Twenty-three is 'o scemo, the fool. It is a softer figure than 22: the madman is afflicted, the fool is merely slow, and the board keeps them apart.
Neapolitan Wikipedia prints two values for this square, 'o scemo and 'o tarramoto — the earthquake. The second is not a misprint but a competing entry, and the printed dictionary that grew out of the board sends terremoto to 23 as well.
- 23
- 'O scemo
- the fool
- Row 21–30 of the tabellone
Where the figure comes from
No source for either figure. The double entry is worth keeping visible rather than tidying away; the smorfia is a list of lists, and squares with two answers are normal.
Other things filed on 23
In Neapolitan life
Sicily uses 23 for u culu, and marks it as the number of the lucky. Where Naples puts a fool, Trapani puts a windfall, which is as good a demonstration as the grid offers that the figures carry no verdict on the number.
23 in the smorfia — frequently asked
Both are printed on Neapolitan lists. The fool is the commoner value; 'o tarramoto appears alongside it and the dictionary supports it.
The madman at 22 is out of his mind; the fool at 23 is simply simple. The board keeps a distinction that English tends to lose.