Italians have many ways to refer to someone who doesn’t like to spend money. You might be called spilorcio, taccagno, tirato, or tirchio. But if they want to sound more poetic, they’ll use the idiomatic expression avere le braccine corte. avere le braccine corte to have short arms Avere le braccine corte literally translates to …
If you try something new and find yourself enjoying it more and more despite initially thinking you wouldn’t, you might say that you’ve “developed a taste” or “taken a liking” to it in English. In Italian, there’s a similar expression: prenderci gusto. prenderci gusto to develop a taste / take a liking Prendere is an …
Problems (i problemi) are a common part of daily life, but that doesn’t make them any less challenging to handle! Today’s idiom – essere alle prese con – addresses precisely this issue as we’ll see below. essere alle prese con to be dealing / struggling with / up against Sono alle prese con un sacco …
If you live in a region with unpredictable weather patterns, you likely understand the importance of layering your clothing. In Italian, this practice of donning multiple layers is aptly described as vestirsi a cipolla. vestirsi a cipolla to dress in layers The phrase vestirsi a cipolla literally means “to dress like an onion.” This expression …
Imagine you find yourself adrift on a choppy sea in the middle of nowhere, with no means to call for help. It’s from this vivid image that we get the Italian idiom essere in alto mare, which literally translates to “to be on the high seas” in English. essere in alto mare to be in …
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 …