in bocca al lupo
Literally in the mouth of the wolf
Means good luck
Example Domani hai l'esame? In bocca al lupo!
An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are 15 of the most common Italian idioms, each with its literal translation, real meaning, and an example sentence, so you know what natives actually mean.
Common Italian idioms are everyday expressions whose meaning cannot be guessed from the individual words. For example, in bocca al lupo literally means "in the mouth of the wolf" but is used to mean good luck. This free tool lists 15 real Italian idioms, each with its literal translation, meaning, and an example sentence.
All 15 Italian idioms, with meanings and examples.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of July 2026.
in bocca al lupo
Literally in the mouth of the wolf
Means good luck
Example Domani hai l'esame? In bocca al lupo!
avere le mani in pasta
Literally to have one's hands in the dough
Means to be involved in something, to have influence
Example Lui ha le mani in pasta in molti affari.
prendere due piccioni con una fava
Literally to catch two pigeons with one broad bean
Means to kill two birds with one stone
Example Andando in centro ho preso due piccioni con una fava.
essere al verde
Literally to be at the green
Means to be broke, out of money
Example Non posso uscire stasera, sono al verde.
avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca
Literally to have the barrel full and the wife drunk
Means to want to have it both ways
Example Non puoi avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.
costare un occhio della testa
Literally to cost an eye of the head
Means to be very expensive
Example Quella borsa costa un occhio della testa.
tagliare la corda
Literally to cut the rope
Means to slip away, to escape
Example Appena ha potuto, ha tagliato la corda.
avere un diavolo per capello
Literally to have a devil for each hair
Means to be furious
Example Non parlarle adesso, ha un diavolo per capello.
acqua in bocca
Literally water in the mouth
Means keep it secret, don't tell anyone
Example Ti dico un segreto, ma acqua in bocca!
fare orecchie da mercante
Literally to make merchant's ears
Means to turn a deaf ear, to pretend not to hear
Example Gli ho chiesto aiuto ma ha fatto orecchie da mercante.
essere una schiappa
Literally to be a wood chip
Means to be hopeless or very bad at something
Example A calcio sono proprio una schiappa.
toccare ferro
Literally to touch iron
Means to knock on wood for luck
Example Speriamo che vada tutto bene, tocca ferro.
cadere dalle nuvole
Literally to fall from the clouds
Means to be completely taken by surprise
Example Quando l'ho saputo sono caduto dalle nuvole.
non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco
Literally not all doughnuts come out with a hole
Means things don't always turn out as planned
Example Ă andata male, ma non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.
piove sul bagnato
Literally it rains on the wet ground
Means good or bad luck keeps coming to those who already have plenty
Example Ha vinto di nuovo alla lotteria, piove sul bagnato.
Idioms stick when you see them in context, not on a list. Lingo7 lets you read real Italian books with sentence-aligned translation and native-narrated audio, so you meet idioms in the wild and tap any line you do not get. Save them and review later. Free to start.
An idiom is a phrase whose meaning is fixed by convention, not built from its words. That is why a word-for-word translation fails: In bocca al lupo comes out as "in the mouth of the wolf", which makes no sense until you know it means good luck.
Learn a few at a time, not a whole list. Pick the ones you keep running into, say them out loud in a real sentence, and you will remember them far longer than by drilling flashcards.
The most reliable way to absorb idioms is to meet them in context, again and again, in things you actually read. Parallel text and audio let you catch an idiom in a real Italian sentence and check what it means without breaking your reading. That is what reading in Lingo7 is built for.
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Some of the most common Italian idioms are in bocca al lupo, avere le mani in pasta, prendere due piccioni con una fava, essere al verde. Each one means something you could not guess from the words alone, which is exactly why learners have to meet them in context. This tool lists 15 of them with their meaning and an example sentence.
In Italian, "in bocca al lupo" translates literally as "in the mouth of the wolf", but it actually means good luck. You would use it like this: Domani hai l'esame? In bocca al lupo!
Idioms are non-compositional: their meaning is fixed by convention, not built from the individual words. In bocca al lupo translates literally as "in the mouth of the wolf", yet it means good luck. Translate word for word and you get nonsense, so idioms have to be learned as whole units.
The fastest way is to meet them in context and reuse them, not to memorize a list. Learn a handful at a time, notice them while reading and listening, and try them in your own sentences. Reading real Italian with tap-to-translate, the way Lingo7 works, turns every page into idiom practice.