Il tempo di un Caffe' - Thoughts on Italian Words Ilaria Cerini

From Latin CATTUS ESSERE AGILE COME UN GATTO — to be as agile as a catESSERE IN 4 GATTI —  To be 4 cats, to be very few people‘C’erano solo 4 gatti allo spettacolo’- ‘There were only a few ppl at the show’ESSERE DEL GATTO — to be ‘of the cat’, to be in a bad situation, problematic, almost hopeless‘Siamo del gatto’ - ‘We’re screwed’ESSERE COME IL GATTO E LA VOLPE — to be like the cat and the fox from Collodi’s Pinocchio, to be partners in crime‘Alessio e Massimo: eccoli lì, sempre a combinarne una’ - ‘ Alessio and Massimo, here they are: always confabulating something’ QUANDO IL GATTO NON C’È I TOPI BALLANO — When the cat isn’t home, the mice dance‘Come ci divertiamo ora che il capo and in vacanza! Quando il gatto non c’è…' -  ‘We have so much fun now that our boss is on vacation! when the cat isn’t home…’FARE LA GATTA MORTA — To play the dead  female cat, to be super flirty!! or pretending to be sweet and masking the real nature. Refers to cats playing dead when trying to get their prey‘Guarda guarda come fa la gatta morta!! Lascia qualcosa per noi!’ - ‘Look how she’s flirting!! Leave something for us!’NON DIRE GATTO FINO A CHE NON CE L’HAI NEL SACCO — Don’t say cat until it’s on you sack! Don’t celebrate too soonAVERE UNA BELLA GATTA DA PELARE — To have a big cat to shave, to have a big problem to solveGATTA CI COVA! — the cat is nursing something, like a chicken is brooding the eggs, something is happening behind closed door ‘Non mi fido di quei due: qui gatta ci cova’ - ‘ I don’t trust those 2… something is boiling in the pot’ 

From Latin MUSCA = FLYACCHIAPPARE LE MOSCHE - to catch flies, to do a useless job"Cosa devo fare?" "Prendi una mosca e falla ballare“ - "What can I do?’ ‘Get a fly and dance with her’”ESSERE NOIOSO/ FASTIDIOSO COME UNA MOSCA, to be annoying as a fly‘Giovanni è fastidioso come una mosca: ha sempre da criticare!" - "Giovanni is as annoying as a fly: he’s always criticizing’STARE A GUARDARE LE MOSCHE CHE VOLANO, to stare at flying flies, being distracted, not doing anything “E tu? che fai? Stai a guardare le mosche che volano?" - "And you, what are you doing? looking at flies?”NON SI SENTE VOLARE UNA MOSCA, you can’t even hear a fly flying for how much silence there is‘Da quando il professore si è arrabbiato, non si sente volare una mosca’ - ‘Since the teacher got upset, you can’t hear a fly’ZITTO E MOSCA! Shut up as a fly!AVERE PAURA DI UNA MOSCA, to be afraid of a fly, of nothingFARE DI UNA MOSCA UN ELEFANTE, to make an elephant out of a fly, to make a big deal out of nothing‘Hai fatto di una mosca un elefante! E’ stato solo un fraintendimento!’ - ‘You made an elephant out of a fly! It was just a misunderstanding!’RESTARE CON UN PUGNO DI MOSCHE, to be left with an handful of flies, with nothing FAR VENIRE LA MOSCA AL NASO, to get the fly on the nose, to irritate somebody‘Quando Giacomo mi ha risposto male, mi ha fatto venire la mosca al naso, e gli ho tirato uno schiaffo’ - ‘When Giacomo replied rudely to me, made me mad and I slap him!

