/tiˈrare ˈtrɔppo la ˈkɔrda/ lit. ‘pull the rope too hard’
Italian idiom, everyday. Don’t push it, that’s going too far.
Draft Not yet checked by a native Italian speaker.
How do people use Tirare troppo la corda
?
Everyday, often as a warning: “non tirare troppo la corda” (don’t push it). It works about anyone testing someone’s patience, a boss, a parent, a partner. Tenses as normal: “ho tirato troppo la corda”, “stai tirando un po’ troppo la corda”.
Tirare troppo la corda
in real sentences
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Non tirare troppo la corda.
Don’t push it too far!
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, translation by GeeZ, CC BY 2.0 FR
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Stai tirando un po’ troppo la corda.
You’re pushing it a bit too far.
Tatoeba, sentence by Guybrush88, CC BY 2.0 FR
Where does Tirare troppo la corda
come from?
The picture is a rope pulled so tight that it snaps, and Italian has the proverb to match: “la corda troppo tesa si spezza” (a rope stretched too tight breaks). English Wiktionary lists “tirare troppo la corda” as a derived term of “corda” and Italian Wiktionary lists it as an expression, but neither gives a date or first source.
Mistakes learners make with Tirare troppo la corda
Mixing it up with “tagliare la corda” (cut the rope), which means to slip away or run off. Pull it and you’re pushing your luck; cut it and you’ve left.
Other Italian idioms like Tirare troppo la corda
Spot a mistake in Tirare troppo la corda
?
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