Fare il diavolo a quattro
Meaning: To raise absolute hell; to cause a huge scene.
Language: Italian
Literally: To make the devil times four
Category: The Absurd
Origin: Medieval Italian theater where four devils appeared onstage.
Equivalents in other languages
- French: faire un esclandre — literally: to make a scandal
- Hindi: आसमान सिर पर उठाना (aasmaan sir par uthaana) — literally: To lift the sky onto your head
More idioms — The Absurd
- 발 없는 말이 천리 간다 (Bal eomneun mari cheolli ganda) — Gossip and rumors spread incredibly fast.
- 脱裤子放屁 (tuō kùzi fàng pì) — Doing something completely unnecessary and pointless.
- Nazar değmesin — Knock on wood; hope nothing ruins this good thing.
- Bob's your uncle — And there you have it; simple as that.
- Chercher midi à quatorze heures — To overcomplicate a simple matter.
- se battre contre les moulins à vent — Fighting a hopeless battle against something immovable or pointless.
More Italian idioms
- Chi dorme non piglia pesci — You snooze, you lose.
- Acqua in bocca — Keep it secret; don't tell anyone.
- 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 proverbs
- One man's trash is another man's treasure — What one person discards, another may value.
- Money doesn't grow on trees — Money is hard to earn and should be spent wisely.
- When in Rome, do as the Romans do — Adapt to local customs when visiting a new place.