In this short lesson, we will learn the meaning of the Italian idiom Fare un buco nell’acqua along with its pronunciation. If you have ever been stuck, this expression is for you!
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Fare un buco nell’acqua
Meaning of the idiom
Fare un buco nell’acqua can be literally translated as “to make a hole in the water”. Its meaning is the same as the common English expression to try in vain or to the verb to fail, so it’s used to describe a situation in which one fails to accomplish a task.
Linguistically speaking, this idiom can be broken down into…
- fare (to do, to make)
- un (indefinite article)
- buco (hole)
- nell’ (in the)
- acqua (water)
There is also a shorter version as che buco nell’acqua!, which means “what a failure!”.
For example, you could say…
Non possiamo permetterci di fare un altro buco nell’acqua.
We cannot afford to fail again.
Non abbiamo venduto nemmeno un prodotto. Che buco nell’acqua!
We didn’t sell a single product. What a failure!
Pronunciation of Fare un buco nell’acqua in Italian
Now let’s hear how this idiom is pronounced.
Fare un buco nell’acqua.
To try in vain, to fail.
Literally: To make a hole in the water.
If you need help with Italian pronunciation, check out the lesson on the Italian alphabet and pronunciation.
Where does Fare un buco nell’acqua come from?
To find the origin of this idiom, we must look at its literal meaning.
You can’t really poke holes in water because the surface of any liquid (superficie in Italian) will stabilize and flatten out under the force of gravity. You can try as many times as you like to punch a hole through it, but no matter how stubborn you are, you are doomed to fail. You’re basically trying in vain.
And that’s the end of our lesson on the Italian idiom Fare un buco nell’acqua!
What next?
See all the other Italian idioms!
Now that you’ve seen what the meaning of the proverb Fare un buco nell’acqua 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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