An idiom is a phrase you cannot translate word for word. Here are the 25 most common Italian idioms, ranked by how often you will actually meet them, each with its literal translation, real meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation, 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 with what you are about to face. This free page ranks the 25 most common Italian idioms by how often you meet them, each with its literal translation, meaning, the closest English idiom where one exists, and an example sentence with an English translation.
All 25 idioms, most common first.
Guess the meaning, then tap a card to check.
Idiom list verified as of August 2026.
in bocca al lupo
Literally in the mouth of the wolf
Means good luck with what you are about to face
English idiom break a leg
Example Domani hai l'esame? In bocca al lupo!
You have your exam tomorrow? Good luck!
Note The expected reply is crepi il lupo (or just crepi), and Italians use it for exams, interviews and appointments, not only for performances.
non vedere l'ora
Literally not to see the hour
Means to be really looking forward to something
English idiom can't wait
Example Non vedo l'ora di partire per le vacanze.
I can't wait to leave on holiday.
prendere in giro
Literally to take around
Means to tease someone or make fun of them
English idiom pull someone's leg
Example Non arrabbiarti, ti stavo solo prendendo in giro.
Don't get angry, I was only pulling your leg.
costare un occhio della testa
Literally to cost an eye of the head
Means to be extremely expensive
English idiom cost an arm and a leg
Example Quella borsa costa un occhio della testa.
That bag costs an arm and a leg.
essere al verde
Literally to be at the green
Means to have no money left
English idiom be broke
Example Non posso uscire stasera, sono al verde.
I can't go out tonight, I'm broke.
avere la testa tra le nuvole
Literally to have the head among the clouds
Means to be distracted and lost in your own thoughts
English idiom have your head in the clouds
Example Oggi hai la testa tra le nuvole, è successo qualcosa?
You've got your head in the clouds today, has something happened?
essere in gamba
Literally to be in leg
Means to be capable and reliable at what you do
English idiom be on the ball
Example Il nostro medico è davvero in gamba.
Our doctor really knows his job.
Note Also used as a warm goodbye in the form stammi in gamba, meaning take care of yourself.
acqua in bocca
Literally water in the mouth
Means keep this to yourself and tell nobody
English idiom mum's the word
Example Ti dico un segreto, ma acqua in bocca!
I'll tell you a secret, but mum's the word!
cadere dalle nuvole
Literally to fall from the clouds
Means to be completely taken by surprise by a piece of news
Example Quando mi hanno detto del divorzio sono caduta dalle nuvole.
When they told me about the divorce I was completely taken aback.
toccare ferro
Literally to touch iron
Means to do a small superstitious gesture to keep bad luck away
English idiom knock on wood
Example Finora è andato tutto bene, tocchiamo ferro.
Everything has gone well so far, knock on wood.
Note Italians touch iron rather than wood, and they often actually reach for something metal while saying it.
prendere due piccioni con una fava
Literally to catch two pigeons with one broad bean
Means to get two results from a single action
English idiom kill two birds with one stone
Example Vado in centro e ne approfitto per fare la spesa, così prendo due piccioni con una fava.
I'm going into town and doing the shopping while I'm there, so I kill two birds with one stone.
avere un diavolo per capello
Literally to have a devil for each hair
Means to be furious and impossible to approach
English idiom be hopping mad
Example Non parlarle adesso, ha un diavolo per capello.
Don't talk to her right now, she's absolutely furious.
tagliare la corda
Literally to cut the rope
Means to slip away quickly to avoid a situation
English idiom make yourself scarce
Example Appena ha visto il capo, ha tagliato la corda.
As soon as he saw the boss, he slipped away.
avere una cotta per qualcuno
Literally to have a cooked one for someone
Means to be infatuated with someone
English idiom have a crush on someone
Example Si vede che ha una cotta per la sua compagna di banco.
You can tell he has a crush on the girl he sits next to.
Note Informal, and about early infatuation rather than a settled relationship.
non avere peli sulla lingua
Literally not to have hairs on the tongue
Means to say exactly what you think without softening it
English idiom not mince words
Example Mia nonna non ha peli sulla lingua, ti dice tutto in faccia.
