Word: lire
(lookup in dictionary)
(lookup stats)
Dates: all
Sort By: most recent first
(reverse)
...relieve Italy's drought. Superstitious Communists carried defiant signs: "Is it raining? Will it rain? Certainly not until after the Feast of Unita!" They were right; soon a hot sun enveloped the crowds as they watched bicycle races and boxing matches, played roulette, danced, drank, threw baseballs (50 lire for three shots) at caricatures of priests and bishops and of Premier Alcide de Gasperi and tough Interior Minister Mario Scelba, who was by far the most popular target...
There were other attractions. For 25 lire, Communists could measure their strength by pulling a huge sickle which-when pulled hard enough-brought a huge hammer crashing down on the head of a fat capitalist dummy in frock coat and top hat. For less athletic comrades, Unità made its points more subtly, in exhibits of socio-political art and Russian literature. An elderly Russian woman in a lacy Ukrainian peasant blouse stood by the book exhibit. A young associate explained: "Mrs. Jakobs is here on purpose to translate the Russian writings into Italian for the comrades. If a comrade...
Hunch-players in Italy's weekly lottery often consult a handy handbook called the cabala which gives the magic numbers associated with certain objects and events. In Naples last week bettors staked nearly half a million lire on a combination 16 (funeral), 22 (flags), 81 (flowers) and 38 (beatings). The hunch-players were impelled toward this combination by events that followed the death of one Angelo Cicatiello, an obscure and contented man in life...
...weeks, he said, his gang would launch an offensive. The police did nothing. Scarcely a week after the fortnight's expiration, Giuliano had captured five wealthy landowners, including the haughty Duke of Pratomeno and a deputy to the Sicilian Parliament. He demanded a ransom of 100 million lire apiece...
...command he placed Colonel Ugo Luca, a robust, taciturn ex-army officer who holds eight medals for valor. Luca planned to use tough paratroopers as ground assault troops, set up small, highly mobile units equipped with machine guns, walkie-talkies and police dogs. The Italian treasury appropriated one million lire a month for the special anti-bandit campaign...