What do I mean if I use the Italian idiomatic expression “ho un diavolo per capello”?
The literal meaning of this Italian idiom is “to have a demon for each hair“, which corresponds to the English “to be as mad as hell“.
Imagine someone furious with as many demons as his hair sitting on his shoulder: well, now you can understand how effective this idiom is!
Let’s see some examples!
| Italian | English |
| Lasciami stare, oggi ho un diavolo per capello! | Leave me alone, today I am as mad as hell! |
| Il professore ha un diavolo per capello: ha scoperto che abbiamo copiato all’esame. | The professor is furious: he found out that we cheated on the exam. |
| Il nostro capo deve avere un diavolo per capello, urla contro Marco da mezz’ora! | Our boss must be as mad as hell, he’s been shouting at Marco for half an hour! |
Can you think of a similar way to say in your language?
Have a look at other Free Italian Resources here.
Comments