/rimanˈdare ˈalle kaˈlɛnde ˈɡrɛke/ lit. ‘to put it off to the Greek calends’
Italian idiom, literary. To keep putting something off instead of dealing with it.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Rimandare alle calende greche
?
A slightly bookish phrase, but you hear it in newspapers and political talk about reforms that never arrive. It always says the thing will in fact never happen: “l’hanno rimandato alle calende greche”. It’s ironic, so don’t use it for an honest delay of a week.
Also said rinviare alle calende greche
Rimandare alle calende greche
in real sentences
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L’ha rimandato alle calende greche.
He postponed it to the Greek calends.
Tatoeba, sentence by Bernie75, translation by Bernie75, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Rimandare alle calende greche
come from?
This one has a real paper trail. The Romans counted days from the calends, the first of each month, but the Greek calendar had none, so “the Greek calends” meant a date that never comes. Suetonius reports that the emperor Augustus liked to say certain debtors would pay “ad kalendas Graecas”; Treccani notes the phrase was already used by the Romans. French has the same expression.
Mistakes learners make with Rimandare alle calende greche
Thinking “calende” is a normal word for a date. It is the old Roman name for the first day of the month and survives today almost only in this phrase, so “alle calende di marzo” sounds archaic.
Other Italian idioms like Rimandare alle calende greche
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