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 …
The origin of the phrase tanto di cappello, which equates to the English idiomatic expression hats off, can be traced back to the old custom of removing one’s hat as a sign of respect or courtesy. tanto di cappello hats off Cappello means hat, and tanto, in this case, is being used emphatically to mean …
In Italian, there’s an idiomatic way to express someone’s unexpected death: rimanere secco, which literally translates to “to be left dry.” rimanere secco to die unexpectedly The verb rimanere can be substituted with restare (to stay) without altering the meaning. Additionally, you can use the pronominal verbs rimanerci and restarci, incorporating the particle ci. The …