Why "The Old Lady"?? (18 Viewers)

Tifoso

Sempre e solo Juve
Aug 12, 2005
5,162
#22
++ [ originally posted by Don Bes ] ++
the thing is that "the old lady" in italian sounds a lot more respectful than in english, in english it almost sounds as an insult when in fact it is quite the opposite
Exactly. It kinda means "the respectable older lady"; lady in the heraldic sense.
 

Respaul

Senior Member
Jul 14, 2002
4,734
#23
++ [ originally posted by Zizou ] ++
Kaiser was closest.

We are called the Old Lady cos when the team was founded, an old lady used to always watch our games so we were called "the team of the old lady" which with the years became quite simply known as the "Old Lady"
Can you actually back that up ? or are you jus talking of hearsay ?
 

swag

L'autista
Administrator
Sep 23, 2003
83,441
#24
++ [ originally posted by Tifoso Lou ] ++


Exactly. It kinda means "the respectable older lady"; lady in the heraldic sense.
I've wondered about that. My Italian instructor (from Viareggio ;) ) has told us how it would be considered rude these days to address an elderly woman as "vecchia". I forget the other adjective she recommended in its place, though. It may have been "anziana"...
 

Tifoso

Sempre e solo Juve
Aug 12, 2005
5,162
#34
++ [ originally posted by swag ] ++


I've wondered about that. My Italian instructor (from Viareggio ;) ) has told us how it would be considered rude these days to address an elderly woman as "vecchia". I forget the other adjective she recommended in its place, though. It may have been "anziana"...
It is. :)

Anziana means old, too....but more like "advanced in age"
 

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