Avere le mani bucate
Meaning: To be a spendthrift.
Language: Italian
Literally: To have holed hands
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Money slips through hands full of holes as fast as it arrives, picturing someone who cannot hold onto cash.
More idioms — Body & Senses
- Остаться с носом (Ostat'sya s nosom) — To be left empty-handed or outwitted.
- Делать ноги (Delat' nogi) — To run away quickly.
- Заговаривать зубы (Zagovarivat' zuby) — To distract someone with smooth, evasive talk.
- 二階から目薬 (Nikai kara megusuri) — A roundabout effort that has no real effect.
- 喉から手が出る (Nodo kara te ga deru) — To want something so badly you can hardly bear it.
- Μου έφυγε το καφάσι — I was utterly shocked.
More Italian idioms
- Prendere lucciole per lanterne — To be completely and badly mistaken.
- Rimanere in mutande — To be left penniless.
- Tutto fa brodo — Every little bit helps.
- Capire fischi per fiaschi — To misunderstand completely.
- Essere in gamba — To be sharp, capable and on the ball.
- Fare orecchie da mercante — To turn a deaf ear deliberately.
From our untranslatable words
- Meriggiare — To take a quiet midday rest in a cool, shaded spot, escaping the fierce afternoon sun.
- Magari — One word doing the work of 'if only', 'I wish', 'perhaps' and 'you bet' — the tone decide…
- Sprezzatura — The art of making something difficult look wholly effortless, hiding every trace of the w…