Sixty-five is 'o chianto, weeping. Neapolitan turns the Italian pi- into chi-, so pianto becomes chianto and piangere becomes chiagnere, which is how the lament at 60 gets its verb.
Serao put this square in the middle of the sequence she recorded in 1884: a dead man is 47, a dead man who speaks is 48, one who weeps as well is 65, and the fright of it is 90. Four squares, one dream, one betting slip.
- 65
- 'O chianto
- the weeping
- Row 61–70 of the tabellone
Where the figure comes from
None recorded for the number. Zezza's 1835 edition has Pianto here, so the figure is at least that old and has not moved.
Other things filed on 65
In Neapolitan life
The board separates 65 from the lament at 60 deliberately: weeping is something that happens, complaining is something you are. English flattens both into crying and the distinction disappears.
65 in the smorfia — frequently asked
Serao's 1884 example runs 47 for the dead man, 48 once he speaks, 65 if he weeps, 90 for the fear it caused. Sixty-five is the third step.
Neapolitan turns pi- into chi-. The same rule gives chiagnere for piangere, to weep.