Italian term
United States
Laudable Lady Linguist
Native in: English 
Works in: Spanish to English, French to English, English to Spanish, and 3 more.
un buffo gadget
Le leggenda di P.I.D. (Paul Is Dead) non avrebbe avuto l'impatto che ha avuto, senz'un altra sigla a prima vista non meno oscura: O.P.D. È quello che si legge su un curioso distintivo che McCartney ha sul braccio sinistro proprio in quella foto. Per quasi tutti, McCartney in testa, è una scelta casuale, un buffo gadget canadese. Infatti O.P.D. starebbe per "Ontario Police Department. Secondo la versione complottistica O.P.D. indicherebbe la formula usata comunemente dalla polizia per dichiare il decesso di una persona: Officially Pronounced Dead.
Molte Grazie,
Barbara
| 4 +4 | novelty item |
Fiona Grace Peterson
|
| 4 +2 | a fun gadget |
Lisa Jane
|
| 4 | an amusing knickknack |
Lara Barnett
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Sep 3, 2018 18:54: Fiona Grace Peterson changed "Level" from "PRO" to "Non-PRO"
Non-PRO (3): Barbara Carrara, Ivana UK, Fiona Grace Peterson
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Proposed translations
Italy
Just what the doctor ordered
Native in: English (Variant: UK)
Works in: Italian to English
novelty item
a store catering to tourists who loaded up with souvenir pennants and other novelties.
Since "novelty" already means something comic, I think you can safely leave "buffo" out here.
"Gadget" is one of those English words that has crept into Italian, used by the Italians to mean a novelty or promotional item, but "gadget" in English normally refers to a "mechanical contrivance or device; any ingenious article" (https://www.dictionary.com/browse/gadget?s=t) - here we are talking about a badge or a patch that Paul is wearing on his arm, so I don't think "gadget" is appropriate.
| Thank you. The issue I actually had with this phrase is what you have mentioned—that gadget usually refers to something mechanical, when, in fact, one is talking about a badge in this case. |
| agree |
martini
5 hrs
|
| agree |
Ivana UK
8 hrs
|
| agree |
writeaway
14 hrs
|
| agree |
Michele Fauble
1 day 10 hrs
|
a fun gadget
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Note added at 18 hrs (2018-09-03 12:25:39 GMT)
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if you don't want to stick to 'gadget' as it's often associated with devices (although promotional gadgets are not always devices) then I suggest SOUVENIR which would fit with Sir McCartney's claim that he picked up the badge while abroad in Canada. Also a single word.
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Note added at 18 hrs (2018-09-03 12:33:44 GMT)
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or how about
memento
https://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/memento
| Yes, I think "momento" fills the bill quite nicely. Thanks. |
| agree |
Davide Leone
: "Funny" better than "Fun" in this case
2 hrs
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Thanks Davide!
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| agree |
Daniela Cannarella
: funny gadget, yes
17 hrs
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Thanks!
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| neutral |
Fiona Grace Peterson
: A "gadget" in Italian almost never means the same as "gadget" in English, especially not in this case.
17 hrs
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I see what you are saying ...let me think of a better word.
|
United Kingdom
www.lingocraft.co.uk
Native in: English (Variants: Singaporean, UK, South African, British, Scottish, Irish) 
Works in: French to English, Italian to English, Romanian to English, and 2 more.
Discussion