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Bleak House — Page 8

English → It CHAPTER I Level 9/10

Articled clerks have been in the habit of fleshing their legal wit upon it.

I praticanti di studio legale hanno avuto l'abitudine di affilare il loro ingegno giuridico su di essa.

The last Lord Chancellor handled it neatly, when, correcting Mr. Blowers, the eminent silk gown who said that such a thing might happen when the sky rained potatoes, he observed, "or when we get through Jarndyce and Jarndyce, Mr. Blowers"—a pleasantry that particularly tickled the maces, bags, and purses.

L'ultimo Lord Cancelliere la maneggiò con eleganza, quando, correggendo il signor Blowers, l'illustre avvocato che aveva detto che una tale cosa sarebbe potuta accadere quando il cielo avesse fatto piovere patate, osservò: «o quando avremo finito con Jarndyce contro Jarndyce, signor Blowers» — una battuta che fece particolarmente ridere le mazze, le borse e i borsellini.

How many people out of the suit Jarndyce and Jarndyce has stretched forth its unwholesome hand to spoil and corrupt would be a very wide question.

Quante persone estranee alla causa Jarndyce contro Jarndyce abbiano subito il contatto della sua malsana mano che corrompe e rovina sarebbe una questione assai vasta.

From the master upon whose impaling files reams of dusty warrants in Jarndyce and Jarndyce have grimly writhed into many shapes, down to the copying-clerk in the Six Clerks' Office who has copied his tens of thousands of Chancery folio-pages under that eternal heading, no man's nature has been made better by it.

Dal cancelliere sui cui aguzzi archivi risme di polverosi atti di Jarndyce contro Jarndyce si sono contorte cupamente in mille forme, fino al copista dell'Ufficio dei Sei Cancellieri che ha trascritto le sue decine di migliaia di pagine in folio della Cancelleria sotto quella dicitura eterna, la natura di nessun uomo ne è stata migliorata.

In trickery, evasion, procrastination, spoliation, botheration, under false pretences of all sorts, there are influences that can never come to good.

Nell'inganno, nell'evasione, nella procrastinazione, nella spoliazione, nel fastidio, sotto false pretese di ogni sorta, vi sono influenze che non possono mai portare a nulla di buono.

The very solicitors' boys who have kept the wretched suitors at bay, by protesting time out of mind that Mr. Chizzle, Mizzle, or otherwise was particularly engaged and had appointments until dinner, may have got an extra moral twist and shuffle into themselves out of Jarndyce and Jarndyce.

Perfino i fattorini degli avvocati che hanno tenuto a bada i miserabili litiganti, dichiarando da tempo immemorabile che il signor Chizzle, Mizzle, o chiunque altro era particolarmente impegnato e aveva appuntamenti fino all'ora di cena, potrebbero aver acquisito da Jarndyce contro Jarndyce una torsione e un'ambiguità morale in più.

The receiver in the cause has acquired a goodly sum of money by it but has acquired too a distrust of his own mother and a contempt for his own kind.

Il curatore della causa ha guadagnato una bella somma di denaro grazie ad essa, ma ha acquisito anche una sfiducia verso la propria madre e un disprezzo per il proprio genere.

