From Latin CATTUS 

ESSERE AGILE COME UN GATTO — to be as agile as a cat

ESSERE 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 soon

AVERE UNA BELLA GATTA DA PELARE — To have a big cat to shave, to have a big problem to solve

GATTA 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 = FLY

ACCHIAPPARE 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 nothing

FARE 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 PISCIS

ESSERE SANO COME UN PESCE - to be as healthy as a fish

NUOTARE COME UN PESCE - to swim like a fish, to be a perfect swimmer

NON ESSERE NE’ CARNE NE’ PESC - to be neither meat or fish, to be in between, to not have a specific flavor, personality, etc

ANDARE A FARE COMPAGNIA AI PESCI - to go keep company to the fish, to drown

NON 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 fish

ESSERE MUTO COME UN PESCE, to be as mute as a fish, won’t talk, won’t reveal a secret

BUTTARSI 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 way

PESCE D’ APRILE, what English speakers call April fool

L’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 CANIS

FIGLIO DI UNA CANE!! Son of a dog!!

VITA DA CANI, dogs’ life, bad life

Lavorare, vivere, mangiare, dormire DA CANI — work, live, eat, sleep badly

FA UN FREDDO CANE, it’s damn cold, literally a dog kind of cold

UN 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 dog

MENARE IL CAN PER L’AIA, to carry, to lead the dog around the farmyard, to waste time, to drag things for too long

CAN CHE ABBAIA NON MORDE, barking dog doesn’t bite

NON 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 cycle

CANINO - 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 // RICCIUTA

TESTA 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’

PIEDE

From Latin PES, PEDIS, it’s the Italian for FOOT!

UN PIEDE can be LUNGO// CORTO// STRETTO// LARGO

AI PIEDI DEL MONTE // COLLE at the foot of the hill 

IN PIEDI = Standing, on your feet

A 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 drinks

IN 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 foot

PRENDERE 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!’

BOCCA 

From the Latin BUCCA = cheek, it then acquired the new meaning of MOUTH

La bocca, can be LARGA // STRETTA // REGOLARE //

CHE ARRIVA AGLI ORECCHI, mouth that opens up to the ears

CHE PARE UN FORNO, which looks like a oven 

SDENTATA, with no teeth

We have expressions like:

A BOCCA PIENA , with a mouth full

ACQUA IN BOCCA! Water in your mouth — don’t spill the beans, don’t share this secret! BOCCONE, a bite of something 

‘Mangio un boccone a casa e arrivo’

‘I’ll grab a quick bite at home and I’ll be there’.

Bocca  as opening or entrance

la bocca del tunnel = the mouth of the tunnel

la bocca del vulcano = the mouth of the volcano

la bocca del vaso = the mouth of the vase

la bocca del fiume = the mouth of the river

la bocca dello stomaco = the pit of one’s stomach

ESSERE DI BOCCA BUONA, to not be a picky eater

‘Per la cena di stasera non ti preoccupare: siamo tutti di bocca buona’

‘Don’t worry about tonight’s dinner: we’re not picky eaters’

LASCIARE A BOCCA APERTA, to leave somebody open-mouthed, to surprise/ shock somebody!

‘Quando Chiara mi ha detto che si era innamorata di Dario, mi ha lasciata a bocca aperta!!’ —

‘When Chiara told me that she had fallen in love with Dario, she left me with my mouth wide open!!’

RIMANERE A BOCCA APERTA: to be left open-mouthed, utterly surprised, astonished 

‘Quando ho visto il suo regalo, sono rimasta a bocca aperta! Era lo stesso che le avevo fatto io!’ —

‘When I saw her gift, I was left open-mouthed: it was the same one I had got her!’

LASCIARE/ RESTARE A BOCCA ASCIUTTA: to leave with a dry mouth, to leave somebody unsatisfied, to not give somebody what they expected or to be left with a dry mouth, unsatisfied

‘Siamo usciti per tre volte e mi ha lasciata a bocca asciutta!!’ —

‘We went on three dates and he left me with a dry mouth!’

A CAVAL DONATO NON SI GUARDA IN BOCCA, literally ‘ You don’t look inside of the mouth of a horse that has been gifted’, you can’t criticize or be too fussy about something that has been gifted to you!

FARE LA BOCCA A QUALCOSA — to get used to the idea of something (usually positive and exciting) happening.

‘Cosa? Non ci sono più biglietti per il concerto di stasera? Dai!!! Ci avevo fatto la bocca’ —

‘What? There are no more tickets for tonight’s concert? Come on!! I got used to the idea!’

‘Piove! Non possiamo andare al mare oggi! Che peccato, ci avevo fatto la bocca…’ —

‘ It’s raining, we can’t go to the beach today…what a pity! I really thought we were gonna go!’

