Word of the Week
Written by admin on 8 February, 2009 – 8:56 pm -
This week instead of a word I have chosen a useful phrase.
in bocca al lupo
good luck (lit. in the wolf’s mouth) or being more idiomatic break a leg
Apparently the correct reply to this is crepi (il lupo) which literally means die (the wolf). Otherwise you won’t have luck. Is that true? It might help explain a lot!!
Do you have any useful idioms to share with us?
Posted in Language |
By Antonella on Feb 8, 2009 | Reply
Hi Mike, Have you ever heard of “in c… alla balena”? Ask your wife. Cannot translate. I censor myself but apparently is more effective than “in bocca al lupo”! Ciao from a snowy Yorkshire!. A.
By Kia on Feb 9, 2009 | Reply
Good afternoon, Mike. Ask your wife of “Tra le p… del riccio” and “Tra le t… della formica” too.
I posted about “In bocca al lupo” last year, my American friends loved it! 
By Zeno on Feb 9, 2009 | Reply
Hiya Mike. In bocca al lupo is the most traditional way to say “break a leg” in Italian. But if you want to wish good luck to a friend that is going to play a role in theater, you must say “Merda! Merda! Merda!”. I bet you know what that means
Cheers!
By Mike Coyle on Feb 10, 2009 | Reply
Thank you all for the extra phrases. I had never heard any of them before.