fischiare

to whistle

verb fees-KYAH-reh Rare

Origin: From Latin fistulare, influenced by the sound itself.

Also means

to hiss, to boo

Usage Note

Fischiare uses avere as its auxiliary. In Italian sports and theatre culture, fischiare the performers is the equivalent of booing — the opposite of applauding. Il fischio (noun) is the whistle sound or the referee's whistle. The double meaning (to whistle a tune vs. to boo a performer) requires context to distinguish.

Examples

"Il pubblico ha fischiato l'arbitro."

Natural Translation

The crowd booed the referee.

Literal Translation

The public whistled the referee.

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