As in many other countries around the world, football (or soccer as it is known in the States) is the most popular sport in Italy, and more than others, it is loaded with symbolic meanings that, for better or for worse, go beyond the sporting context.
The widespread popularity of football, as we all know, has long since turned it into a commercial product subject to marketing strategies, so as to make it increasingly profitable. Despite this, nothing has been able to touch the poetry of a good play or the epic nature of a match fought until the very last second.
The emotions that football can provoke have brought into the Italian language words, concepts, and idiomatic phrases that are widely used in everyday conversations.
In this article, I will analyse 10 of these expressions to make them clearer to those who have just started learning Italian.
1. Giocare a calcio
Giocare a calcio means “to play football” and as you can notice, unlike in many other languages, in Italian this sport has a name that does not resemble the English term football at all.
The origin of this denomination is due to the nationalist policies of the early twentieth century. They tried to link modern football born in the UK to the ancient Renaissance game called “Calcio Fiorentino”, thus attempting to claim some sort of authorship.
There have been many cases of forced Italianisation of foreign words, but almost all of them have suffered from unpopularity and subsequently been forgotten. The term calcio, on the other hand, has been accepted and used with great success even though the names of some of the first important Italian clubs were in English: Genoa Cricket and Football Club (from Genova) and Milan Football & Cricket Club (from Milano, now called Associazione Calcio Milan).
Calcio literally means kick, because in this sport you have to kick, calciare, a ball. Football players can therefore be called calciatori.
2. Per quale squadra tifi?
This is the classic question you ask when you meet a new person who loves football. Tifare or fare il tifo translate as “to root for” or “to support” (only in sport), and a fan or a supporter of a team is called un tifoso / una tifosa.
If you notice a certain similarity with the medical term typhus, you are not wrong because in Italian tifo is also the name of the disease that causes agitation and sudden feverish attacks. This condition is probably associated with the passion aroused by sports, even if its etymology is not certain.
To recap:
- A: Per quale squadra tifi? / Which team do you root for / support?
- B: Tifo per.. (or faccio il tifo per…) / I root for / support…
3. Entrare a gamba tesa
Gamba tesa corresponds to the studs-up tackle in English football. It is a harsh and dangerous type of foul that can have dire consequences on the opponent’s physical condition.
Entrare a gamba tesa into a conversation (or in any kind of situation) means to barge in without worrying about the harshness of one’s words or behaviour.
4. Salvarsi in calcio d’angolo (or salvarsi in corner)
In a risky situation, a less-than-ideal solution can be resorted to in order to avoid the worst.
So, if the opposing team is putting pressure on you, you can find temporary relief in kicking the ball over your own end line instead of trying to counterattack. This can lead to another potentially risky situation but for the moment you are safe.
Salvarsi in calcio d’angolo can be used like “to be saved by the bell” in English, which instead of football refers to boxing.
5. Prendere in contropiede
In the Italian language of football, contropiede means counterattack.
Perhaps you already had plans for the weekend, you wanted to go for a walk and then rest comfortably at home, but the unexpected visit of a relative or a friend can prenderti in contropiede and force you to change your plans.
Prendere in contropiede means “to take by surprise” or “to catch off guard”.
6. …in Zona Cesarini
In the 1930s, Renato Cesarini, an Italian-Argentine player, stood out for his ability to repeatedly score in the last few minutes of a game.
Sport journalists at the time paid homage to Cesarini by labelling all goals scored almost at the end of a match as goals in Zona Cesarini. The expression thus became synonymous with “at the last possible moment”.
The word zona / zone generally refers to a surface rather than a segment of time, but the term used in this expression has been borrowed from the card game Bridge where zone / zones is how the phases of the game are named.
7. Fare catenaccio
For many decades, Italian teams have been known for their distinctive implementation of a defensive tactical system: il catenaccio, door-bolt in English.
This tactic aims at blocking every gap to prevent any goal-scoring opportunity, while allowing the opponents to keep possession of the ball.
Ideally, the goal had to be closed by a metaphorical door-bolt. Note that this metaphor makes even more sense in Italian since the football goal is called porta / door.
The expression fare catenaccio / to act as a door-bolt can be used in situations in which an extreme resistance is set against an opponent’s will.
8. Dribblare un argomento, un problema, una persona
If you intentionally avoid facing a delicate situation, running into a person, or discussing a certain topic, lo stai dribblando / you’re dribbling it.
Dribblare obviously comes from to dribble and it is one of many English words that’s been transformed into “Italian” with the simple addition of a suffix.
9. Battere un rigore
A penalty kick (calcio di rigore) is a free kick at the goal with only the goalkeeper to defend it. It can be awarded during the game for an infraction committed in the penalty area or at the end of the match as a method of deciding the winner.
Battere un rigore / to take a penalty is certainly one of the most favourable opportunities to score, but at the same time it is one of the most tense moments in football. A moment that has become a metaphor for the ability to seize the opportunities that life offers us.
10. Fare un autogol
The expression fare un autogol / to score for the other team (or literally “to make an auto-goal”) has entered the common Italian language to indicate something that you, more or less involuntarily, say or do against your own interest.
Written by Nicco Curini, certified teacher of Italian since 2016, working online since 2019. Website: ditelab.blogspot.com | Social media: Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
Niccolò Curini has been teaching Italian since February 2016, primarily at the Language Center of the University of Goettingen in Germany. In this role, he led courses ranging from level A1 to B2. To qualify for this position, he obtained the DITALS certification, enabling him to teach Italian as a Foreign Language to university students. Social media: Instagram – Facebook – Twitter
