Re: [Harp-L] re: Smoke-filled rooms

[Joe and Cass Leone <leone@xxxxxxxx>]

On Dec 5, 2008, at 1:54 PM, Drew Ross wrote:
> Joe --
>
> As non-smoking as I am, you get lots of points for being the only  
> other person besides my very Italian (by way of New York) wife who  
> uses the term ... not sure of the spelling, something like ciucca.

Her spelling (ciuccia) is correct. I was spelling it phonetically  
because ciuccia would come across (to Americans anyway), as  'Key-oo- 
chee-ah', beings that they don't know that the C is used BOTH hard  
and soft in Italian as there IS no letter K.   lolol

As for N.Y., I lived there when we weren't in Europe. (Bensonhurst  
Brooklyn, E. 93rd Manhattan, and Silver Lake, Staten Is.)

> For the rest of you, it is Italian for donkey, and it usually  
> connotes a male who is too much ... well, you can guess the rest.

An A$$. A ciuccia is a donkey or burro. Members of the Ass family. In  
other words. if I knew that I wasn't going to be able to have a  
ciggie for 17 hours, I could have stayed outside the security area  
for another hour.  :(

> Southern Italians often shorten it to something like "chooch."

Right. Calabrese, Sicillians, Napolitanos, Abruzzese, Lucanians, etc.
> I must admit to thinking that smoking would get in the way of harp  
> playing, but since I'd start wheezing as soon as I ever tried to  
> light up, I may be speaking too much relative to me.

A person who is not used to being around smokers WILL have adverse  
effects. My mother smoked, so I was more acclimated than others. My  
father smoked big Cuban cigars...but didn't inhale. My mother never  
smoked around non smokers and she taught me do do likewise. I always  
smoke outside. I feel sorry especially for musicians, waiters,  
waitresses, bar tenders for this reason. Those poor people are  
'Captive'.

Jo-Zeppi
> Aloha,
> Drew