Have you ever found yourself in a spot where you had to improvise a speech or speak off-the-cuff? If that sounds familiar, you might want to explore the expression a braccio, which directly translates to “by (the manner of) the arm” but is equivalent to the English expressions “off-the-cuff,” “ad-lib” and “improvised.”
The term originates from the braccio (arm), an ancient unit of measurement approximately 60 cm long. The imprecise nature of this unit led to measurements lacking precision, giving rise to the dual meaning of braccio as something imprecise or approximate. For example, un discorso a braccio is an improvised speech.
Two verbs frequently associated with a braccio are andare (to go) and parlare (to talk/speak). The latter is specifically used for talking, while the former covers a broader range of actions. Some possible translations include:
- to wing it
- to ad-lib
- to talk off-the-cuff
- to play it by ear
Non andare a braccio durante il colloquio.
Don’t wing it during your job interview.
Ha presentato i suoi argomenti parlando a braccio.
He presented his arguments speaking off the cuff.
This expression isn’t the same as a braccia, which means “in one’s arms” or “with one’s own hands.”
Ha portato a braccia quella scatola pesante.
He carried that heavy box with his own hands.
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.
