IdiomThe Absurd
Italian
Italiana casa del diavolo
Meaning: Far away; a great distance to travel; the long way around.
Literally: At the house of the devil
Example: “Hanno comprato una casa a casa del diavolo, a un'ora dal paese.” — They bought a house in the middle of nowhere, an hour from the village.
English equivalent: In the middle of nowhere
Equivalents in other languages
Portuguese: Onde Judas perdeu as botas Literally: Where Judas lost his boots
Russian: за тридевять земель (za tridevyat' zemel') Literally: Beyond three-times-nine lands
French: Au diable vauvert Literally: At the devil's Vauvert
English: in the middle of nowhere
Origin: The devil's house is the most remote and uninviting place imagined. The Hoepli dictionary defines a casa del Diavolo as somewhere very far away, awkward and hard to reach, and also as a desolate place where no one wants to be; one can also send someone there.
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