I often joke with my son about the sheer quantity of stuffed animals he’s accumulated over the years – some inherited from my own rather abundant collection, others given to him as presents. If I were to count them all, I’m pretty sure I’d still be here in an hour’s time! An expression that perfectly …
When you’re faced with a seemingly insurmountable task or challenge, it’s easy to want to throw your hands up and walk away. And yes, sometimes it really is best to let certain things go. But if you genuinely want to succeed, remember: non darti per vinto – don’t give up! darsi per vinto to give …
A useful expression in Italian is farsi strada, which means “to make one’s way.” It is often followed by the preposition tra / fra meaning between or through. farsi strada to make one’s way The first part of the expression contains the verb fare, meaning to do or to make. However, it is in its …
Metterci una pietra sopra is an Italian expression meaning to definitively put an unpleasant matter or argument, or to put a painful memory to rest. The imagery is pretty clear – by placing a stone on top of something, it becomes impossible to see and easy to forget. In many ways, it is similar to …
If, in English, you want to say that somebody’s house, a shop or a restaurant is very close to where you live, you can rely on the very useful expression “a stone’s throw away” or “within a stone’s throw.” In Italian, there is a very similar expression that replaces stones with muskets. Let’s discover it …
Bando alle ciance is a wonderfully evocative, albeit somewhat old-fashioned Italian expression meaning either “enough chatter” or “stop the small talk”. As you can imagine, it is used to cut short unnecessary talking, nonsense, or gossip, so as to shift focus immediately to the main topic. bando alle ciance enough chatter / stop the small …