What does “Perdere le staffe” mean?
Perdere le staffe
Word for word
To lose the stirrups
What it really means
To lose your patience and blow up. Used when someone snaps after putting up with too much.
How we say it in English
To fly off the handle
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Create a free accountOther Italian idioms
Essere al settimo cielo
To be on cloud nine — note the number changes: seven in Italian, nine in English
Avere un diavolo per capello
To be hopping mad — or like a bear with a sore head
Avere la coda di paglia
To protest too much — the giveaway of a guilty conscience
Cadere dalle nuvole
You could have knocked me over with a feather
Piantare in asso
To leave someone in the lurch
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"