Vocabulary

praticanti
pra-ti-KAN-ti — Trainees or apprentices, especially in a profession
studio
STU-dyo — Office, study, or professional firm
legale
le-GA-le — Relating to law; legal
abitudine
a-bi-TU-di-ne — Habit or customary practice
affilare
af-fi-LA-re — To sharpen a blade or whet one's mind
ingegno
in-JEN-yo — Wit, intellect, or mental sharpness
giuridico
ju-RI-di-ko — Juridical; relating to law or legal matters
L'ultimo
lul-TI-mo — The last one; the final person or thing
Cancelliere
kan-chel-LYE-re — Chancellor; high-ranking legal or government official
maneggiò
ma-ned-JO — He/she handled or managed something skillfully
eleganza
e-le-GAN-tsa — Elegance; graceful and refined style
correggendo
kor-red-JEN-do — Gerund of 'correggere'; correcting or reprimanding someone
illustre
il-LUS-tre — Illustrious; distinguished and highly respected
avvocato
av-vo-KA-to — Lawyer or attorney who pleads in court
tale
TA-le — Such; of that kind or nature
sarebbe
sa-REB-be — Conditional form of 'essere'; would be
accadere
ak-ka-DE-re — To happen or occur; to come about
cielo
CHYE-lo — Sky or heaven; also used in exclamations
avesse
a-VES-se — Third person singular imperfect subjunctive of 'avere'
piovere
PYO-ve-re — To rain; to fall from the sky like rain
patate
pa-TA-te — Potatoes; common edible root vegetables
osservò
os-ser-VO — He/she observed or remarked upon something
contro
KON-tro — Preposition meaning 'against' or 'versus'
battuta
bat-TU-ta — A witty remark, joke, or clever quip
particolarmente
par-ti-ko-lar-MEN-te — Particularly; especially or in a special manner
ridere
RI-de-re — To laugh; to express amusement audibly
mazze
MAT-tse — Maces or clubs; heavy stick-like objects
borse
BOR-se — Bags or purses; containers for carrying belongings
borsellini
bor-sel-LI-ni — Small wallets or coin purses
estranee
es-TRA-ne-e — Unrelated or uninvolved; foreign to the matter
causa
KAU-za — Legal case or lawsuit; also a cause or reason
abbiano
AB-bya-no — Third person plural present subjunctive of 'avere'
subito
SU-bi-to — Immediately; also past participle of 'subire', suffered
contatto
kon-TAT-to — Contact; a touch or connection with someone
malsana
mal-SA-na — Unhealthy, unwholesome, or corrupt in nature
corrompe
kor-ROM-pe — Corrupts; morally or physically taints something
rovina
ro-VI-na — Ruin; destruction or downfall of something
questione
kwes-TYO-ne — Question or issue; a matter under discussion
assai
as-SAI — Very; quite a lot, greatly (archaic/literary)
vasta
VAS-ta — Vast; very large or extensive in scope
cancelliere
kan-chel-LYE-re — Chancellor; senior legal or governmental authority figure
cui
KUI — Relative pronoun meaning 'whose', 'of which', 'whom'
aguzzi
a-GUT-tsi — Sharp or pointed; keen and piercing
archivi
ar-KI-vi — Archives; collections of historical records and documents
risme
RIZ-me — Reams; large quantities of paper sheets
polverosi
pol-ve-RO-zi — Dusty; covered in or full of dust
atti
AT-ti — Acts or official documents; legal records
contorte
kon-TOR-te — Twisted or contorted; bent into complex shapes
cupamente
ku-pa-MEN-te — Gloomily; darkly or in a sullen manner
forme
FOR-me — Forms or shapes; appearances or configurations
fino
FI-no — Until; as far as; fine or delicate
copista
ko-PIS-ta — A copyist; person who copies documents by hand
Ufficio
uf-FI-cho — Office; an official place of work or administration
Cancellieri
kan-chel-LYE-ri — Chancellors; plural of 'cancelliere', senior legal officials
trascritto
tras-KRIT-to — Past participle of 'trascrivere'; transcribed or copied
decine
de-CHI-ne — Tens; groups of ten, dozens of something
migliaia
mi-LYA-ya — Thousands; plural of 'migliaio'
folio
FO-lyo — Folio; large-format document or page size
Cancelleria
kan-chel-le-RI-a — Chancery; the office or court of a chancellor
sotto
SOT-to — Under or below; beneath something
dicitura
di-chi-TU-ra — Wording or inscription; the way something is phrased
eterna
e-TER-na — Eternal; lasting forever without end
natura
na-TU-ra — Nature; the inherent character of something
nessun
nes-SUN — No one; no (masculine before consonant)
ne
ne — Pronoun meaning 'of it', 'of them', 'from there'
migliorata
mi-lyo-RA-ta — Improved; made better (feminine past participle)
inganno
in-GAN-no — Deceit or deception; a trick or fraud
evasione
e-va-ZYO-ne — Evasion; avoidance of responsibility or the truth
procrastinazione
pro-kras-ti-na-TSYO-ne — Procrastination; habitual delaying of necessary actions
spoliazione
spo-lya-TSYO-ne — Despoilment; the act of robbing or stripping someone
fastidio
fas-TI-dyo — Annoyance or nuisance; something that irritates
false
FAL-se — False; untrue or deliberately misleading (feminine plural)
pretese
pre-TE-ze — Pretenses or claims; false or unwarranted demands
ogni
ON-yi — Every or each; referring to all members of a group
sorta
SOR-ta — Sort or kind; a type or variety
vi
vi — Pronoun meaning 'you' (plural) or 'there'
influenze
in-flu-EN-tse — Influences; forces affecting behavior or outcomes
mai
mai — Never; or ever (in questions); not at any time
portare
por-TA-re — To bring or carry; to lead to a result
nulla
NUL-la — Nothing; not anything at all
Perfino
per-FI-no — Even; used for emphasis, meaning 'as far as'
fattorini
fat-to-RI-ni — Errand boys or messengers; junior office runners
avvocati
av-vo-KA-ti — Lawyers; plural of 'avvocato'
tenuto
te-NU-to — Past participle of 'tenere'; held or kept
bada
BA-da — Watch; in 'tenere a bada' means to hold at bay
miserabili
mi-ze-RA-bi-li — Miserable or wretched; in desperate or pitiable condition
litiganti
li-ti-GAN-ti — Litigants; parties involved in a lawsuit
dichiarando
di-kya-RAN-do — Declaring; announcing or stating something officially
immemorabile
im-me-mo-RA-bi-le — Immemorial; beyond the reach of memory or record
chiunque
kyun-KWE — Whoever; anyone at all, regardless of identity
impegnato
im-pen-YA-to — Engaged or committed; occupied with something
appuntamenti
ap-pun-ta-MEN-ti — Appointments; scheduled meetings or engagements
cena
CHE-na — Dinner; the evening meal
potrebbero
po-TREB-be-ro — Third person plural conditional of 'potere'; they could
acquisito
ak-kwi-ZI-to — Past participle of 'acquisire'; acquired or obtained
torsione
tor-ZYO-ne — Torsion or twisting; a distortion or warping
ambiguità
am-bi-gwi-TA — Ambiguity; uncertainty or double meaning in expression
morale
mo-RA-le — Moral; relating to ethics or right conduct
curatore
ku-ra-TO-re — Curator or trustee; legal guardian of an estate
guadagnato
gwa-dan-YA-to — Earned or gained; obtained through work or effort
somma
SOM-ma — Sum; a total amount of money
denaro
de-NA-ro — Money; currency used for transactions
grazie
GRA-tsye — Thanks; gratitude, also 'thanks to' (grazie a)
sfiducia
sfi-DU-cha — Distrust or mistrust; lack of confidence in someone
verso
VER-so — Toward; in the direction of someone or something
propria
PRO-prya — Own (feminine); belonging to oneself
disprezzo
dis-PRET-tso — Contempt or scorn; deep disrespect for someone
proprio
PRO-pryo — Own (masculine); belonging to oneself
genere
JE-ne-re — Gender or kind; type or category of things
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