lazzaroni
Definitions
from the GNU version of the Collaborative International Dictionary of English
- noun-plural The homeless idlers of Naples who live by chance work or begging; -- so called from the Hospital of St. Lazarus, which serves as their refuge.
Examples
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One of the earliest pizza sightings was made by the author of The Three Musketeers, Alexandre Dumas père, who visited Naples in the 1830s and observed the lazzaroni eating pizza—largely because it was much cheaper even than maccheroni.
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Ragged lazzaroni lie asleep in doorways, archways, and kennels; the gentry, gaily dressed, are dashing up and down in carriages on the Chiaji, or walking in the Public Gardens; and quiet letter-writers, perched behind their little desks and inkstands under the Portico of the Great Theatre of San Carlo, in the public street, are waiting for clients.
Note
The word 'lazzaroni' comes from an Italian word meaning 'rogue'.
