Fare tanto di cappello in Italian
| Literal translation | To do so much of a hat |
| Meaning | Used to congratulate people on a job well done |
| IPA pronunciation | /ˈfaːre ˈtanto di kapˈpɛllo/ |
Fare tanto di cappello
Hats off to someone
Where does this come from?
In the early 1900s, gentlemen would take off their hats when meeting a known face on the street. This was done to show respect, rispetto. When you congratulate someone, it’s as if they’ve earned your respect, so you take your hat off.
This expression is also found as tanto di cappello, which is an exclamation that means hats off to you.
For example, you can say…
Ti sei classificato primo all’esame? Tanto di cappello!
Did you rank first in the exam? Hats off to you!
Hai scritto un bellissimo saggio. Ti faccio davvero tanto di cappello.
You have written a beautiful essay. I really take my hat off to you.
➡️ Related lessons
- Fare (to do)
- Cappello (hat)
- Tanto (much)
- Di (preposition)
- Prepositions
- All Italian expressions
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