mazzata

heavy blow

noun maht-TSAH-tah Rare

Also means

hard knock

Usage Note

Mazzata is an augmentative of mazza ('club, mace') and refers to a heavy blow — literal or figurative. Figuratively it describes a severe setback or shock: una mazzata economica ('an economic blow'), è stata una bella mazzata ('it was a real knock'). The tone is colloquial and expressive.

Examples

"La notizia è stata una vera mazzata."

Natural Translation

The news was a real blow.

Related Words

Explore Italian by topic

ItalianNow

Italian Prepositions: A, In, Di, Da, Su Made Simple

Cities take a, countries take in, origin is di, agents are da. Master the five Italian prepositions a, in, di, da, su and their contractions fast.

June 5, 2026 6 min read

ItalianNow

Italian Numbers 1 to 100: Count Like a Local

Learn Italian numbers 1 to 100 by mastering 0-20, the tens, and 3 spelling rules so you can generate any number from ventuno to novantanove on demand.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

Avere Fame: Why Italians "Have" Hunger, Not "Are"

In Italian you say Ho fame (I have hunger), never sono fame. Learn the avere + noun rule for fame, freddo, paura, age, and the sono caldo trap to avoid.

June 5, 2026 5 min read

ItalianNow

C'è vs Ci Sono: There Is/Are in Italian

C'è for one thing, ci sono for many — that's the rule. Master Italian's there is/there are with c'era, ci sarà, è vs c'è, and non c'è nessuno.

June 9, 2026 5 min read