She walked him to a cliff overlooking the Mtkvari River. “If you see something truly amazing — like a rainbow over the entire city — an older Georgian might say:
— Mama, mia!
“You got it,” Tiko said. | Expression | Language | Literal meaning | When to use | |------------|----------|----------------|--------------| | Mama mia | Italian | My mother | Surprise, frustration, awe | | დედა ჩემო (Deda chemoo) | Georgian | My mother | Same as above — very common | | ვაი, დედა (Vai, deda) | Georgian | Oh, mother | Shock, pain | | მამა, მია (Mama, mia) | Georgian | Father, there it is | Sudden surprise (jokey, emphatic) | mama mia qartulad
Tiko grinned. “Yes. But in Georgian, mama means , not mother! And mia means ‘there it is’ or ‘here you go.’ So he literally shouted: ‘Father, there it is!’ — like ‘Oh my gosh!’”
Tiko held up one finger. “Let me tell you a helpful story.” “In Italy,” Tiko began, “ Mama mia means ‘My mother!’ — but you use it when you’re surprised, upset, or amazed. In Georgia, we also call on mothers… just differently.” She walked him to a cliff overlooking the Mtkvari River
An old Georgian woman nearby laughed and said, “Swartad, bichobo!” — “Exactly, young man!”
Tiko was a young tour guide in Tbilisi, the capital of Georgia. She loved leading groups through the old town’s winding streets, past balconies with grapevines, and down to the sulfur baths. But one morning, an Italian tourist named Enzo asked her a question that stopped her in her tracks. | Expression | Language | Literal meaning |
She led him to a bakery selling fresh lobiani (bean bread). An old man bit into a hot one, burned his tongue, and yelled: