Meaning of imbroccare in Italian
Imbroccare is an informal translation for to get it right or to guess.
| Origin | From the Italian word brocca, “pitcher” |
| Pronunciation | /imbrɔkˈkaːre/ |
Imbroccare
To get it right, to guess
Imbroccare in Italian: Origins
Imbroccare comes from brocca, which is a pitcher or a jug.
Originally, this verb had a much more practical meaning, meaning “to hit the target”, and it dates back to the Palio di San Paolino, an old medieval setting event that lives on today in Lucca, Tuscany.
During the Palio di San Paolino, archers competed by trying to hit and break a terracotta jug at a distance of 90 meters (centoventi passi, “one hundred and twenty steps”) with their crossbows.
Thus imbroccare was born, with the meaning of “to hit the jug”.
It can also mean “to take a road”.
Imbroccare in Italian: Examples
Paola non ha ancora imbroccato la soluzione.
Paola has not yet stumbled upon the solution.
Arrivato al bivio, il viaggiatore imbroccò la strada a sinistra.
Once at the crossroads, the traveler took the road to the left.
Mattia non ne imbrocca mai una giusta.
Mattia never gets one right.
(colloquial)
Ho imbroccato il bersaglio al primo colpo durante il tiro con l’arco.
I hit the target on the first shot during archery.
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