Idiomatic Expressions
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词汇
- rompere il ghiaccioto break the ice
- un gioco da ragazzia piece of cake / child's play
- azzeccare in pienoto hit the nail on the head
- stringere i dentito grit one's teeth
- essere al settimo cieloto be on cloud nine
- stare sulle spineto be on pins and needles
- vuotare il saccoto spill the beans
- tirare le cuoiato kick the bucket
- ogni morte di papaonce in a blue moon
- costare un occhio della testato cost an arm and a leg
- non vedere l'oracan't wait / look forward to
- avere le mani in pastato have a finger in the pie
Italian Idiomatic Expressions
The modi di dire (idiomatic expressions) are the spice of the Italian language. Mastering them at C1 level is essential for understanding everyday conversations, the press, and literature.
Origins and Imagery
Many Italian expressions have colorful origins:
- Tirare le cuoia (to die / kick the bucket) — literally "to pull the leathers," referring to skin tightening when the body stiffens.
- Ogni morte di papa (very rarely) — a pope rarely dies, hence the meaning "almost never."
- Costare un occhio della testa (to cost a fortune) — losing an eye would be the highest price.
False Friends in Idioms
Some expressions look similar between English and Italian, but watch out for traps:
- Rompere il ghiaccio = to break the ice ✅ (same image)
- Vuotare il sacco = to spill the beans ✅ (similar concept)
- But avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca ≠ "to have your cake and eat it too" (same meaning, very different image — "to have the barrel full and the wife drunk")
Register and Usage
Idioms vary in register: tirare le cuoia is colloquial, while stringere i denti is neutral and suitable for any context.
表达
- Rompere il ghiaccioTo start conversation in an awkward situation
- È un gioco da ragazziTo say something is extremely easy to do
- Stringere i dentiTo persevere despite difficulty or hardship
- Essere al settimo cieloTo express extreme happiness and joy
- Vuotare il saccoTo confess everything or reveal a secret
- Ogni morte di papaTo express that something happens very rarely
常见错误
Rompere la ghiaccia.Rompere il ghiaccio.Ghiaccio (ice) is masculine in Italian. The feminine form ghiaccia does not exist in this expression.
Costare un braccio e una gamba.Costare un occhio della testa.Literal translation of English cost an arm and a leg. The Italian expression uses the image of an eye.
Ogni morte del papa.Ogni morte di papa.The fixed expression uses di papa (without article), not del papa. It is an invariable phrase.
Essere nel settimo cielo.Essere al settimo cielo.The correct preposition is al (at), not nel (in). You are at the seventh heaven, not in it.
Stringere le denti.Stringere i denti.Denti is masculine plural in Italian: i denti, not le denti.
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