IdiomBody & Senses
Italian
Italiana gambe levate
Meaning: With great speed or haste, moving rapidly or impetuously.
Literally: At raised legs
Example: “Al primo tuono i ragazzi sono tornati a casa a gambe levate.” — At the first clap of thunder, the boys headed home at full tilt.
English equivalent: At full tilt
Equivalents in other languages
Spanish: a uña de caballo Literally: At horse's hoof- Spanish: a todo mecate Literally: At full rope
French: En quatrième vitesse Literally: In fourth gear
English: at full tilt
Origin: Running a gambe levate (with legs raised) is running so fast that one's legs seem to be off the ground. The Hoepli dictionary also records the sense of falling flat on one's back, legs in the air. Spanish and French have similar pictures of flight; the phrase has no particular story behind it.
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