From Latin PISCISESSERE SANO COME UN PESCE - to be as healthy as a fishNUOTARE COME UN PESCE - to swim like a fish, to be a perfect swimmerNON ESSERE NE’ CARNE NE’ PESC - to be neither meat or fish, to be in between, to not have a specific flavor, personality, etcANDARE A FARE COMPAGNIA AI PESCI - to go keep company to the fish, to drownNON SAPERE CHE PESCI PRENDERE - literally not knowing which fish to catch, to fish, to have ran out of options, therefore being uncertain about a the future ‘Non riesco a trovare a trovare lavoro! Ho provato dappertutto! Non so più che pesci prendere’ ‘I can’t find a job, I tried everywhere, I don’t know what to fish anymore!ESSERE COME UN PESCE FUOR D’ACQUA, to feel like a fish outside the water, very uncomfortable‘Mamma mia, ieri alla festa mi sono sentita un pesce fuor d’acqua! Erano tutti dottori e scienziati e non sapevo neanche di cosa parlassero!' ‘Oh my God, last night at the party I felt like a fish out of the water(out of its element) they were all scientists and doctors and I didn’t even know what they were talking about’TRATTARE QUALCUNO A PESCI FACCIA, to slap somebody with a fish, to treat them BADLY‘Wow, sono andata in banca per chiedere un prestito, e mi hanno trattata a pesci in faccia’‘Wow, I went to the bank to ask for a loan, and they treated me horribly’CHI DORME NON PIGLIA PESCI, the one who sleeps doesn’t catch fishESSERE MUTO COME UN PESCE, to be as mute as a fish, won’t talk, won’t reveal a secretBUTTARSI a PESCE, to throw yourself as a fish into something or into doing something ‘Ha cominciato il nuovo lavoro ci si è buttato a pesce’ ‘He started a new job and thew himself in it, like a fish’FARE L’OCCHIO A PESCE MORTO, to give the dead fish eye, which, despite what the image would suggest, refers to looking at somebody in a seductive// very sweet wayPESCE D’ APRILE, what English speakers call April foolL’OSPITE È COME IL PESCE: DOPO 3 GIORNI PUZZA, A guest is like fish, on the third day it starts to smell — can’t stay more than 3 days as a guest! 

From Latin CANISFIGLIO DI UNA CANE!! Son of a dog!!VITA DA CANI, dogs’ life, bad lifeLavorare, vivere, mangiare, dormire DA CANI — work, live, eat, sleep badlyFA UN FREDDO CANE, it’s damn cold, literally a dog kind of coldUN MALE CANE! - A dog's pain‘La gamba mi fa un male cane’ ‘My leg hurts like crazy’COME UN CANE BASTONATO, as a beaten dog ‘Quando gli ho detto potevo aiutarlo, Se n’è andato come un cane bastonato’ - ‘When I told him I couldn’t help him, he left like a beaten dog, defeated and sad’NON C’È UN CANE - When a place  it’s empty, deserted, literally ‘Not even dogs are here’‘Mamma mia, non c’è un cane in città, sono tutti in vacanza’- ‘wow, the city is empty, everybody is on vacation’ESSERE SOLO COME UN CANE, as lonely as a dogMENARE IL CAN PER L’AIA, to carry, to lead the dog around the farmyard, to waste time, to drag things for too longCAN CHE ABBAIA NON MORDE, barking dog doesn’t biteNON SVEGLIARE IL CAN CHE DORME, don’t wake up a sleeping dog UN CANE CHE SI MORDE LA CODA, a dog biting its tail literally, meaning a vicious cycleCANINO - Canine, our sharp tooth

