βίλλα/βίλλος – dick, cock in the Cypriot dialect
I wonder why there are – like mainland Greek’s πούτσα/πούτσος – feminine and masculine variants. Not that I have been engaging in dick discussions with Cypriots. The word came up in a chat about football. I suppose it could be argued that the Beautiful Game has no shortage of dicks, Cristiano Ronaldo springing immediately to mind.
We were talking about Olympiacos’s wonderful – and unexpected – away victory against Aston Villa. The final score was 2-4. Enjoying the moment, Greeks took to saying “Παρ’τον Βίλλα” ie Up yours, Villa. It was then that my son-in-law told me of the additional, coincidental level of vulgarity.
Villa have enjoyed their best season in years, which makes Olympiacos’s win even more impressive. The return leg is tonight. I’ll upload this when the game finishes.
Tiredness overcame me. Olympiacos won 2-0, 6-2 on aggregate, making them the first Greek team to reach a major European final since Panathenaikos fell at the last hurdle to the wonderful Ajax team in 1971. My daughter’s comment was “Παρ’τον Βίλλα εις διπλούν” – Up yours twice, Villa! But… the Cypriots can and did go one better. Markos Pagdatis (No, I have never heard of him either) is a retired Cypriot tennis player. His fans used to shout:
Του Μάρκου η βίλλα γκαστρώνει και καμήλα! = Markos’ dick could fertilize a camel!
Markos’ parents are Maronite Christians from Lebanon. Maybe that explains the camel. For me, it has ruined the image I had of Pancho Villa. Instead of a Mexican hero, the image of a penis wearing a sombrero will be forever etched in my mind.