Common Italian expression
| Pronunciation | |
| Literal translation | To take [sth] with pliers |
| English translation | To take with a pinch of salt |
| Meaning | To be skeptical about something |
Examples
| Luca prende con le pinze tutto quello che gli si dice. | Luke takes everything he is told with a grain of salt. |
| Prendi con le molle tutto quello che leggi su quel giornale. | Take everything you read in that paper with a grain of salt. |
Where does this idiom come from?
Prendere con le pinze means to take something with caution or skepticism in Italian. Using tongs and pliers to pick up something suggests the need to be cautios. This expression can also be found as prendere con le molle, “to take with tongs”.
Related lessons
- prendere (to take)
- pinza (plier)
- con (preposition)
- prepositions
- definite articles
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