What does “Essere una gatta da pelare” mean?
Essere una gatta da pelare
Word for word
To be a cat to skin
What it really means
To be an awkward, laborious problem nobody wants to take on. Said of a task or situation that has landed in your lap.
How we say it in English
A thankless task — or, closer to the tone, a real headache
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Create a free accountOther Italian idioms
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"
Prendere due piccioni con una fava
To kill two birds with one stone
Avere una fame da lupi
To be so hungry you could eat a horse
Campa cavallo che l'erba cresce
Don't hold your breath
Menare il can per l'aia
To beat around the bush
Prendere un granchio
To bark up the wrong tree — or to get the wrong end of the stick