Twenty-nine is 'o pate d''e criature, the father of the children, and it is a euphemism for the male genitals. The Italian reference table glosses it plainly in its metaphor column, as it does the matching figure at 6.
The construction is the same one the board uses whenever it needs to say something aloud at a family table: describe a function, never name the thing. It is the grammar of a game called out in a room with a grandmother in it.
- 29
- 'O pate d''e criature
- the father of the children
- Row 21–30 of the tabellone
Where the figure comes from
The number carries no recorded reason. The euphemism is the interesting part and it is well documented.
Other things filed on 29
In Neapolitan life
The phrase reuses criature, the same word that holds square 2. A dictionary built out of the everyday speech of one city is going to repeat itself, and where it does, the repeats are usually the words that city says most.
29 in the smorfia — frequently asked
Literally 'the father of the children'. It is a standing Neapolitan euphemism for the male genitals, and the reference lists gloss it that way.
Yes. Criature also holds square 2, on its own. The smorfia repeats the words its city says most.