What do you do when something annoys or discourages you to the point of feeling completely drained? You probably let your arms fall to your sides like dead weight, right? That’s exactly the image behind the Italian expression far cadere le braccia – literally “to make your arms drop,” used when something is so frustrating or disheartening that it leaves you feeling powerless.
far cadere le braccia
This expression is not easy to translate directly, since English doesn’t really have a perfect equivalent. It conveys the feeling of losing heart, feeling helpless, or becoming discouraged by a situation that feels beyond your control.
Certi commenti sui social mi fanno cadere le braccia.
Some comments on social media really get to me / make me lose heart.
(literally “Some comments on social media make my arms drop”)
Non farti cadere le braccia is also the title of the song from Neapolitan singer-songwriter Edoardo Bennato’s debut album of the same name. The song is all about not letting things get to you – literally “not letting your arms fall.” You can listen to it on his official channel below:
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
