In this short lesson, we will see what the meaning of the Italian idiom Cogliere la palla al balzo is along with its pronunciation. If you seize every opportunity, this is the idiomatic expression for you!
Let’s start! Iniziamo!
Cogliere la palla al balzo
Meaning of the idiom
Cogliere la palla al balzo can be literally translated as “to catch the ball while it’s bouncing”. Its meaning is similar to the common English expression to strike while hot, so it’s used as a synonym for “to seize every opportunity”.
Linguistically speaking, this idiom can be broken down into…
- cogliere (to grab, to catch)
- la (feminine definite article)
- palla (ball)
- al balzo (literally “at the leap”)
For example, you could say…
Chi coglie la palla al balzo sfrutta qualsiasi opportunità che si trova davanti.
Those who “catch the ball while it’s bouncing” take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way.
Cogli la palla al balzo e approfitta del brutto tempo per studiare!
“Catch the ball while it’s bouncing” and use the bad weather for learning!
Pronunciation of Cogliere la palla al balzo in Italian
Now let’s hear how this idiom is pronounced.
Cogliere la palla al balzo.
To strike while hot.
Literally: To catch the ball while it’s bouncing.
If you need help learning how to pronounce Italian, see the lesson on the Italian alphabet and pronunciation.
Where does Cogliere la palla al balzo come from?
Soccer players (i calciatori) with quick reflexes catch the ball before the other team does. In essence, they seize every opportunity to win the game and catch the ball “while it’s still bouncing”.
And that’s it with our lesson on the Italian idiom Cogliere la palla al balzo!
What next?
See all the other Italian idioms!
Now that you’ve seen what the meaning of the idiom Cogliere la palla al balzo is in Italian, you might want to keep learning Italian online with these free Italian resources:
Title: Italian All-in-One For Dummies
Language: English / Italian
Publisher: For Dummies
Pages: 672
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