RIFARSI LA BOCCA — Literally to redo your mouth. It’s an expression we use to say we got rid of a bad taste in our mouth. Not only literal about food, but also referring to a bad situation that has been deleted in favor of a good one

‘Dopo quell’orribile cena mi sono rifatta la bocca con un ottimo gelato!’ —

‘After that terrible dinner, I cleaned my mouth with an excellent gelato!’

‘Dopo quell’orribile appuntamento con Michele, mi sono rifatta la bocca uscendo con Carlo’ —

‘After that terrible date with Michele, I got rid of the bad sensations going out with Carlo’

TOGLIERE/ STRAPPARE LE PAROLE DI BOCCA — to to take the words out of someone’s mouth or to tear off, drag something out of somebody

‘Wow, mi hai tolto le parole di bocca…’ —

‘Wow, you took the words out of my mouth, you spoke my mind before I could even express myself’

You expressed exactly what I was thinking.

From Latin CAMBA, Greek cambè, which means curve, articulation. 

Le gambe (plural) can be LUNGHE // CORTE // SOTTILI // DRITTE // STORTE FORTI // DEBOLI // ROBUSTE 

ESSERE IN GAMBA, literally ‘to be in your legs’, to be in good health, strong, a very capable person!

‘Conosci Francesca? E’ davvero una ragazza in gamba: non solo va all’ Università, ha anche due lavori!’ —

‘Francesca is really smart: not only she goes to College, she also has two jobs!’

PRENDERE SOTTO GAMBA, to let things under their legs’, don’t take something seriously enough.

‘Giovanni fa sempre così: ha preso l’esame sotto gamba, non ha studiato abbastanza e non è passato!’ — 

‘Giovanni is always the same: he let the exam under his legs(underestimated the exam), he didn’t study enough and he didn’t pass!’

ANDARE A GAMBE LEVATE, to run with fast legs

‘Ho visto Gigi l’altro giorno: stava scappando a gambe levate da sua moglie’ —

‘I saw Gig the other day: he was running like crazy from his wife’

CADERE A GAMBE ALL’ARIA, to fall with legs in the air

‘Che figuraccia!! Sono caduta dalla bicicletta a gambe all’aria!’ —

‘What a bad impression!! I fell from the bike, legs up!!’

CHI NON HA CERVELLO ABBIA GAMBE, who doesn’t have brain, better have legs! Before starting any activity, better to thing about it throughly before you have to run around using your legs trying to find solutions to repair the situation

GIALLO 

GIALLO = yellow, from French JAUNE

GIALLO can be LIMONE (lemon)/ ORO (gold)/ ZAFFERANO (saffron) / CANARINO (canary).

We also use GIALLO  to talk about a LIBRO GIALLO or a FILM GIALLO (a yellow book or yellow movie) meaning a DETECTIVE STORY (mystery, crime). 

It comes from a long-running series of pulp crime-mystery novels known as 'Il Giallo Mondadori', named such for their bright yellow covers and the name of the publisher behind them, which directly led to the birth of the Giallo film genre.

NERO

From Latin NIGER = black

UNA GIORNATA NERA = A bad day

ESSERE NERO = to be absolutely upset

SONO INCAVOLATO NERO = I’m black upset, super upset

LA MAGIA NERA = Black magic 
PECORA NERA = black sheep

VEDERE NERO = to see dark 

‘Eh… la vedo nera’ =  'I see it dark…’ = I don’t see a good thing/situation

AVERE PENSIERI NERI = to have dark thoughts

‘Non facciamo il diavolo più nero di quello che è’ = 'let’s not paint the devil darker, more black than what it is'

Meaning ‘let’s not worry too much about the obstacle right in front of us, it’s not that bad’.

I’m gonna leave you with one of Italian most loved song of the last 2 decades.

The title is SERE NERE by Tiziano Ferro, and it goes like this, with this crazy interval 

https://open.spotify.com/track/4Ovy5UkvkweOluGd9hoKsR?si=402f23d6e53e4c12

ROSSO

ROSSO:  a fantastic color.

Il colore della passione

MATITA or PENNA ROSSA = Red pencil o pen

SEMAFORO ROSSO = Red traffic light

VINO ROSSO = Red wine

ROSSO come il FUOCO = Red as fire

ROSSO = PALLIDO (pale), ACCESO (bright), FIAMMEGGIANTE (flaming)

 ROSSO COME UN PEPERONE = as red as a bell pepper or come UN POMODORO = as a tomato.

ROSSETTO = lipstick

REGIONI ROSSE (red regions)n and PARTITI ROSSI (red parties) to indicate their left, far-left, communist affiliation

'ROSSO DI SERA, BEL TEMPO SI SPERA' ….

Anybody wants to guess?