My grandmother doesn't mince words, she tells you everything to your face.
avere le mani in pasta
Literally to have the hands in the dough
Means to be closely involved in something and have influence over it
English idiom have a finger in the pie
Example In quel settore ha le mani in pasta da anni.
He has had a finger in that pie for years.
Note Depending on context it can be neutral praise for someone well connected or a hint at shady involvement.
avere un chiodo fisso
Literally to have a fixed nail
Means to be stuck on one idea and think about nothing else
Example Da mesi ha un chiodo fisso: comprare casa.
For months he has had one thing on his mind, buying a house.
mettere il carro davanti ai buoi
Literally to put the cart in front of the oxen
Means to do things in the wrong order, starting from the end
English idiom put the cart before the horse
Example Prima troviamo i soldi, poi pensiamo alla ristrutturazione, non mettiamo il carro davanti ai buoi.
First we find the money, then we think about the renovation, let's not put the cart before the horse.
fare il passo più lungo della gamba
Literally to take a step longer than the leg
Means to take on more than you can actually handle
English idiom bite off more than you can chew
Example Con quel mutuo ha fatto il passo più lungo della gamba.
With that mortgage he bit off more than he could chew.
vuotare il sacco
Literally to empty the sack
Means to finally tell everything you were keeping quiet about
English idiom spill the beans
Example Dai, vuota il sacco: cosa è successo ieri sera?
Come on, spill the beans, what happened last night?
piove sul bagnato
Literally it rains on the wet ground
Means more of the same keeps happening to someone who already has plenty of it
English idiom when it rains, it pours
Example Ha vinto di nuovo alla lotteria: piove sul bagnato.
He won the lottery again, when it rains it pours.
Note Italians use it for runs of good luck as readily as for bad ones, while the English version is usually about trouble.
essere una schiappa
Literally to be a wood chip
Means to be hopeless at something
Example A tennis sono una schiappa, non prendo mai la palla.
I'm hopeless at tennis, I never hit the ball.
Note Informal and light, typical of sport and school talk.
avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca
Literally to have the barrel full and the wife drunk
Means to want two good things that cannot go together
English idiom have your cake and eat it too
Example Vuoi lo stipendio pieno e il venerdì libero? Non puoi avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.
You want a full salary and Fridays off? You can't have your cake and eat it too.
Note Nearly always used in the negative, and often with volere: vuoi la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca.
non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco
Literally not all doughnuts come out with a hole
Means not everything turns out the way you planned
English idiom you can't win them all
Example Il dolce è bruciato, pazienza, non tutte le ciambelle riescono col buco.
The cake burnt, never mind, you can't win them all.
fare orecchie da mercante
Literally to make merchant's ears
Means to pretend not to hear a request you would rather ignore
English idiom turn a deaf ear
Example Gli ho chiesto di abbassare la musica, ma ha fatto orecchie da mercante.
I asked him to turn the music down, but he turned a deaf ear.
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 with what you are about to face.
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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The most common Italian idioms, ranked by everyday frequency, start with in bocca al lupo, non vedere l'ora, prendere in giro, costare un occhio della testa, 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 page lists 25 of them with meanings and example sentences.
In Italian, "in bocca al lupo" translates literally as "in the mouth of the wolf", but it actually means good luck with what you are about to face. The closest English idiom is "break a leg". Example: Domani hai l'esame? In bocca al lupo! ("You have your exam tomorrow? Good luck!")
The Italian equivalent is "in bocca al lupo", literally "in the mouth of the wolf". Example: Domani hai l'esame? In bocca al lupo! ("You have your exam tomorrow? Good luck!")
In Italian, an idiom is called modo di dire, and a proverb is proverbio. A modo di dire (also called an espressione idiomatica) is a fixed figurative phrase you fit into your own sentence, while a proverbio is a complete saying that states a piece of folk wisdom.
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 with what you are about to face. 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.