bufala

hoax

noun BOO-fah-lah Rare

Also means

water buffalo

Usage Note

Bufala has two distinct meanings: literally, the female water buffalo (Bubalus bubalis), famous as the source of mozzarella di bufala; colloquially, a hoax, fake news, or tall tale — a very common usage in modern Italian media. Context usually disambiguates. The plural is bufale. Never confuse bufala (hoax/buffalo) with buffone (buffoon, clown) — different word, different connotation.

Examples

"Quella notizia è una bufala."

Natural Translation

That news story is a hoax.

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