Let's roll up our sleeves and get to work learning a new expression.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

In a recent video, Marika and Anna show us how to make fricos, a local dish from northern Italy. They are made with humble ingredients, but take a bit of slicing and dicing. So Marika rolls up her sleeves. Italians use this expression both literally and figuratively, as we do in English.

In this first example, Marika is speaking literally, and uses the verb tirare (to pull). That's one way to describe the action of rolling up one's sleeves, and perhaps the easiest to pronounce.

Mi sono già tirata su le maniche, come vedi.

I've already rolled up my sleeves, as you can see.

Caption 4, L'Italia a tavola - Il frico friulano

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In the next example, however, the rolling up of the sleeves is figurative, and the classic expression is used:

Be', Claudio è un bravissimo ragazzo, prima di tutto, un vero amico e uno che sa rimboccarsi sempre le maniche.

Well, Claudio's a great guy, first of all, a true friend, and... and he's one who always knows how to roll up his sleeves [to pitch in and work hard].

Captions 14-15, L'Eredità -Quiz TV - La sfida dei sei. Puntata 1 - Part 5

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Rimboccare (to tuck in, to turn) refers to the edge of something, like a sleeve, a hem, or a sheet, but it's very commonly used in the above-mentioned expression, especially when acknowledging a long job ahead.

BANNER PLACEHOLDER

Rimbocchiamoci le maniche e cominciamo a studiare (let's roll up our sleeves and start studying)!