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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian expression of the day: ‘In bocca al lupo’

Why wish someone 'good luck' when you can use this Italian phrase instead?

Published: 7 September 2020 13:22 CEST
Updated: 19 April 2023 10:38 CEST
Italian expression of the day: 'In bocca al lupo'
Photo: Annie Spratt/Unsplash/Nicolas Raymond

Literally translating into English as ‘in the wolf’s mouth’, this famous Italian phrase is much more interesting to say than a simple ‘good luck’.

And in some parts of Italy, saying buona fortuna (‘good luck’) is sometimes believed to bring the opposite.

That’s why, though it may sound a bit dramatic, this idiomatic phrase really is used in everyday conversation in Italy.

Much like the English ‘break a leg’, the phrase is heard a lot in the theatre. But it’s also used when wishing good fortune to someone about to take on a daunting or challenging task – such as sitting an Italian language exam, or visiting the local prefettura.

READ ALSO: Popes, chickens and reheated soup: 15 everyday Italian idioms you need to know

Confusion arises however over what exactly you’re supposed to say in response.

If someone says this phrase to you, the correct response is widely believed to be crepi il lupo (may the wolf die), or simply crepi.
 
Many people consider a simpe grazie or thank you as likely to reverse any good fortune.
 
However, in reality, the response may vary depending on where you are and who you’re talking to.
 
Wolf-related phases rarely have positive connotations in any language (see also ‘keeping the wolf from the door’ in English) and Italian is no exception. The phrase andare nella bocca del lupo, or ‘to go into the wolf’s mouth’ means metaphorically ‘to get into trouble’.
 
But some people tend to respond with a grazie anyway – as not everyone in Italy considers being ‘in the mouth of the wolf’ such a bad thing.
 
Some even believe the idea of ending up in a wolf’s mouth has positive connotations, since wolves protect their young by carrying them in their mouths. After all, the legend of Romulus and Remus tells us the founders of the ancient city of Rome were saved as babies by a she-wolf.
 
This might explain another, even more unusual response: evviva il lupo (long live the wolf)!
 
 
In general though, the easiest response to in bocca al lupo is always crepi. This is especially true for non-native Italian speakers, since if you say anything else you’re likely to have a well-meaning Italian presume ignorance and attempt to educate you.
 
If you really want to avoid all this talk of wolves altogether, there’s another, somewhat less refined way of wishing someone good luck: In culo alla balena, which literally means ‘in the whale’s ass’.
 
And that one really does defy explanation.
 
Do you have a favourite Italian word, phrase or expression you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

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ITALIAN WORD OF THE DAY

Italian word of the day: Metà vs mezzo

These Italian words are both used to talk about 'half' of something, so what exactly is the difference and when should you use them?

Published: 23 April 2024 10:48 CEST
Updated: 23 April 2024 11:49 CEST
Italian word of the day: Metà vs mezzo

It’s often the case in Italy that you’ll find several words that mean something very similar, and it’s not always easy to know which one is appropriate. Our new mini series looks at some of the most common word pairs, and sorts out which should be used and when.

Why do I need to know the difference between metà and mezzo?

Because you’ll need to use both of them in daily conversation if you live in Italy, but the difference in meaning isn’t always clear.

What’s the difference?

When you want to talk about ‘half’ of something in Italian, it may seem as though you have two choices.

Depending on what you’re talking about, you could reach for either metà or mezzo (or mezza, which we’ll come to later) but many language learners say they’re not always sure which one to use in certain situations.

Put simply, the difference between metà and mezzo is much the same as the difference between ‘half’ and ‘middle’ in English.

Metà: a half, as in one of two equal parts of something.

Mezzo: the middle, as in equally distant from two points.

For example:

Ha mangiato metà torta

He ate half of the cake

Facciamo a metà

Let’s split it (in half)

E’ sdraiato in mezzo alla strada

He’s lying in the middle of the street

Non penso che ti dovrebbe mettere in mezzo

I don’t think she should be putting you in the middle of this

READ ALSO: Come stai vs come va

But is anything in Italian ever really that simple?

There are some specific situations where the two words seem to be used interchangeably, or where it’s not clear why one is typically used and not the other.

Confusion arises particularly around telling the time in Italian, as you could say:

Sono le undici e mezzo

It’s half past eleven

Il mio treno arriva alle 5.40: vediamoci dieci minuti prima, alla mezza.

My train arrives at 5.40: let’s meet ten minutes before, at half past.

Why in this case aren’t we using metà for ‘half’? And why is it sometimes mezza rather than mezzo?

The English ‘half past’ doesn’t translate literally into Italian. Mezzo is used here instead, since we’re talking about the ‘middle of’ the hour, the point equally distant between two hours.

This might take some getting used to for English native speakers, but it is pretty logical.

As for why it’s mezza in the second example, this isn’t because it needs to agree with the gender of the noun in the sentence.

In fact, dictionaries tell us it’s always more correct to use mezzo regardless (although many Italians themselves find this rule confusing.)

But, in this case, as the language guardians at Italy’s Accademia della Crusca explain, mezza may (if you prefer) be used instead of mezzo when we already know the time, or at least the hour, being talked about.

So if you had earlier told someone an event would start at 8pm, but it’s now been delayed by half an hour, you could then say:

Comincerà alle otto e mezza

But if you’re inviting someone for the first time, you’d probably stick to:

Alle otto e mezzo

This can be a lot to remember when you’re in the middle of a conversation, but with practice you’ll soon get a feel for which word sounds right in which context. 

Do you have an Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.

Make sure you don’t miss any of our Italian words and expressions of the day: download our new app (available on Apple and Android) and then selecting the Italian Word of the Day in your Notification options via the User button.

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