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Previous Thread Next Thread Print Thread English translation of an Italian idea #1892 05/02/2000 3:56 PM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 315 Italy - Perugia is a town with... emanuela enthusiast emanuela enthusiast Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 315 Italy - Perugia is a town with... In few weeks I will need to explain to an American man something... It is really clear to me how to say that in Italian, but he does not understand...So, can you help me? The Italian sentence is "prendere per i fondelli" - not polite, there is also a worse not printable version. It means...to kid someone in a really bad and wicked way, having maybe in the same time sweet words, but an offensive behaviour...I found "to pull somebody's leg" but I feel it too soft, "to mock at", "to scoff at", but I am not sure that they mean what I want. Ciao, grazie Emanuela Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: English translation of an Italian idea #1893 05/02/2000 4:43 PM Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass tsuwm Carpal Tunnel tsuwm Carpal Tunnel Joined: Apr 2000 Posts: 10,542 this too shall pass 'to tease' and 'to needle' are generally considered to have pretty negative aspects -- but guys like to tease and gals hate it. : ) http://members.aol.com/tsuwm/ Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: English translation of an Italian idea #1894 05/02/2000 9:29 PM Joined: May 2000 Posts: 4 Scotland Nels stranger Nels stranger Joined: May 2000 Posts: 4 Scotland Not much use to an American but an interesting tangent - A local expression (in Central Scotland) is; 'You're pulling my pisher,' or, 'Don't pull my pisher.' 'Taking the piss' is an obvious one but it does fail to address the 'sweet words'. Perhaps it can't be done. Similarly, I would wager there is not an Italian equivalent of the Scottish word 'wersh'. Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Re: English translation of an Italian idea #1895 05/05/2000 11:02 AM Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6 Queensland, Australia Cathryn stranger Cathryn stranger Joined: Mar 2000 Posts: 6 Queensland, Australia How about leading someone 'up the garden path'. Hardly vulgar, but it is a nice way to describe the act of misleading. A vulgar slant on the "pulling of the leg" is the obvious pulling of another apendage and that particular variation is not uncommon here in Australia! Copy Link to Clipboard Share Post on Facebook Share Post on Twitter Moderated by  Jackie  Hop To General Topics ------  Information and announcements  Q&A about words  Wordplay and fun  Words and languages in schools  Miscellany  Weekly Themes  Looking for (writers, speakers,... (Old) Weekly themes. (have been... ------  Words from medicine  Beheading words  Meta-words  Words from classical mythology  Animal Safari  Words with unusual etymologies  Eponyms or words derived from p...  Loanwords from German  English as a global language Print Thread Switch to Threaded Mode Show Likes Link Copied to Clipboard View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Website Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary View Profile Private Message Follow User Forum Posts Like Summary

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