Italian lesson: "cannoli" is plural. The singular is "cannolo".

@helenS I don't think I have ever heard "salamis".

When I hear "cannolis", that sounds to me like chalk screeching on a blackboard! lol

@helenS same as octopi ...

@DrWatson ... and if you have three of them (salami sausages), how do you say?

@helenS I might say three salami or three kinds of salami. I probably never say salame.

@DrWatson I get my salami from an Italian relative of mine who [u]makes[/u] them! 😋

@Convivial I have seen a good deal of online discussion about the plural of octopus. It seems to be one of those situations where people can "one up" one another. The Latin plural is octopi, as you say. But apparently Latin got the word from Greek, and the Greek plural would be octopodes. I suppose the ultimate comeback would be to say, "Ah, but the Romans spelled the word with a c and not a Greek kappa, so it is now a Latin word and not a Greek one!"

@helenS I always wondered about the spelling. Thank you.

@helenS I've also never heard anyone say "salamis"

@GlitterEater One salami, two salami?

@helenS Red salami, blue salami

@GlitterEater No what I mean is you're at the grocery store and you buy two of the exact same kind, brand, and color.

@helenS Same as rice or deer.

@GlitterEater ... or sheep?

@GlitterEater ... or fish

@helenS or as our kiwi friend say, fush

@helenS I think most people would actually say something like "two kinds of salami" or "salami sausages" something like that. I don't think it usually gets used to describe the sausage object (although it can be) but more like as the material the object is made of.

@GlitterEater ... like rice, sand, butter, mud, homework, music, and bullshit.

@helenS Yeah. I never really thought about that word so much before. It's kind of interesting.

@helenS Also "salamis" sounds weird to me and I don't think I've ever heard it used, but if I did hear it used I would just think it sounded more awkward than wrong.

@helenS Well now I would probably think it sounds wrong, but yesterday I would have just thought it sounded awkward.

@GlitterEater In Italian, "salame" is a countable noun, "salami" being its plural, "salamino" the diminutive.
("salame" is also vulgar slang for "p*nis")

@helenS That last part is also the case in the US, lol.

@helenS Yesterday I would have said "sausages of salami." I don't know what I'll call it now.

@LordShadowfire ... "salamino" might be used to refer to those who are less well-equipped then? 🤭

@GlitterEater Yes speaking about the usage of a word to much might lead to confusion. 😏