Stare con le mani in mano
Meaning: To stand around doing nothing while others work.
Language: Italian
Literally: To stand with your hands in your hand
Category: Body & Senses
Origin: Idle hands clasped together rather than busy at a task is the Italian picture of useless inactivity.
Equivalents in other languages
- Japanese: 油を売る (Abura ouru) — literally: To sell oil
- Romanian: A freca menta — literally: To rub the mint
- Russian: Бить баклуши (Bit' baklushi) — literally: To beat the baklushi
More idioms — Body & Senses
- 腹が黒い (hara ga kuroi) — Scheming and malicious behind a friendly face.
- Зарубить на носу (Zarubit' na nosu) — To remember something firmly, once and for all.
- Iets onder de knie hebben — To have mastered a skill.
- اللي على راسه بطحة بيحسس عليها (illi ʿala rasu baṭḥa byiḥassis ʿalayha) — The guilty person gives himself away.
- Avoir le bras long — To have influence and useful connections.
- Avoir le cœur sur la main — To be very generous and giving.
More Italian idioms
- Non ci piove — There's no doubt about it whatsoever.
- Non avere peli sulla lingua — To speak bluntly and hold nothing back.
- Liscio come l'olio — To go off without a hitch.
- Fare il portoghese — To sneak in without paying.
- Avere le mani bucate — To be a spendthrift.
- Prendere lucciole per lanterne — To be completely and badly mistaken.
From our compliments & insults
- Hai le mani d'oro — You're extraordinarily skilled with your hands — a craftsperson, cook, or fixer of legend…
- Sei una persona d'oro — You're genuinely wonderful — kind, trustworthy, and precious to have in one's life.
- Che spettacolo! — You look absolutely stunning — a spontaneous burst of admiration for someone's appearance.