FW: Query: alleged word "mingya"

[Frank Abate]

Adding to what has been mentioned already, the word is heard in the movie
Godfather II, from the character young Clemenza, who says it several times,
in scenes where the dialogue is in Sicilian dialect.

The etym from Latin mentula makes good sense -- the Latin word was also
vulgar (both senses), appearing very infrequently, one famous time in a
bawdy poem of Catullus.  The sound change from mentula to minchia (whatever
the spelling) is defensible.

I heard it recently (this past summer) "in the flesh" from the mouth of my
washing machine repair guy, who is a late-50ish Italian American from
central Conn.  So it's still around.

Frank Abate

***********************

It comes from a Southern Italian dialect word for "penis"  I guess the
spelling would be "minghia" (stress on first syllable)  Italian Americans
have used it for several generations as a gross expletive for "Wow!" or
"Holy Sh*t!"

Pete Farruggio


'

At 05:23 PM 1/4/03, you wrote:

>   A friend sent me a query about an alleged word "mingya." Would
>anyone have any information about it? The query appears below my
>signoff.
>
>    Also, many thanx for the responses to my earlier queries.
>
>Gerald Cohen
>
>
>[Message I received on "mingya"]:
>
>>A bookselling colleague raised a question that none of us have been
>>able to answer. I have checked my etymologies and on-line sites with
>>no definitive answer. It may be entirely a regional use, but here
>>goes, in case you or someone else can supply an answer:
>>
>>>  i need a definition of the word 'mingya.'
>>>
>>>  it's a commonly used expression here in the Merrimack valley
>>>  and I would like to use it in a newspaper column for the new year.
>>>  however the editor/publisher has no idea what it means,
>>>  (not surprising)
>>>  and we would like to have some inkling.
>>
>>Any help appreciated!
>
>
>
>
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