Italian Word Fun!

By Margo Sorenson

“Don’t be a salame!” Words are fun to play with, (you don’t have to be a writer to know that!) and Italian expressions can often be much more entertaining to explore and to use than English expressions. Of course, having spent my childhood in Napoli and Bari, I’m very objective and impartial about that. 😉 It’s enjoyable to examine the many nuances of Italian idioms; they add depth and shades of meaning to what could otherwise be boring, ho-hum statements.

Avere le mani in pasta: “To have your hands in the pasta dough”—to be in charge—and we know who often makes the pasta in la famiglia—the nonna. Kneading, rolling, digging in, slapping around—she’s the boss of the dough, for sure. If you’ve made pasta yourself or seen pasta made by hand, you know this for a fact.

Non tutte le ciambelle escono col buco: “Not every doughnut has a hole in it.” This meaning often depends on the context in which it’s used, but, simply, not everything turns out the way you think or hope it will, but, it could be good, regardless. The doughnut could be cream-filled or jam-filled, despite its lack of a hole. We can make do with what we have—at least it’s a doughnut—let’s look on the bright side. 😊

Avere le fette di prosciutto sugli occhi: To have prosciutto covering your eyes—meaning you are careless or absent-minded—or maybe so in love that you don’t see the truth! It’s a little difficult to see through prosciutto, no matter how thinly it’s sliced.

Non fare il salame: “Don’t make/be a salame”—we know salame isn’t articulate or communicative or able to do anything by itself in the slightest. In other words, don’t be stupid!

Campa cavallo che l’erbe cresce: “Live, horse; the grass will grow”—means you’ll have to wait a long time before the thing you’re waiting for actually happens. This is often shortened to “campa cavallo” and is a very common expression—another way of saying “fat chance.” Imagine the poor, hungry, woebegone horse, waiting and waiting for the grass to grow so he can eat.

Metti l’asino dove vuole il padrone: “Put the donkey where the owner wants it.” Do what your boss says, even if you don’t agree, to avoid any discussion or argument or kerfluffle—or being fired!

Conosco i miei polli: “I know my chickens”—means, you know what you’re doing—you know what people are up to, and you won’t be fooled.

It’s fun to see how not only food is featured in these expressions, but also the down-home, commonsense, matter-of-fact approach to life found in Italy. Enjoy these expressions and discover many others!