/ˈprɛndere in ˈdʒiro/ lit. ‘take for a spin’
Italian idiom, everyday. To tease someone by telling them something untrue as a joke.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Prendere in giro
?
Everyday Italian and very common, from friendly teasing to real mockery. The person goes in as a pronoun stuck to the verb or in front of it: “mi stai prendendo in giro?” (are you kidding me?), “non prenderlo in giro” (don’t make fun of him). The noun is “una presa in giro”, a joke at someone’s expense or a con.
Prendere in giro
in real sentences
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Mi stai prendendo in giro.
You’re pulling my leg.
Tatoeba, sentence by WM3DAS, translation by wallebot, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Non prenderlo in giro.
Don’t tease him.
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, translation by CH, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Prendere in giro
come from?
We found no clear story. Giro means a turn or circle, and English Wiktionary glosses the phrase as “to pull in a circle”, as if you were leading someone around until they’re dizzy. The Treccani dictionary lists it as figurative for making fun of someone, next to the related “menare in giro” (to lead around), which means to deceive with false promises. Neither gives a date.
Mistakes learners make with Prendere in giro
Assuming it’s always light. English “pull someone’s leg” is a harmless joke, while “prendere in giro” can also mean to mock someone or to string them along, so “mi hai preso in giro” can be an accusation of real deceit.
Other Italian idioms like Prendere in giro
Spot a mistake in Prendere in giro
?
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