ItalianAvere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca
Meaning: To want to have it both ways.
Literally: To have the barrel full and the wife drunk
Example: “Vuole lo stipendio pieno e tre mesi di ferie: la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.” — He wants a full salary and three months off: to have his cake and eat it too.
English equivalent: To have one's cake and eat it too
Origin: Wanting a full barrel and a drunk wife is wanting two things that exclude each other: if the wife has drunk the wine, the barrel cannot still be full. The saying is usually put in the negative, non si può avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca, or as volere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca, wanting it both ways. Its date is not documented, and it has been criticized as a sexist joke at the wife's expense.
Equivalents in other languages
French: Avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre Literally: To have the butter and the money for the butter
English: have one's cake and eat it too
More Italian idioms
- Ogni morte di papa Extremely rarely; once in a blue moon.
- Avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto To be unable to see what is right in front of you.
- Fare le corna To ward off bad luck — or to signal that a partner is being unfaithful.
- Tagliare la testa al toro To settle a matter decisively, once and for all.
- Avere le mani in pasta To be deeply involved in something.
- Stare con le mani in mano To stand around doing nothing while others work.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa. A beloved 'c' / 'p' rhythm trap.
- Trentatré trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando. An unbroken stampede of 'tr' and 't'.
- Tigre contro tigre, tigre contro un'altra tigre. Pure 't/ig/re' drill — short and merciless; the double-g demands a crisp Italian stop.
Keep exploring