What does “Acqua in bocca!” mean?
Acqua in bocca!
Word for word
Water in your mouth!
What it really means
Don't tell anyone, it's a secret. Careful: it has nothing to do with mouth-watering food — it is a request for silence.
How we say it in English
Mum's the word! — or keep it under your hat
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Create a free accountOther Italian idioms
Toccare ferro
To knock on wood — but note Italians reach for iron, not wood
Fare le ore piccole
To stay up into the small hours — English uses the very same phrase for those hours
Cercare il pelo nell'uovo
To split hairs — English lands on the same hair, from the other direction
Chi dorme non piglia pesci
The early bird catches the worm
Fare il finto tonto
To play dumb
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"