Common Italian expression
| Literally | To put the feet on (sb’s) head |
| Meaning | Treating someone with disrespect and disregard their feelings or opinions |
| IPA pronunciation | /ˈmɛttere i ˈpjɛːdi in ˈtɛsta/ |
Mettere i piedi in testa
To walk over somebody
Examples
Non permettere a nessuno di metterti i piedi in testa.
Don’t let anyone trample on you.
La manager ha il brutto vizio di mettere i piedi in testa ai suoi colleghi.
The manager has the bad habit of walking all over her colleagues.
Where does this idiom come from?
When you put your feet on somebody else’s head, it’s like you are trying to dominate them. You are behaving with arrogance, arroganza, trying to assert yourself over others. You convey superiority.
On the other hand, you don’t like it when people put their feet on your head. It’s an uncomfortable feeling, the same feeling you’d have if your opinions weren’t respected.
Related lessons
- mettere (to put)
- piede (foot)
- testa (head)
- in (preposition)
- plurals
- prepositions
- definite articles
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