In a previous lesson, we talked about the expression a naso, which is used when you don't have the exact facts or measurements, but venture a guess. One way to translate it is "by the looks of things." But here, we look at a different expression that means something similar, but has very different origins. Here, we are taking a rough guess. Italians often say a occhio e croce to mean "roughly," but what does it actually mean?

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

The two elements of the expression are occhio (eye) and croce (cross). It starts out with the preposition a (meaning "in the manner of"). It comes from the art or craft of weaving. Sometimes a thread or a piece of yarn breaks off and needs to be repaired. The weaver tries her best to hide the blemish, but has to do it by eye, rather than using the loom mechanically or electrically. She has to fit the thread into the weave by hand. In woven material, the threads are crossed under and over each other, hence the term croce.

The expression, used by many Italians who might not even know where the expression comes from, has come to be understood as "approximately," "roughly," "roughly speaking," or "if I had to guess."

A occhio e croce, però, puoi scegliere tra: concorso in omicidio, tentata truffa, falsa testimonianza.

Roughly speaking, however, you can choose between: complicity in murder, attempted fraud, perjury.

Captions 73-74, Provaci ancora prof! S2E4 L'amica americana - Part 24

 Play Caption

E pensare che io, a occhio e croce, appena l'ho visto, ho detto: a me sembra un cuscino.

And to think that I, if I had to guess, as soon as I saw it, I said: It looks like a pillow to me.

Captions 40-41, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP3 Un cugino in fuga - Part 4

 Play Caption

Calcolando che sulla terra all'epoca c'erano cinque miliardi di abitanti, la ricerca si restringeva a occhio e croce tra ottocento milioni di persone.

Calculating that on earth at the time there were five billion inhabitants, the search was limited, roughly speaking, to eight hundred million people.

Captions 42-43, Questione di Karma Rai Cinema - Part 1

 Play Caption

 

As in all languages, we might know what something means, but not necessarily why it means that. Now when you hear someone use this bizarre-sounding expression, you will wonder no more. You will get a certain satisfaction of understanding, but also knowing where the expression comes from. Visualizing a loom might help remember.

But we can also use the short form of this expression, a occhio (by eye). It's simple and clear. It is similar to a naso but used in situations where the eyes are the judges.

How many young Italians try to get a recipe from la mamma (their mother), la zia (the aunt), or la nonna (the grandmother), only to find that it's impossible to pin down the quantities or timing because they do it all a occhio (by eye)!

E le quantità? A occhio.

And the quantities? By eye.

Captions 14-15, Imma Tataranni Sostituto procuratore S1 EP4 Maltempo - Part 5

 Play Caption

Thanks for reading. Send us your comments or questions to [email protected].

banner6 PLACEHOLDER

When you fall in love with a person, an idea, an animal, a pair of shoes, a dress, or anything, really, Italians have a great expression for that: un colpo di fulmine. Literally, it's a lightning bolt, but it also contains the noun colpo, associated with the verb colpire (to strike). 

Sì, ho capito subito di piacergli e anche lui a me piaceva moltissimo. È stato un colpo di fulmine!

Yes, I knew immediately that he liked me, and I too liked him a great deal. It was a lightening bolt [love at first sight]!

Captions 21-23, Anna presenta La Bohème di Puccini - Part 1

 Play Caption

 

Colpo has various connotations, which is why we are devoting a lesson to this word. In police stories, it's about a shot from a firearm. 

Le hanno sparato a bruciapelo, un colpo al cuore, è morta quasi subito.

They shot her at point blank range, a shot to the heart. She died almost immediately.

Captions 52-54, Provaci ancora prof! S3 EP2 Doppio imprevisto - Part 1

 Play Caption

 

The verb colpire can be used in the same context. Colpire can imply shooting at something, but it can also mean "to hit."

E certo, erano anni che mi allenavo a sparare. E be', ma una cosa è colpire una sagoma e una cosa è ammazzare un uomo, no?

Of course, I had been training to shoot for years. Well, but it's one thing to fire at/hit a target and another to kill a man, right?

Captions 19-21, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP2 Rabbia - Part 18

 Play Caption

 

 Colpire can imply a shot from a gun, but it can be from anything else, too. 

Dieci anni fa un fulmine ha colpito l'aereo su cui viaggiavo e da allora non ho più volato.

Ten years ago, lightning struck the plane I was traveling on and since then I haven't flown.

Captions 29-30, I Bastardi di Pizzofalcone S1EP1 I Bastardi - Part 21

 Play Caption

 

banner3 PLACEHOLDER

Colpire is often used figuratively, just as the verb "to strike" is used in English. 

La cosa che mi ha colpito di più, sa qual è?

The thing that struck me the most, you know what it is?

Caption 23, Un medico in famiglia Stagione 1 EP3 Un cugino in fuga - Part 4

 Play Caption

 

Prendere un colpo (to take a hit) is used when something strikes you emotionally or psychologically in a violent way. It's a reference to un attacco al cuore (a heart attack).

Gianmaria, mi hai fatto prendere un colpo.

Gianmaria, you startled me (you almost gave me a heart attack).

Caption 9, JAMS EP6 - Part 3

 Play Caption

Check out this lesson that mentions using colpo when impressing someone, with fare colpo (to make a splash, to make a huge impression). 

We hope this lesson encourages you to use the verb colpire and the noun il colpo. For lots of examples of how Italians use these words, do a search on the videos page, and start scrolling!

Thanks for reading. You can write to us at [email protected]. 

banner6 PLACEHOLDER