Common Italian expression
| Literally | To make fake papers |
| Meaning | You are willing to go to any length to achieve your goal |
| IPA pronunciation | /ˈfaːre ˈkarte ˈfalse/ |
Fare carte false
To sell your mother, to do anything
Examples
Farei carte false per avere il suo lavoro.
I would do anything to get his job.
Qualsiasi persona farebbe carte false per avere una casa così grande.
Any person would sell their mother to have such a large house.
Where does this idiom come from?
Forging documents is a crimine, crime. If you are willing to forge some official document, such as your degree or ID, to reach a certain goal, you are literally making “fake papers”.
Related lessons
- fare (to do, to make)
- carta (paper)
- falso (false)
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