Essential Idioms to be Familiar With

Question 1

• In bocca al lupo!

- Crepi!

Answer 1

Means (figuratively)

• Good luck!
• Thanks!

Question 2

ogni morte di Papa

Answer 2

Means figuratively

on a very rare occasion

Literally: Every death of the Pope

Question 3

mettercela tutta

Answer 3

go all out

Question 4

dalla padella alla brace

Answer 4

make a certain situation worse

literally: from the pan to the grill

brace = embers
alla brace = on the grill

Question 5

come bere un bicchier d’acqua

Answer 5

Means:
Something which is accomplished very easily

Literally: Like drinking a glass of water.

Question 6

piangere sul latte versato

Answer 6

cry over spilled milk

Question 7

gatta frettolosa fa i gattini ciechi

Answer 7

Haste makes waste.

Literally
Hasty cat makes blind kittens

Question 8

essere un pezzo di pane

Answer 8

be good and naive

Literally
be a piece of bread

Question 9

nei tuoi panni

Answer 9

in your situation

Literally
in your clothes

Question 10

fare le ore piccole

Answer 10

be late at night

Question 11

essere di coccio

Answer 11

be hard-headed

coccio = earthenware, crock

Question 12

essere uno zuccone

Answer 12

to be dumb

Question 13

piove sempre sul bagnato

Answer 13

it never rains but it pours

Question 14

L’abito non fa il monaco.

Answer 14

Equiv: You can’t tell a book by its cover.

Literally: the suit doesn’t make the monk

Question 15

mi sono rotto

Answer 15

I’m sick.

Question 16

la goccia che fa traboccare il vaso

Answer 16

Equiv: The straw that broke the camel’s back.

literally
The drop that overflowed the vase