From the late Latin ‘cranio, testa’, originally with the meaning of ‘shell, vase’, TESTA is the Italian for HEAD.La TESTA can be PICCOLA // GROSSA // A PERA // A PUNTA // BIANCA // PELATA // BIONDA // RICCIUTATESTA DURA — hard head, stubborn TESTA DI CAVOLO! TESTA DI C****! — CAULIFLOWER/ D*** HEAD!RIEMPIRE LA TESTA, To fill the head with something ‘Mi ha riempito la testa di stupidaggini’  —‘He filled my head with stupid things’DARE ALLA TESTA, to go to one’s head ‘Il successo gli ha dato alla testa’ —‘Success went to his head’NON FASCIARSI LA TESTA PRIMA DI ESSERSELA ROTTA — Don’t bandage your head before breaking it. Don’t worry, don’t be alarmed before knowing if something bad is actually gonna happen‘E se non passo l’esame?’ ‘Dai, non ti fasciare la testa prima di romperla! Andrà benissimo!’ —‘What if I don’t pass the exam?’ ‘Come on, don’t worry about it before it has even happened! It’s gonna be great!’TAGLIARE LA TESTA AL TORO, to cut the bull’s head, to finally make a decision ‘Basta! Sono due ore che cerchiamo di decidere: tagliamo la testa al toro! Andiamo a mangiare al messicano’ —‘Enough’ we’ve been deciding for 2 hours: let’s cut the bull’s head and let’s go to the Mexican restaurant’PERDERE LA TESTA, to lose your mind ‘Quando si sono conosciuti, Davide ha perso la testa per Claudia: non riusciva a smettere di parlare di lei!’ —‘When they met, David lost his mind over Claudia: he couldn’t stop talking about her!’AVERE LA TESTA FRA LE NUVOLE,  to have your head in the clouds‘Mio padre ha sempre la testa tra le nuvole: è un miracolo che non sia ancora caduto in un tombino!’ —‘My dad is always with his head on the clouds: it’s a miracle he hasn’t fallen in a manhole!’MONTARSI LA TESTA, literally ’to build your head’, meaning to get ahead of yourself‘Da quando ha vinto un Grammy, si è davvero montato la testa’ —‘Since he won a Grammy, he got ahead of himself’

PIEDEFrom Latin PES, PEDIS, it’s the Italian for FOOT!UN PIEDE can be LUNGO// CORTO// STRETTO// LARGOAI PIEDI DEL MONTE // COLLE at the foot of the hill IN PIEDI = Standing, on your feetA PIEDI = by foot, walking‘Tutti in piedi!’ — ‘Everyone stand!’,‘Non mi reggo in piedi’ — ‘I can’t hold my self up’, said someone after one too many drinksIN PUNTA DI PIEDI — On tiptoe ‘Se n’è andato in punta di piedi, non l’ho nemmeno sentito uscire!’ — ‘He walked out on tiptoe, I didn’t even hear him leaving!’BATTERE I PIEDI , To stamp (your feet), usually as a sign of impatience ‘Francesco batte i piedi ogni volta che vuole il gelato. Che palle!’ —‘Francesco stamps every time he wants gelato. What a pain!’PESTARE I PIEDI A QUALCUNO,  To step on someone’s toes‘Alessio ha cambiato città. Forse ha pestato i piedi alle persone sbagliate’ —‘Alessio moved to another city. Maybe he stepped on the wrong people’s toes. ‘Non farti pestare i piedi da nessuno!’  — ‘Don’t let anyone step on your toes’METTERE I PIEDI IN TESTA, To put the feet on someone’s head as a sign of power, superiority. To walk over somebody ‘Non farti mettere i piedi in testa’ — ‘Don’t let anyone walk over you!’ESSERE TRA I PIEDI, To be between the feet, meaning to get into each other’s way‘Mamma mia! Sei sempre tra i piedi! Ma non puoi uscire un po’?’ —  ‘Oh God, you’re always on my way! Can’t you just go out of the house for a little?’CAMMINARE CON I PIEDI DI PIOMBO,  To walk with feet made of lead, to take it slow, cautiously ‘Lei mi piace tantissimo, ma ci vado con i piedi di piombo perché ci conosciamo da poco e non voglio illudermi’ —‘I like her a lot but I’ll take it slow cause we just met and I don’t want to be mislead’DARSI LA ZAPPA SUI PIEDI, To make your situation worse in the attempt to make it better, literally to throw the hoe on your foot, shooting yourself in the footPRENDERE PIEDE,  To take over, catch on ‘La moda del selfie ha preso piede con l’arrivo dei social media’ —‘The selfies trend caught on thanks to social media’METTERE IN PIEDI,  To establish, to put together‘Serena ha messo in piedi una compagnia di catering da zero!’ — ‘Serena built a catering company from scratch!’