IdiomDaily Life
Italian
Italianalla carlona
Meaning: In a careless, rough, or sloppy way without regard for neatness or precision.
Literally: In the Carlon manner
Example: “Il muretto è stato fatto alla carlona e crolla già.” — The little wall was built any old how and is already crumbling.
English equivalent: Any old how
Other ways to say this
- Italian: alla bell'e meglio Literally: At the beautiful and better
English: any old how
Origin: The Carlone is Charlemagne. The Hoepli dictionary explains that late chivalric poems portrayed the emperor as doing things in a simple, somewhat rough and clumsy way, and that some Renaissance plays made him a muddler. Doing something alla carlona, the Charlemagne way, came to mean doing it carelessly and sloppily.
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