieves) is the shorter cousin.
Heard in the wild
Ma quello non era fuorigioco! Arbitro venduto!
That wasn't offside! The ref's been paid off!
Where it lands
Universal across Italy (stadium context)
Quick answers
- What does "Arbitro venduto!" mean?
- In Italian, "Arbitro venduto!" means "The ref's been bought! / Bent referee!". Literally it's "Sold referee". The other half of the terrace's greatest hits: an accusation of corruption rather than a personal insult, so it's a step milder than "cornuto." Given Italian football's real history of match-fixing scandals (calciopoli), it lands with feeling. "Ladri!" (thieves) is the shorter cousin.
- Is "Arbitro venduto!" 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 "Arbitro venduto!"?
- Say it "AR-bee-tro ven-DOO-to" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈar.bi.tro venˈdu.to.
Related in Italian
Arbitro cornuto! AR-bee-tro kor-NOO-to You cheating cuckold of a ref! Rigore! ree-GO-ray Penalty! (screamed appeal) Forza! FOR-tsah Come on! / Let's go! / Go [team]! Dai! DYE Come on! / Come off it! / Please! Cazzo! KAHT-tso Fuck! / Damn! / The all-purpose Italian curse. Che cazzo?! kay KAHT-tso What the fuck?!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Screw you".
- French Enculé ! Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults)
- German Verpiss dich! Piss off! / Clear off (with force)!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Japanese クソ野郎 Piece of shit / shitty bastard
- Korean 개새끼 Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading.
- Polish ty kurwo You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely.
- Portuguese Filho da puta Son of a bitch / bastard
- Russian Средний палец Screw you / the finger
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