Tongue twisterTricky
Italian
ItalianApelle figlio di Apollo fece una palla di pelle di pollo e tutti i principi della città di Capua la palpeggiarono.
Meaning: A wall of 'p/ll/l/a' that seems to grow longer as you speak it faster.
Literally: Apelles son of Apollo made a ball of chicken skin and all the princes of the city of Capua felt it.
Origin: Italy's most quoted classical twister, recited since the Renaissance.
More Italian tongue twisters
- Chi è Ciccio Capece? Ciccio Capece è un capocaccia che caccia con la cacciaballa. A 'c/ci/ccia' onslaught — Italian's hard and soft c in the same sentence, non-stop.
- Sopra la panca la capra campa, sotto la panca la capra crepa. A beloved 'c' / 'p' rhythm trap.
- Trentatré trentini entrarono a Trento tutti e trentatré trotterellando. An unbroken stampede of 'tr' and 't'.
- Tigre contro tigre, tigre contro un'altra tigre. Pure 't/ig/re' drill — short and merciless; the double-g demands a crisp Italian stop.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Chi prima arriva meglio alloggia Whoever arrives first gets the best choice.
- Il troppo stroppia Too much of anything, even a good thing, does harm.
- L'occasione fa l'uomo ladro People who would never plan a wrong may commit one when the chance is easy.
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