alle calende greche
Meaning: never; at an impossible or non-existent time.
Language: Italian
Literally: on the Greek calends
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The Roman calendar had calends (the first of each month), but the Greek calendar did not. The phrase names a date that cannot occur, hence something that will never happen.
More idioms — Daily Life
- mi sa — I suppose, I guess, or I have the impression.
- nei panni di — In the position, role, or situation of someone else; in their shoes.
- andare a nozze — To be perfectly suited or to delight in something.
- alle corde — In a desperate or losing position, cornered.
- mettere fuori combattimento — To silence someone or exclude them from participation and influence.
- mettersi al passo con i tempi — To keep up with current events or modernize one's knowledge and habits.
More Italian idioms
- farsene un baffo — to not care at all; to be indifferent to something.
- sulle spine — In a state of anxious suspense or nervous tension, unable to relax.
- a gambe levate — With great speed or haste, moving rapidly or impetuously.
- pendaglio da forca — A person who deserves to be hanged; a worthless scoundrel.
- alla lontana — In an indirect or roundabout way; distantly or remotely connected.
- menare il can per l'aia — To avoid the main point by talking around the subject indirectly.
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