A couple of days ago Geoff (mio marito) was chatting with some of his friends in the piazza about sayings (detti) and proverbs (proverbi). They ended up by trying to make a list of Italian equivalents for well known English sayings and vice versa. Here, for your entertainment, is the list so far:
| una mela al giorno leva il medica di torno |
an apple a day keeps the doctor away |
| cadere dalla padella nella brace |
out of the frying pan into the fire |
| prendere due piccioni con una fava |
kill two birds with one stone |
| a caval donato non si guarda in bocca |
never look a gift horse in the mouth |
| rosso di sera bel tempo si spera |
red sky at night shepherds delight |
| ride bene chi ride ultimo |
he who laughs last laughs loudest |
| l’erba del vicino è sempre più verde |
the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence |
| meglio tardi che mai |
better late than never |
| non è bello ciò che è bello, ma è bello ciò che piace |
beauty is in the eye of the beholder |
| lontano dagli occhi lontano dal cuore |
out of sight out of mind |
| il bisogno aguzza l’ingegno |
necessity is the mother of invention |
| qual è nato prima, l’uovo o la gallina? |
which came first, the chicken or the egg? |
Here are a few Italian proverbs for which we couldn’t think of an English equivalent, can you help us out?:
| Proverb |
Meaning |
| chi fa per sè fa per tre |
‘who does for themselves does for three’ i.e.: sometimes it’s less work to do something for yourself. This may be the equivalent of ‘too many cooks spoil the broth’, but perhaps there is something better? |
| il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperchi |
‘the devil makes the pans but not the lids’ i.e.: if you do something bad, sooner or later the truth will come out. |
| tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare |
‘between the saying and the doing there is the sea in the middle’ i.e.: it’s much easier to say something than it is to do it. |
| il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio |
‘the wolf looses its pelt but not its vice’ i.e.: the external appearance may change, but not what’s inside. |
| la gallina che canta ha fatto l’uovo |
‘the chicken that sings laid the egg’ i.e.: the person who begins to make a fuss about something is probably the culprit. |
Do you have any interesting proverbs from your culture? If so, please share them with us and I’ll try to find something similar in Italian.
Comments:
Vince Mooney:
Salve Serena:
I love this feature! Please do it again.
A Question:
“rosso di sera bel tempo si spera” as “red sky at night shepherds delight”.
I have only heard of this saying as ‘sailor’s delight’. I always thought it meant smooth sailing at sea the next day.
More Detti:
il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperchi –Everything comes out in the wash.
***
chi fa per sè fa per tre —
God helps those who help themselves.
If you want a job done right, do it yourself.
Contemporary proverb: “Less is more”.
****
tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare —
easier said than done
talk is cheap
Rome wasn’t built in a day
He’s all hat and no cattle (said of a Texan)
It’s like belling the cat
***
il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio —
Don’t judge a book by its cover
All that glitters is not gold
Old wine in new bottles (you have to have this one!)
His smile doesn’t reach his eyes
A rose by any other name would smell just as sweet
Clothes don’t make the man
***
la gallina che canta ha fatto l’uovo –
The lady doth protest too much
Question: Do Italians also use the below detti?
Rome wasn’t built in a day
When in Rome do as the Romans do.
All roads lead to Rome
When the Pope dies, they make another one.
You must be as Caesar’s wife.
***
Waggish Proverbs – Do Italians Have These?
No good deed goes unpunished.
We are punished by our vices not because of them.
All’s well that ends well. 🙂
Vince
Edward Ronish:
il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperchi
The truth will always out.
tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare
Many a slip twixt the cup and the lip.
la gallina che canta ha fatto l’uovo
It’s not over until the fat lady sign.
Edward Ronish:
scusi
la gallina che canta ha fatto l’uovo
It’s not over until the fat lady sings.
rita mattia barenfeld:
Salve io ne ho 2,
il primo e`
campa cavallo che l’erba cresce.
il secondo e`
o ti mangi questa minestra o ti butti dall finestra.
Neache io so essattamente se ce l’equivalente in inglese.
Bill Rohwer:
“chi fa per sè fa per tre,” seems a little (but only a little) like, “it’s as easy to cook for two (four, six, etc.”) as it is to cook for one.”
“tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare,” is similar to, “Actions speak louder than words,” and, “It’s easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk.”
“il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio,” reminds me of, “a snake may lose its skin, but it’s still a snake inside,” or, “a zebra cannot change its stripes by standing on a street corner in the city,” or, “you can take the boy out of the country, but you can’t take the country out of the boy.”
Bill Rohwer
chainey:
tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare.
Easier said than done.
la gallina che canta ha fatto l’uovo
(S)he doth protest too much, methinks.
Ron:
chi fa per sè fa per tre
If you want a job doing properly, do it yourself
Meaning if others do it it has to be done twice or more until it is as you want it.
il diavolo fa le pentole ma non i coperch
If you make your bed, you have to lie in it
meaning you have to take the consequences of your actions
tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare
Words are cheap
il lupo perde il pelo ma non il vizio
The leopard cannot change his spots
This sounds opposite to the Italian saying, but it means the same, you cannot change what you are.
Another is that someone or something is
A wolf in sheep’s clothing
la gallina che canta ha fatto l’uovo
I saw this one in a lovely Schultz {Peanuts) cartoon but the punch-line is the saying
The squeaky wheel gets the grease
Nathan:
Here are a couple Italian proverbs I picked up somewhere. Not sure how used they really are in Italia, though.
1) “Ogni morte di papa”. English equivalent would be “Once in a blue moon.” Referring to something that doesn’t happen a lot.
2) “Come il diavolo e l’acqua santa.” English equivalent would be “Like oil and water.” Referring to two things (people) that don’t get along or go together.
Nathan:
Ciao tutti,
Here are a couple Italian proverbs I’ve run across with English equivalents. Not sure how frequently they are used in Italia though.
1) “Ogni morte di papa” – for a rare occurrence. English equivalent would be “Once in a blue moon.”
2) “Come il diavolo e l’acqua santa” – for two people or things that don’t get along. English equivalent would be “Like oil and water.”
I tried posting this a couple days ago, but I don’t see it, so I’m trying it again. Keeping my fingers crossed, which reminds me of another saying
3) “In bocca di luppa” meaning good luck. Similar to the English “Break a leg”.
Can’t think of any others right now.
Grazie mille.
Jeannet:
Salve Serena,
Proverb:
1)”Il devolo fa le pantole ma non i coperchi” :
– No lie can live for ever.
2) “Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare” :
– No words but deeds.
3) “Rosso di sere bel tempo si spera” :
Vince, it means in the Netherlands
– Red sky at night brings good weathers
delight. (for the next day)
Tutti grazie.
Jeannet:
Serena,
Dutch proverb “Wie het kleine niet eert, is het grote niet weert”, which means in English i.e.
‘if you don’t appreciate small things you are’nt worth big things”.
Is there an equivalent in italiano?
Jeannet