IdiomBody & Senses
Italian
Italianbattere i tacchi
Meaning: To run away or flee hastily.
Literally: To beat one's heels
Example: “Appena ha visto il cane, ha battuto i tacchi.” — As soon as he saw the dog, he took to his heels.
English equivalent: To take to one's heels
Equivalents in other languages
French: Prendre ses jambes à son cou Literally: To take one's legs around one's neck
Hindi: नौ दो ग्यारह होना (nau do gyaarah hona) Literally: To become nine, two, eleven
Russian: Делать ноги (Delat' nogi) Literally: To make legs
Ukrainian: Дати драла (Daty drala) Literally: To give a bolt
English: beat a hasty retreat- French: Prendre la tangente Literally: To take the tangent
- English: take to one's heels
Origin: The heels (tacchi) strike the ground at each running step, so beating one's heels is making off quickly. The phrase has no documented history; Italian also says alzare i tacchi (to lift one's heels) for leaving in a hurry.
More Italian idioms
- dove non batte il sole On one's backside; used in crude retorts, like English "where the sun doesn't shine."
- fuori del seminato Off the point; irrelevant or beside the subject at hand.
- senza colpo ferire Without any struggle, opposition, or difficulty; achieved effortlessly.
- essere di casa To be accepted as a family member; to feel completely at home and comfortable somewhere.
- cavare le castagne dal fuoco To help someone out of a dangerous or difficult situation, often at one's own risk or eff…
- preparare il terreno To establish the conditions or foundations that will make something possible later.
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