Zizzania, commonly referred to as darnel, poison darnel, darnel ryegrass, or cockle in English, is an herbaceous weed similar to wheat found in cultivated fields. It adversely affects the plants in the surrounding soil, causing damage to agricultural crops. Thus, the expression seminare zizzania literally translates to “sowing darnel.” seminare zizzania to sow discord This …
Today we are investigating an idiomatic expression with an exact English equivalent, just to make life a little easier on you! The idiom is ammazzare il tempo, which literally means to kill time. ammazzare il tempo to kill time Ammazzare is a verb in Italian that signifies to kill or murder. While uccidere is a …
In Italian, fischiare le orecchie literally means “to whistle in the ears,” and it refers to the persistent ringing or buzzing sound in one’s ears, often associated with tinnitus. Mi fischiano le orecchie! My ears are ringing / buzzing! However, this expression, when preceded by the verb sentirsi (to feel), can also be used figuratively to describe the …
I’m sure we’ve all encountered gossip or news at some point in our lives that has left us gaping in disbelief. In Italian, there’s a fantastic idiom you can employ to capture that feeling—rimanere di stucco—which essentially means being flabbergasted / dumbfounded. rimanere di stucco to be flabbergasted / dumbfounded Stucco is the Italian word …
Today, I propose we veer away from idiomatic expressions and delve into a well-known Italian proverb closely tied to the Easter season: Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi. Natale con i tuoi, Pasqua con chi vuoi! This proverb suggests that while spending Christmas (Natale) with your parents is important, Easter (Pasqua) allows for …
Last weekend, we had some Italian friends over who, due to various reasons, could only stay from Friday to Monday, with two of those days dedicated to travel. In total, they had just two full days to spend with us and explore our little corner of Wales. In Italian, there’s a common idiomatic expression to …