What does “Piove sul bagnato” mean?
Piove sul bagnato
Word for word
It rains on the wet
What it really means
Good luck, or bad luck, always piles up on whoever already has it. It works for the rich person who wins again just as much as for the person already down who takes another hit.
How we say it in English
When it rains, it pours — but note that English almost always uses it for bad news, while the Italian cuts both ways
Want to see this idiom used in a sentence, and where it comes from?
Create a free account to see “Piove sul bagnato” in a real sentence (with audio), where it comes from, and to share the card. No card required.
Create a free accountOther Italian idioms
Non ci piove
No two ways about it
Fare un freddo cane
To be freezing cold — or, stronger, it's brutal out there
Avere la luna storta
To get up on the wrong side of the bed
Non vedo l'ora
I can't wait
Ogni morte di papa
Once in a blue moon
In bocca al lupo
Break a leg — and, like "break a leg", you never answer with "thank you"
