10654 Idioms: nightmare or amusing

The majority of you have of course encountered Idioms, Proverbs, during a reading or a conversation with Italian speakers, wondering "what does it means!"

Idioms are part of a language, but more than that, of a culture. Some of them are so difficult to understand without the culture knowledge that the communication can become no more straightforward even if you know Italian language basis. But try not to transform it into a horrible experience. On the contrary they can improve your linguistic and cultural skills!
A solution could be to deepen the reason for why it is said, and try to go back up to a comparison with an animal or an activity.
Absolutely do not translate it literally into English, some of them are similar but some other are totally different.

Let me know what are the idiomatic expressions you haven't find a meaning yet and I'll try to help you to understand them. Any collaboration for this hard work will be accepted and I will enjoy also to read about your funny experiences with idioms or play on words!

Cristiana

Category
Che significa? - Italian Language Queries

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 10:39

This thread - [url]http://www.italymag.co.uk/forums/che-significa-italian-language-queries/9006-interesting-italian-words-expressions.html[/url] was an amalgamation of two separate ones by myself and Gala and is along the same lines Cristiana.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 11:50

"anamalgamation" :laughs:

This time Sallys typo is ironically correct! Made me laugh anyway.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 12:05

This works both ways Cristiana and sometimes perfectly innocent English expressions can be misinterpreted when one is not experienced with the culture.

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Thu, 10/23/2008 - 12:42

One of my Italian friends kept saying after Christmas lunch, he was - "stuffed as a lorry" - I have no idea of the expression in Italian. Any ideas???

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 03:51

[quote=Sally Donaldson;100299]One of my Italian friends kept saying after Christmas lunch, he was - "stuffed as a lorry" - I have no idea of the expression in Italian. Any ideas???[/quote]

Hi Sally,
"stuffed as a lorry".. said by an Italian or English friend? Anyway I would translate it -just keeping the content - "aver la pancia piena", or "mi scoppia la pancia" less formal but quite common.

Lorry..ah ah ah, it makes me remind of "yellow lorry.." how does it continues??:nah:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 04:15

red lorry, yellow lorry. It's a tongue twister in English. keep repeating it Cristiana. Are there ones in Italian???

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 04:21

My favourite tongue twister is;

Trentatrè trentini entrarano dentro Trento tutti e trentatrè trotterellando

keeps those r's rolling :smile:

Chris

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 04:58

"sopra la panca la capra campa,
sotto la panca la capra crepa"!
:bigergrin:

"Se la serva non ti serve,
a che serve che ti serva
di una serva che non serve?
Serviti di una serva che serve,
e se questa non ti serve,
serviti dei miei servi."

Make a top ten! which one do you prefer or which one is the more difficult?
...(which witch is which!!)

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 05:25

A quest'ora il questore in questura qui sta! :bigergrin:

Submitted by Anonymous (not verified) on Fri, 10/24/2008 - 05:36

[quote=juliancoll;100360]A quest'ora il questore in questura qui sta! :bigergrin:[/quote]

excellent.. this may help in reading:

[url]http://www.locuta.com/SUONI/questore.wav[/url]