Abboccare all’amo in Italian
| Literal translation | To bite at the hook |
| Meaning | To be lured into a trap and fall in it |
| IPA pronunciation | /abbokˈkaːre alˈlaːmo/ |
Abboccare all’amo
To fall for something, to take the bait
It is also used in a literal sense to describe a fish taking the bait. Sometimes you can also find this expression as abboccare all’esca, where esca means “bait”.
Where does this come from? The expression is simple: when a fish takes the bait, it falls into a trap (trappola) specially set for it. You can lure gullible people in the same way by setting a trap – figuratively speaking – and waiting for them to fall into it.
For example, you can say…
Il pesce ha abboccato all’amo.
The fish took the bait.
L’uomo abboccò all’amo e si fece imbrogliare.
The man took the bait and was fooled.
➡️ Related lessons
- Amo (hook, bait)
- Abboccare (to bite, to take the bait)
- A (preposition)
- Prepositions
- All Italian expressions
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