Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Language/2015 December 23

= December 23 =

Romanian language help sought
Is there a Romanian speaker around? I'd like to know if the phrase "Nicu cu cucuiu" (as meaning "Nick with the bump on his head") is good idiomatic Romanian. Thanks in advance. Contact Basemetal   here  11:40, 23 December 2015 (UTC)
 * If alliteration is your goal, make Nick a cuckoo. Smurrayinchester 15:58, 23 December 2015 (UTC)
 * How do cuckoos get bumps on their heads? This said, thanks to your suggestion I happened to notice the declension of "cuc" which made me wonder if I shouldn't correct "cucuiu" to "cucuiul": "Nicu cu cucuiul" (or "cucul cu cucuiul" if I follow your suggestion)? Wikt don't give the declension of "cucui" but the definite form of the word "cui" which has the same ending and whose declension is given is indeed "cuiul". I really wish there were Romanian speakers around, instead of me wondering... Contact Basemetal   here  22:17, 23 December 2015 (UTC)
 * -(u)l is indeed one of the forms of the Romanian definite article, but its /l/ is sometimes dropped in informal speech, so what is standardly cucuiul can surface as cucuiu. I can't help any further though, because idioms have never been a strong side of my already weak and rusty Romanian. --Theurgist (talk) 22:54, 23 December 2015 (UTC)