Italian idioms about brains

Each Italian idiom below comes with what its words literally say, what it means and how other languages put the same idea. To see every language at once, open the side-by-side page for brains.

  1. Mancare qualche rotella

    lit. ‘be missing a few little wheels’

    Someone is a bit crazy, or is acting as if they've lost their mind.

  2. Avere il prosciutto sugli occhi

    lit. ‘to have ham over your eyes’

    To miss something that is obvious to everyone else.

  3. Per me è arabo

    lit. ‘to me it’s Arabic’

    I can't understand any of it.

  4. Avere i paraocchi

    lit. ‘to have the blinkers on’

    Someone who only knows their own small world and thinks it's everything.

  5. Come un pesce fuor d’acqua

    lit. ‘like a fish out of water’

    Someone who feels uncomfortable and out of place in unfamiliar surroundings.

  6. Avere la testa fra le nuvole

    lit. ‘to have your head among the clouds’

    To be lost in thought and not paying attention.

  7. Non avere la più pallida idea

    lit. ‘to not have the palest idea’

    To have no idea at all.

  8. Fare di tutta l’erba un fascio

    lit. ‘to make one bundle out of all the grass’

    To compare or mix up two things that don't belong together.

Phrases in bold with a red marker are written up. The rest are waiting for their own page and a check by a native speaker.