What does “Fare orecchie da mercante” mean?
Fare orecchie da mercante
Word for word
To make merchant's ears
What it really means
To pretend you did not hear, to ignore a request or a criticism on purpose. Used for someone playing deaf to avoid answering.
How we say it in English
To turn a deaf ear
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Costare un occhio della testa
To cost an arm and a leg
Non avere peli sulla lingua
Not to mince your words
Avere la testa fra le nuvole
To have your head in the clouds
Rimanere a bocca asciutta
To be left empty-handed — or left high and dry
Ficcare il naso negli affari degli altri
To poke your nose into other people's business
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"