/maŋˈkare ˈkwalke roˈtɛlla/ lit. ‘be missing a few little wheels’
Italian idiom, colloquial. Someone is a bit crazy, or is acting as if they’ve lost their mind.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Mancare qualche rotella
?
Colloquial and mostly teasing, said about friends, strangers or yourself. Grammatically the little wheels are the subject, so the person goes in the indirect object: “gli manca qualche rotella”, “ti manca qualche rotella?”. Said seriously about someone, it’s rude.
Also said mancare di qualche rotella
Mancare qualche rotella
in real sentences
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Ti manca qualche rotella.
You’ve lost your marbles.
Tatoeba, sentence by Bernie75, translation by candistyx, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Gli manca qualche rotella.
That guy is completely nuts!
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, translation by human600, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Mancare qualche rotella
come from?
Rotella is a small wheel, and Italian Wiktionary’s first sense is the cog in a gear train. The picture is a head working like clockwork with some cogs gone, close to the English screw loose. Neither Wiktionary edition gives a date or a first source, so when it appeared is unknown.
Mistakes learners make with Mancare qualche rotella
Making the person the subject: “lui manca qualche rotella” is wrong, it has to be “gli manca qualche rotella” (to him are missing a few wheels). Also “qualche” takes a singular noun, so “qualche rotelle” is wrong.
Other Italian idioms like Mancare qualche rotella
Spot a mistake in Mancare qualche rotella
?
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