"A factotum is a general servant or a person having many diverse activities or responsibilities. The word derives from the Latin command (imperative construction) fac totum ("do/make everything")."
(that particular aria from the Barber of Seville is named "Largo al Factotum" and refers to Figaro's pride in being the go-to guy for everything).
Feb 02 2010, 8:25 PM
queproblema
Answer has 3 votes
queproblema 19 year member
2119 replies
Answer has 3 votes.
I'll just copy and paste from Wiki. They have the full lyrics in both Italian and English.
Largo al factotum ("Make way for the factotum") is an aria from The Barber of Seville by Gioachino Rossini, sung at the first entrance of the title character; the repeated "Figaro"s before the final patter section are an icon in popular culture of operatic singing. The term "factotum" refers to a general servant and comes from the Latin where it literally means "do everything." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Largo_al_factotum
A friend of ours, upon retiring, volunteered as a general handyman at a Bible camp and printed business cards with his name, phone, fax, and title: Chief Factotum. Some people thought, until they saw his ruddy, blond complexion, that he must be a Native American. :)