Common Italian expression
| Pronunciation | |
| Literal translation | Not to pull a spider out of the hole |
| English translation | To get nowhere, to achieve nothing |
| Meaning | To be unable to solve a problem or achieve something |
Example
| Stiamo lavorando al problema da tre settimane, ma non riusciamo a cavare un ragno dal buco. | We’ve been working on the problem for three weeks, but we’re getting nowhere. |
Where does this idiom come from?
Imagine that there is a small spider tucked inside a hole in the wall. If you can’t get it out, it means you’re not that capable of doing things, so you will have a lot of problems when difficulties arise! 😉
Related lessons
- cavare (to pull)
- ragno (spider)
- buco (hole)
- prepositions
- indefinite articles
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