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Art/Literary - Cinema, Film, TV, Drama / Telenovela | | German term or phrase: schmalzlockig | Greetings,
In a telenovela I watched recently, an Italian was described as schmalzlockig by a rather uptight, fussy person.
What exactly does schmalzlockig mean and how is it used?
Just in case it's offensive I'll mark this accordingly – obviously I can't be 100% sure
if it's offensive or not until I get the exact definition.
All the best, and many thanks,
Simon |
| SeiTTKudoZ activityQuestions: 2694 (none open) ( 3 closed without grading) Answers: 1
United Kingdom
| Local time: 08:44
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| | English translation:greased-back Italian | Explanation:
All of the answers are right. The first couple interpret what is literally being implied, but IMHO don't capture the pejorative aspect enough. Michele hit the nail on the head, except there is a bit of playroom in between "greasy Italian", which is VERY negative, and a "greased-back Italian" or some similar construction, which tempers it a bit.
Really depends on the context, but I wanted to make sure it's clear that there is a spectrum of meaning available here.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2009-11-27 09:51:17 GMT)
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Was thinking about this... the choice is between 'greasy haired Italian', which is an ethnic slur, i.e. the Italians are a greasy bunch, and 'greased-back Italian', which is also negative, but is a comment as much on class as race. Not sure which you need without seeing the full context. |
| Selected response from:
  Steven Sidore
Germany
Local time: 09:44
| Grading comment many thanks excellent
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer |
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| Discussion entries: 0 |
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Automatic update in 00:
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19 mins confidence: 
30 mins confidence:  peer agreement (net): +1 "with pomaded hair" - but includes more
Explanation:
Interesting question!
In the literal sense, "schmalzlockig" means that the person has used pomade to grease his (curly) hair. I am saying "his" because I have never heard it used for females.
(Actually, "Schmalz" means lard. I don't know whether people actually used that to grease their hair back in the old days.)
The word is used in (pejorative) descriptions of what is sometimes referred to as the "latin lover" or "gigolo" type, usually of South European or Latin American origin. I've never heard it used when referring to a blond German, Swiss or Swedish guy. I suppose it has to do with the fact that compared to North and Central Europeans, men from the South have (or used to have) a specific way of "grooming" themselves, in terms of hair style and clothing. In other words, the term has come to include more than just the hairdo.
It is not used that often any more, though, and I think that much of it goes back to the fact that after the Second World War, when lots of men from other countries came to Germany as "Gastarbeiter", people here - largely ignorant of other cultures - responded accordingly, and often very insensitively.
Hope this helps. Have a good day!
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37 mins confidence: peer agreement (net): +2 greasy, oily, slimy
Explanation:
http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schmalzlocke See also "Schmalzlocke" at google image search - it should be pretty clear. Schmalz = fat, oil, Locken = curls, hair. Pompadour yes, but don't you think it was used here as a bit of a value/character judgment? You know, the stereotypical "greasy Italian". Greasers were an American subculture of pompadour youth in the 1950s, but I might avoid that because it is also a derogatory term for a Mexican in US slang. There are specific derogatory words for that Italian stereotype in US english, not sure you want to get into them?
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1 hr confidence: peer agreement (net): +4 greased-back Italian
Explanation:
All of the answers are right. The first couple interpret what is literally being implied, but IMHO don't capture the pejorative aspect enough. Michele hit the nail on the head, except there is a bit of playroom in between "greasy Italian", which is VERY negative, and a "greased-back Italian" or some similar construction, which tempers it a bit.
Really depends on the context, but I wanted to make sure it's clear that there is a spectrum of meaning available here.
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Note added at 2 hrs (2009-11-27 09:51:17 GMT)
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Was thinking about this... the choice is between 'greasy haired Italian', which is an ethnic slur, i.e. the Italians are a greasy bunch, and 'greased-back Italian', which is also negative, but is a comment as much on class as race. Not sure which you need without seeing the full context.
| Steven Sidore
Germany
Local time: 09:44
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:  English
PRO pts in category: 12
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The translation workplace 
