Italian Idioms
A curated set of 84 idioms in Italian — literal translations, real meanings, and where each one comes from.
- In bocca al lupo — Good luck! (replied with 'Crepi!' — may it die). Literally: Into the mouth of the wolf.
- Non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco — Things don't always go as planned. Literally: Not all donuts come out with a hole.
- Avere le braccine corte — To be stingy; to never reach for the check. Literally: To have short little arms.
- Cadere a fagiolo — To arrive at exactly the perfect moment. Literally: To fall like a bean.
- Fare il diavolo a quattro — To raise absolute hell; to cause a huge scene. Literally: To make the devil times four.
- Acqua in bocca — Keep it secret; don't tell anyone. Literally: Water in the mouth.
- Essere al verde — To be broke; to have no money left. Literally: To be at the green.
- avere la coda di paglia — Feel guilty about something because you're afraid of being discovered or criticized. Literally: To have a straw tail.
- mangiare la foglia — Understand someone's hidden intentions or see through their deception immediately. Literally: To eat the leaf.
- avere un diavolo per capello — Be extremely angry or agitated, ready to argue with anyone about anything. Literally: To have a devil for each hair.
- essere un osso duro — Be a difficult, stubborn person who is challenging to deal with or influence. Literally: To be a hard bone.
- piangere sul latte versato — Waste time regretting something that cannot be changed or undone. Literally: To cry over spilled milk.
- Prendere due piccioni con una fava — To achieve two goals with a single effort. Literally: To catch two pigeons with one fava bean.
- Avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca — To want to have it both ways. Literally: To have the barrel full and the wife drunk.
- Ogni morte di papa — Extremely rarely; once in a blue moon. Literally: Every death of a pope.
- Avere gli occhi foderati di prosciutto — To be unable to see what is right in front of you. Literally: To have eyes lined with ham.
- Fare le corna — To ward off bad luck — or to signal that a partner is being unfaithful. Literally: To make the horns.
- Tagliare la testa al toro — To settle a matter decisively, once and for all. Literally: To cut the bull's head off.
- Avere le mani in pasta — To be deeply involved in something. Literally: To have your hands in the dough.
- Stare con le mani in mano — To stand around doing nothing while others work. Literally: To stand with your hands in your hand.
- Non ci piove — There's no doubt about it whatsoever. Literally: It doesn't rain on it.
- Non avere peli sulla lingua — To speak bluntly and hold nothing back. Literally: To have no hairs on your tongue.
- Liscio come l'olio — To go off without a hitch. Literally: Smooth as oil.
- Fare il portoghese — To sneak in without paying. Literally: To do the Portuguese.
- Avere le mani bucate — To be a spendthrift. Literally: To have holed hands.
- Prendere lucciole per lanterne — To be completely and badly mistaken. Literally: To mistake fireflies for lanterns.
- Rimanere in mutande — To be left penniless. Literally: To be left in your underwear.
- Tutto fa brodo — Every little bit helps. Literally: Everything makes broth.
- Capire fischi per fiaschi — To misunderstand completely. Literally: To understand whistles as flasks.
- Essere in gamba — To be sharp, capable and on the ball. Literally: To be in leg.
- Fare orecchie da mercante — To turn a deaf ear deliberately. Literally: To make merchant's ears.
- Non sapere che pesci pigliare — To be at a complete loss what to do. Literally: To not know which fish to catch.
- Avere un chiodo fisso — To be obsessed with one idea. Literally: To have a fixed nail.
- arrampicarsi sugli specchi — to attempt to defend an indefensible position or grasp at straws. Literally: To climb on mirrors.
- per amore o per forza — by any means necessary; whether one wishes it or not. Literally: For love or for force.
- mettere radici — to settle in a place permanently or commit to something long-term. Literally: To put down roots.
- tirare l'acqua al proprio mulino — to act in self-interest, redirecting resources or advantage to oneself. Literally: To pull the water to one's own mill.
- tenere a freno la lingua — to refrain from speaking; to keep silent. Literally: To hold back the tongue.
- in pompa magna — with ceremony, grandeur, and great fanfare. Literally: In great pomp.
- alle calende greche — never; at an impossible or non-existent time. Literally: On the Greek calends.
- farsene un baffo — to not care at all; to be indifferent to something. Literally: To make oneself a mustache of it.
- sulle spine — In a state of anxious suspense or nervous tension, unable to relax. Literally: On thorns.
- a gambe levate — With great speed or haste, moving rapidly or impetuously. Literally: At raised legs.
- pendaglio da forca — A person who deserves to be hanged; a worthless scoundrel. Literally: Gallows pendant.
