Seventy-nine is 'o mariuolo, the thief. The Neapolitan word has a range English cannot follow: a mariuolo can be a criminal, a rogue, or a small boy being scolded fondly for something he has just got away with.
It closes a group. Guards at 24, prison gates at 44, the thief at 79 — the board's whole account of law and order, in three pictures.
- 79
- 'O mariuolo
- the thief
- Row 71–80 of the tabellone
Where the figure comes from
None recorded.
Other things filed on 79
In Neapolitan life
The dictionary files banchiere, banker, on the same square as the thief. Whether the compiler was making a point or ran out of numbers is one of those questions the smorfia never answers and always raises.
79 in the smorfia — frequently asked
It depends entirely on who says it and to whom. Used of an adult it is an accusation; used of a child it is close to affectionate.
It is old Italian mariuolo, a rogue, of uncertain origin. Neapolitan kept it long after standard Italian let it fade.