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fumare come un turco. In DICTIOUS you will not only get to know all the dictionary meanings for the word
fumare come un turco, but we will also tell you about its etymology, its characteristics and you will know how to say
fumare come un turco in singular and plural. Everything you need to know about the word
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Italian
Etymology
Literally, “to smoke like a Turk”. This expression is thought to date back to the 17th century, referencing a drastic increase in tobacco use in Turkey following the death of Ottoman sultan Murad IV (1612–1640), who had imposed a strict, highly-unpopular ban on the smoking of tobacco. Cognate with French fumer comme un Turc.
Verb
fumàre come un turco (first-person singular present fùmo come un turco, first-person singular past historic fumài come un turco, past participle fumàto come un turco, auxiliary avére)
- (informal, simile, intransitive) to smoke like a chimney (smoke tobacco frequently)
- Synonym: fumare come una ciminiera
1864, “Babette d'Interlaken” (chapter 24), Parte II - Caratteri, in Fiori di racconti, descrizioni, costumi e caratteri tratti dalle opere del padre Antonio Bresciani, volume 3, Modena, Rome, Venice: Giovanni Bencivenga; Gio Battista Merlo, page 244:Bestemmiava come un radicale, trincava come un argoviano, fumava come un turco, tirava la carabina come un bersagliere, maneggiava il pugnale come uno schermitore.- She [Babette of Interlaken] swore like a pagan, drank like a fish, smoked like a chimney, used a carbine like a sharpshooter, handled a knife like a swordsman.
- (literally, “She used to swear like a radical, drink like an Argovian, smoke like a Turk, shoot the carbine like a sharpshooter, handle a knife like a swordsman.”)
1908, Olindo Guerrini, “L'ultimo amore”, in Brani di vita; republished Bologna: Zanichelli, 1917, page 24:Fumavo come un turco, bevevo come un tedesco, merendavo nei suburbi con vergini eterodosse come un francese; insomma galoppavo come un puledro cui si allenti la briglia.- I was smoking like a chimney, drinking like a fish, having picnics in the suburbs together with unorthodox virgins like a Frenchman; I was galloping like a foal with its reins loose.
1923, Italo Svevo, “Fumo”, in La coscienza di Zeno; republished, Dall'Oglio editore, 1976:M’ero dimostrato poco idoneo alla chimica anche per la mia deficienza di abilità manuale. Come avrei potuto averla quando continuavo a fumare come un turco?- I proved to be ill-suited for chemistry, also because of my lack of manual ability. How could I have had it, when I kept on smoking like a chimney?
Conjugation