Sdrammatizzare

Trust the Italians, they have a word for everything... take Sdrammatizzare for instance.

This can be defined: "to defuse", or "to present facts or situations in order to deprive them of their dramatic character or to reduce their severity". We have a phrase of a similar meaning in English: "Grace under pressure"

This was put far more poetically by my good friend and mentor, Cisco: "Suck out the tragedy and spit it out with a smile"

EW Howe is quoted as saying: "No man can smile in the face of adversity and mean it". But thats not the point, the point is to assure people that you mean it, isn't it?

Photo: A hit of a smile from Cisco, he and I enjoying a cup of Italian Joe on a sunny day – keep on keeping on Cisco.