Glossary entry

Italian term or phrase:

latita

English translation:

is missing

Added to glossary by texjax DDS PhD
Jun 1, 2012 17:35
12 yrs ago
Italian term

cucina latita

Italian to English Art/Literary Poetry & Literature
This term is found in the beginning paragraph of a short story. The full phrase is as follows:

Stamattina il raggio di sole che a quest’ora illumina la cucina latita. Il cielo è un tendone grigio. I miei lavelli di acciaio inox non brilleranno mai come quelli della pubblicità.

I cannot find an explanation for the term "latita", much less "cucina latita". I thought it may refer to "hidden" in some context because of the verb "latitare", however, I want to be sure it is not an idiom of some kind or perhaps referring to something completely different like a particular type of cuisine.
Change log

Sep 6, 2013 01:30: texjax DDS PhD Created KOG entry

Discussion

Barbara Carrara Jun 1, 2012:
il raggio di sole latita It is the ray of sunshine that 'latita' (from latitare, is absent, missing, not there).

Proposed translations

+6
14 mins
Selected

is missing

Si riferisce al raggio di sole, è la forma presente del verbo latitare.

Naturalmente puoi decidere di esprimerlo diversamente in inglese, ma questo è il significato

latitare

[la-ti-tà-re] v.intr. (aus. avere; làtito ecc.) [sogg-v]

• Restare nascosto; mancare; essere insufficiente, assente

http://dizionari.corriere.it/dizionario_italiano/L/latitare....

http://conjit.cactus2000.de/showverb.en.php?verb=latitare
Note from asker:
Thank you for your help! I feel silly for not realizing immediately that this referred to the ray of sun, which was quite evident after looking a second time!
Peer comment(s):

agree philgoddard
9 mins
Grazie
agree Umberto Cassano
12 hrs
Grazie. Ciao Umberto
agree Barbara Carrara
13 hrs
Grazie. Ciao bella gioia :)
agree Michael Korovkin : dem dar hangin' qualifiers!
19 hrs
Thanks ;)
agree SYLVY75
20 hrs
Thank you Sylvy
agree Lorraine Buckley (X)
1 day 1 hr
Thank you
Something went wrong...
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
+1
16 mins
Italian term (edited): latita

isn't there

From the context it's pretty clear. Usually there is a ray of sunshine at this time of day; today it's not there, because the sky is like a "grey sheet".
Note from asker:
Thank you for your help!
Peer comment(s):

agree Barbara Carrara
13 hrs
Something went wrong...
3 hrs

is hiding out

All the proposed solutions are fine, but latitare means actually to go or stay in hiding, especially from the police; the sense is more "doesn´t want to show up".
Greetings from Germany
Note from asker:
Thank you for your suggestion!
Something went wrong...
14 hrs

is somewhat elusive

A typical English circumscription.....
Note from asker:
Thank you for your suggestion!
Something went wrong...
1 day 3 hrs
Italian term (edited): latita

is skiving/playing truant/sulking

"Missing" is the right idea and it correctly end-focuses the notion of absence. However, it doesn't really bring out the full force of the pathetic fallacy in "latita", which ascribes to a sunbeam the behaviour of, say, an absconding schoolchild. The more literal "criminal hiding out" suggestion is really a bit too strong for the context.

You could try something like: "This morning, the usual kitchen-illuminating ray of sunshine is skiving/playing truant", or you could opt for the less specific non-compliance of "sulking".

Note from asker:
Thank you for the suggestion!
Something went wrong...
6 days

is absent

thinking of what the best word would be in this literary context, I would plump for this as the word most likely to retain the original "literary" sense of the source phrase. Of course it is a matter of opinion.
Note from asker:
Thank you for your help!
Something went wrong...
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