/rimaˈnere di ˈstukko/ lit. ‘to be left made of plaster’
Italian idiom, everyday. To be so astonished you can hardly believe what you’re seeing or hearing.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Rimanere di stucco
?
Everyday Italian, fine anywhere. “Rimanere” and “restare” both take essere, so the past is “sono rimasto di stucco” (or “rimasta” for a woman), while “stucco” never changes. To say something stunned someone else, switch to “lasciare”: “il risultato mi ha lasciato di stucco”.
Also said restare di stucco, lasciare qualcuno di stucco
Rimanere di stucco
in real sentences
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Sono rimasta di stucco.
I was dumbfounded.
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, CC BY 2.0 FR
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La lasciai di stucco in mezzo alla strada.
I left her stunned in the middle of the street.
Tatoeba, sentence by Nuel, translation by Nuel, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Rimanere di stucco
come from?
Stucco is plaster, the kind used for moldings and statues, so the picture is someone so shocked they freeze like a plaster figure. Italian has a small family of these: “restare di sale” (like Lot’s wife) and “rimanere di sasso” (stone). Italian Wiktionary lists the phrase under “stucco” with the meaning “to be surprised”, but we found no date or first use.
Mistakes learners make with Rimanere di stucco
Making “stucco” agree with the person. Only the participle changes: “è rimasta di stucco”, never “di stucca”. And don’t drop the “di”.
Other Italian idioms like Rimanere di stucco
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?
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