Cadere a fagiolo
Meaning: To arrive at exactly the perfect moment.
Language: Italian
Literally: To fall like a bean
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: "Andare a fagiolo" is documented in written Italian as early as the 1400s, but its precise origin has never been settled, and at least four competing theories circulate without any single one being convincing enough to end the debate. Linguist Niccolò Tommaseo suggested it simply reflects Florentines' well-known fondness for beans as food. A second theory points to the old practice of using white and black beans as ballots in public assemblies, with landing "a fagiolo" meaning arriving at a favorable outcome in a vote. A third reaches for agriculture: fully ripened beans detach from the plant at the lightest touch, making "falling like a bean" a natural image for anything obtained easily, right when needed. A fourth, more symbolic theory notes that legumes carried ancient associations with fertility, extending the bean into a broader metaphor for good, well-timed fortune.
Equivalents in other languages
- Dutch: Met de neus in de boter vallen — literally: To fall with your nose in the butter
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Acqua in bocca — Keep it secret; don't tell anyone.
- 눈에 콩깍지가 씌다 (nun-e kongkkakjiga sseuida) — To be blinded by love.
- 식은 죽 먹기 (Sigeun juk meokgi) — A piece of cake; very easy to do.
- Не вешай лапшу на уши (Ne veshay lapshu na ushi) — Don't lie to me; stop trying to deceive me.
- Att glida in på en räkmacka — To have things handed to you without effort.
- Att ha rent mjöl i påsen — To have a clean conscience; nothing to hide.
More Italian idioms
- Fare il diavolo a quattro — To raise absolute hell; to cause a huge scene.
- Chi dorme non piglia pesci — You snooze, you lose.
- Essere al verde — To be broke; to have no money left.
- avere la coda di paglia — Feel guilty about something because you're afraid of being discovered or criticized.
- mangiare la foglia — Understand someone's hidden intentions or see through their deception immediately.
- avere un diavolo per capello — Be extremely angry or agitated, ready to argue with anyone about anything.
From our tongue twisters
- 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.
- Apelle figlio di Apollo fece una palla di pelle di pollo e tutti i principi della città di Capua la palpeggiarono. — A wall of 'p/ll/l/a' that seems to grow longer as you speak it faster.