Ciao!
Today’s bite-sized lesson is all about idioms.
BITE-SIZED LESSON: BODY-RELATED IDIOMS
One of my favorite ways to learn new vocabulary is by learning common idioms, and Italian has no shortage of them! Below you’ll find 5 body-related idioms that I love.
1) Aver fegato – To have a liver, or to be really brave
La principessa ha salvato la città; lei sì che ha fegato! – The princess has rescued the town; she’s really brave!
2) Essere in gamba – To be in leg, literally. What it means that someone is a really great, upstanding person
Lei mi ha sempre aiutato, è veramente una persona in gamba. – She’s always helped me, she’s really a good person.
3) Avere peli sulla lingua – To have hairs on the tongue. To not speak frankly.
Lui ha sempre peli sulla lingua, magari mi dicesse cosa sente! – He never speaks frankly, I wish he would just tell me what he feels!
4) Farsi le ossa – To make the bones. Meaning to work your way up or to go through difficult things to reach a certain place in life.
Devo farmi le ossa. – I need to make my bones.
5) Alzarsi con il piede sbagliato – To get up with the wrong foot. Meaning to feel irritated, cranky.
Il capo stamattina si è alzato con il piede sbagliato: non fa altro che dare ordini a tutti. – The chief today got up with the wrong foot: he keeps on giving orders to everyone.
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