- nei panni di — In the position, role, or situation of someone else; in their shoes. Literally: In the clothes of.
- menare il can per l'aia — To avoid the main point by talking around the subject indirectly. Literally: To lead the dog through the courtyard.
- con il piede sbagliato — To start something badly or get off to a poor beginning. Literally: With the wrong foot.
- togliere il fiato — To leave someone astonished or breathless with amazement. Literally: To take away the breath.
- andare a nozze — To be perfectly suited or to delight in something. Literally: To go to a wedding.
- calcio dell'asino — A cowardly blow struck at someone who can no longer defend themselves, especially a fallen leader. Literally: Kick of the donkey.
- a bocca asciutta — Hungry and wanting food, or disappointed and empty-handed. Literally: With dry mouth.
- alle corde — In a desperate or losing position, cornered. Literally: At the ropes.
- mela marcia — A person who is corrupt or morally bad and whose influence damages those around them. Literally: Rotten apple.
- toccare il fondo — To reach the lowest point of degradation or despair; to hit rock bottom. Literally: To touch the bottom.
- mettere fuori combattimento — To silence someone or exclude them from participation and influence. Literally: To put out of combat.
- dannarsi l'anima — To work extremely hard or exert oneself to the utmost. Literally: To damn one's soul.
- guardarsi alle spalle — To remain vigilant and aware of dangers or threats that might come from behind. Literally: To look behind oneself at the shoulders.
- qui casca l'asino — That is the crux of the matter; that is where the real difficulty lies. Literally: Here the donkey falls.
- battere la grancassa — To advertise or publicize something widely and loudly; to spread news or promote something conspicuously. Literally: To beat the big drum.
- mandare giù — To accept or tolerate something unwillingly, often swallowing one's pride or doubts. Literally: To send down.
- con beneficio d'inventario — To accept something with skepticism or reservations, not at face value. Literally: With benefit of inventory.
- perdere il filo — To lose one's train of thought or become confused about a subject during conversation or explanation. Literally: To lose the thread.
- questione di lana caprina — A trivial or pointless debate that wastes time and produces no useful result. Literally: Matter of goat's wool.
- smemorato di Collegno — A hopelessly forgetful person. Literally: The forgetful one of Collegno.
- fare a scaricabarile — To evade responsibility by shifting blame to someone else; to pass the buck. Literally: To make load-dumping.
- alla carlona — In a careless, rough, or sloppy way without regard for neatness or precision. Literally: In the Carlon manner.
- battere i tacchi — To run away or flee hastily. Literally: To beat one's heels.
- dove non batte il sole — On one's backside; used in crude retorts, like English "where the sun doesn't shine." Literally: Where the sun does not beat.
- fuori del seminato — Off the point; irrelevant or beside the subject at hand. Literally: Outside of the sown field.
- senza colpo ferire — Without any struggle, opposition, or difficulty; achieved effortlessly. Literally: Without a blow struck.
- essere di casa — To be accepted as a family member; to feel completely at home and comfortable somewhere. Literally: To be of the house.
- a viso aperto — Openly and frankly; without deception or concealment. Literally: With open face.
- cavare le castagne dal fuoco — To help someone out of a dangerous or difficult situation, often at one's own risk or effort. Literally: To pull the chestnuts from the fire.
- preparare il terreno — To establish the conditions or foundations that will make something possible later. Literally: To prepare the ground.
- come butta — What is happening; how are things going. Literally: How does it throw.
- girare a vuoto — To spin idly without accomplishing anything; to waste time in aimless activity. Literally: To turn at empty.
- adagiarsi sugli allori — To become complacent and stop making efforts after past successes. Literally: To rest oneself on the laurels.
- mettere le corna — To commit infidelity against a partner; to cuckold someone. Literally: To put the horns.
- alla bell'e meglio — In a sloppy, careless, or makeshift manner; doing something poorly for lack of effort or care. Literally: At the beautiful and better.
- senza capo né coda — In a senseless or disjointed way; without coherence, order, or point. Literally: Without head nor tail.
- a casa del diavolo — Far away; a great distance to travel; the long way around. Literally: At the house of the devil.
- cattedrale nel deserto — A large industrial facility built in a remote, poorly-connected region that produces little of public value and exists mainly to provide jobs. Literally: Cathedral in the desert.
- Il bue che dice cornuto all'asino — Said when someone accuses another of a fault that is really their own. Literally: The ox calling the donkey "horned".
- Il gioco non vale la candela — The effort or risk is out of proportion to what you'd gain. Literally: The game isn't worth the candle.
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