preparare il terreno

Meaning: To establish the conditions or foundations that will make something possible later.

Language: Italian

Literally: to prepare the ground

Category: Nature

Origin: Origin uncertain; the phrase pictures literally tilling soil before planting, extended metaphorically to any preliminary work.

More idioms — Nature

adagiarsi sugli allori — To become complacent and stop making efforts after past successes.
arrastar pela lama — to publicly humiliate or damage someone's reputation.
do dia para a noite — Very suddenly or extremely quickly.
olho da tempestade — A moment of unexpected calm or peace in the middle of chaos or crisis.
fazer uma tempestade num copo de água — To make an excessive fuss over something trivial.
in het water vallen — for a plan or undertaking to fail or fall through.

come butta — What is happening; how are things going.
girare a vuoto — To spin idly without accomplishing anything; to waste time in aimless activity.
alla sprovvista — Without warning; caught unprepared or by surprise.
mettere le corna — To commit infidelity against a partner; to cuckold someone.
alla bell'e meglio — In a sloppy, careless, or makeshift manner; doing something poorly for lack of effort or…
senza capo né coda — In a senseless or disjointed way; without coherence, order, or point.

Loading the full interactive collection…