Heather Broster
With a history spanning over a century, rugby holds a significant presence in Italy, especially in the northern regions where most clubs are situated. Despite their endeavours, progression beyond the group stage in any of the Rugby World Cups has eluded them thus far. However, Italy’s persistent efforts have cultivated a loyal fan base, and …
I happened to hear today’s word while listening to my favourite Italian radio station, Radio Italia, where they were discussing the unusually hot temperatures that have gripped Italy over the past week. In some places in the south, the mercury has soared past the 40°C / 104°F mark. Arroventato is an adjective that translates as red-hot …
La goccia che fa traboccare il vaso (literally “the drop that makes the vase overflow”) refers to the latest occurrence in a series of cumulative small, unpleasant events that unexpectedly triggers a significant and sudden reaction. La goccia che fa traboccare il vaso It is identical in meaning to the English idiom “the straw that …
When my young son is tired or bored, he has the tendency to orbit around me, endlessly repeating the word mamma, in an effort to grab my attention. By the hundredth repetition, I occasionally can’t resist thinking to myself, “Ma smettila di rompermi le scatole!” (Don’t worry, I never actually say this to him! 😀) …
We recently conducted a survey on our Facebook group, asking them which words their parents used with them most frequently. Unsurprisingly, the short yet powerful word “basta” ranked very close to the top of the list. Basta, when used as an interjection, has a couple of primary translations in English. The first is (that’s) enough, …
If someone is truly getting on your nerves, you might feel tempted to tell them to get lost… or worse. In Italian, the act of telling someone to buzz off can be perfectly expressed with the idiom mandare a quel paese (literally “to send to that country / land / town”). Unlike some other coarser …