Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco
Meaning: Things don't always go as planned.
Language: Italian
Literally: Not all donuts come out with a hole
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: "Ciambella" traces back through the Abruzzese dialect to Latin cymbula, a small boat, itself from Greek kymbē, a bowl or cup — a shape genuinely echoed in a ring-shaped pastry with a hole in the middle. The proverb itself, observing that not every plan comes out exactly as intended, any more than every batch of homemade ciambelle bakes with a clean, perfect hole in the center, appears in print in Tuscan proverb collections by the 1700s, though it almost certainly circulated in speech well before being written down. Its enduring popularity owes something to its gentle, almost consoling tone — a mild, homely way of acknowledging a partial failure rather than a harsh one.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Cadere a fagiolo — To arrive at exactly the perfect moment.
- 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.
More Italian idioms
- Avere le braccine corte — To be stingy; to never reach for the check.
- 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.