This happens when you’re left with a bad choice alongside another equally horrible option—like a lazy teenager made to choose between cleaning his car or cleaning his room. “Calare le brache” means to chicken out and surrender. The expression doesn’t just apply to romantic partners; it can also be appropriate to describe the bond between friends, business partners, etc. Idioms are creative ways of saying something with spice and punch. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that you But that’s really the standard reply. Let’s say you’re peacefully walking the streets of Milan and somebody suddenly snatches your wallet. We all have that uncle. Keep your store open and your pants up! Idioms are a little different from the literal and grammatically perfect sentence examples found in textbooks. While we’re fumbling to describe our exhaustion after eating an incredible meal (“food coma” just doesn’t cut it), Italians have already moved on from the conversation to naptime thanks to their way with words. A gourd is an oddly-shaped fruit often used in English to represent a person’s head or brain. Idioms are creative, colorful ways of saying something with spice and punch. You’ve got a plethora of vegetables ready to be dunked into the water. For example, when someone rich wins the lottery, or when someone unlucky receives yet another piece of bad news. (Seems like being close to God does have its perks.). Some parents even use this on their kids. The Italian language, reflecting the pastoral heritage of the country, has many proverbs that refer to horses, sheep, donkeys, and farm work. Italian idioms are some of the weirdest and most expressive parts of this wonderful language, and so here we share with you our absolute favorites. You can use it as a blanket description of a good person, when you really don’t have anything else to say about him or her. In these situations, the appropriate idiom then becomes “Cane mangia cane” (Dog eat dog). Because it rhymes with “indietro” (back). 1. This is not an exhaustive list of Italian proverbs! When you use an idiom and you think about the actual meaning of what you’re saying, it can be pretty funny. Trastevere Streets Eats (Rome Street Food Tour). Notice that the objects referred to in the idioms—gloves, boots and hat—are those often used by the working class to perform various job functions. It’s just there, growing on your face, without any effort. Italian men have been known to call a spade a spade. To put it in a more positive way, “a trouble shared is a trouble halved.”. The Italian idiom “Capita a fagiolo” (literally, “happens at the bean”), which is an expression used when something happens at exactly the right moment, is reminiscent of a time when the nation’s poor only had beans for meals. So if Italians want to express something like, “I know what I’m talking about,” or “I know who I’m dealing with,” or “This is right up my alley,” they utter this idiom with an air of quiet confidence. If even the dogs know their limits and don’t destroy their own kind, how much more is this true with humans? Idioms and proverbs, in particular, provide enormous insight into a country’s culture and values. And if something passes along with the cavalry, you might as well forget ever seeing that something again, which is what it really means. all hands on deck – immediate involvement of everyone present ; asleep at the wheel – not attentive ; at a crossroads – at a point where an important decision must be made ; at fork in the road – at a point where an important decision must be made ; backseat driver – a passenger in a car who gives unwanted advice/someone who gives unwanted advice ; cart before horse – in … We all love a funny idiom, especially those whose content seems to have nothing to do with the intended meaning. Think about this in English. Remember that post where I talked about Italian secondi, (main courses) the unsung heroes of Italian cuisine that are shadowed by the ever-popular pasta and ... Hi Amber, I’m trying to find the meaning of the Italian phrase: Tard il mio cor. Please check your email for further instructions. This can be translated as “to have poisoned teeth” and maybe it dates from the time when a good dentist was hard to find, though don’t quote me on it. Seriously though, it means the dress or whatever it is you’re trying on fits you perfectly. They’re full-throated testaments to the high value and esteem Italians give to good food. Most of the time, Italian idioms rely on metaphors or analogies, and their meaning is not obvious from looking at single words. Taking inspiration from our previous post about 25 English idioms, here is a list of idioms in Italian that can help you with breaking the ice (or, rompere il ghiccio, if you’re in Italy) in your everyday conversation, as well as not panicking when they are used by Italians: 1. In New York City she is desperately trying to find produce as fresh and delicious as in Italy when she is not swamped with schoolwork. And it means the same thing: that something small has set you, or someone else, too far over the edge. The fact that it has an English equivalent suggests that this sentiment is part of human nature, a universal expression of discontent. This English idiom is used to describe a place or thing that shows signs of a lot of use or is significantly damaged. He defiantly snatches the blocks from your hand, as if saying, “Leave me alone! You would shout, “Togliti dai piedi!” as you gave chase. It’s “ogni morte di papa.” These fellows often reach a ripe old age before checking out. In Italy, local idioms reveal Italians’ interest in food, art, faith, and superstition, and are often accompanied by hand gestures that add another layer to the joy (and struggle) of learning la bella lingua. Consider a mustache. “ I fatti parlano più delle parole. (“something’s better than nothing.”) You use “Buono come il pane” for such an individual. “Rompere il ghiaccio” is to obliterate awkwardness between people in social situations, especially for those who have just recently met. For example, “know the ropes” came from old sailing tradition, as being familiar with the rigging was an essential skill in working a ship. – He who does evil, is never short of an excuse. In fact, it’s often used just to rile up, say, somebody driving a beat-up Vespa who suddenly cut you off. Mussolini bragged of the ability of Italian pilots, and the squadron took part in numerous bombing raids throughout the Second World War. “Taken aback” captures some of the same meaning, as in “She was taken aback when she heard that I lost the baby.”, Misery does love company. The Italians have a lot of sayings about food and use food as a metaphor for other aspects of life. It’s always there, but you don’t really notice it. (No, you’re not really “killing two birds with one stone,” but hey, you already know what that means.). One of the most valuable ways you can develop your English speaking skills is to learn English idioms. So to “lose one’s gourd” is to be crazy or to lose one’s mind. Once you’ve watched a video, you can use FluentU’s quizzes to actively practice all the vocabulary in that video. Months after, they meet and try to rekindle the bond. like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks, download the app from iTunes or the Play store, Eat Like a Local: 100+ Italian Restaurant Phrases for Ordering and Enjoying Authentic Cuisine, 7 Superb Sites to Practice Italian Online and Click Your Way to Fluency, How to Improve Your Italian Listening Skills and Have Fun Doing It, Let’s Play! (“I forbid you to visit that old lady. This Italian expression means every little thing counts. There’s really nothing sweeter-smelling than a fresh batch of perfectly baked bread. To make a mustache out of something means to treat something as insignificant, or not bothersome or burdensome at all. You’ve got pinches of different spices and ingredients set to add a distinct flavor. Contributes to the high value and esteem Italians give to good food of Italian. 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