Italians are very much hypochondriacs, so much so that in Italian there are many idiomatic expressions that are used to talk about illnesses and especially to talk about people who are in great shape. In this video we’ll see the 10 most common idioms that Italians use every day, since talking about health is essential here in the Bel Paese!
Idioms with Health
1. Crepare di salute [bursting with health – literally: to die from health]
Even if it might not sound like it, this expression means being super healthy.
In conversational Italian, crepare means “dying” and that’s why the meaning of this expression could be misunderstood. But it actually means “bursting with health, almost dying from it”.
La settimana scorsa sembrava spacciato, ma per fortuna si è ripreso completamente e adesso sembra che stia crepando di salute! [Last week he seemed doomed, but luckily he completely recovered and now he’s bursting with health!]
2. Avere una brutta cera [looking like hell – literally: having a bad wax]
This idiomatic expression is used to describe someone sickly looking: pale, with a greyish complexion, puffy eyes, and so on.
Hai una brutta cera… Ti senti bene? Vuoi dell’acqua? [You look like hell… are you ok? Do you want some water?]
3. Essere sano come un pesce [fit as a fiddle – literally: as healthy as a fish]
This expression indicates someone who is perfectly healthy as well.
But why is it healthy as a fish? What’s with fishes?
The actual origin of this expression goes back to ancient times, when it was believed that fishes were completely immune from every kind of illness.
La sua malattia era in realtà inesistente: il medico gli ha detto che era sano come un pesce! [His illness didn’t actually exist: the doctor told him that he was fit as a fiddle!]
4. Avere una febbre da cavallo [to have a very high temperature – literally: to have a horse fever]
Another expression involving animals. But this one actually refers to someone who has a really high temperature, almost dangerously high.
But why a horse fever?
Because horses have a body temperature similar to that of humans, but in case of a fever their temperature gets way higher than humans’, which can have very detrimental effects.
Oddio! Hai una febbre da cavallo! Dobbiamo andare immediatamente al Pronto Soccorso! [Oh God! Your temp’s through the roof! We need to go to the E.R. right now!]
5. Avere la testa pesante [to have a head ache – literally: to have a heavy head]
This expression means to have a severe head ache. It’s often used when you get a migraine that is so strong that it makes your head feel really heavy.
Or it could also be used when you are so tired that you can’t keep your head straight.
Devo aver lavorato troppo oggi… Ho la testa pesante. Penso che andrò direttamente a dormire adesso. [I must’ve worked too much today…my head hurts. I think I’ll go straight to bed right now.]
6. Essere il ritratto della salute [to be very healthy – literally: to be the picture of health]
This expression means being super healthy as well.
It means that the person we’re talking about is so healthy that if a painter wanted to portrait what “health” is; they would paint that very person.
Perché mi hai chiesto come mi sentissi? Non si vede? Sono il ritratto della salute! [Why did you ask how feel? Isn’t is obvious? I’m the picture of health!]
7. Sentirsi uno straccio [to feel awful – literally: to feel like a rag]
Feeling like “uno straccio” means feeling some sort of physical discomfort, without specific disease symptoms, and not knowing exactly what it is.
Usually, when you feel “uno straccio”, you’re very tired and debilitated to some degree.
It could also be used to indicate some sort of mental discomfort, perhaps after receiving a bad news or a terrible disappointment.
By the way, do you know what a “straccio” (rag) is? Other than a cloth used for cleaning, a rag is a piece of fabric completely worn-out and shabby, that has lost its original shape. And that’s exactly how you feel when you’re feeling some kind of physical discomfort.
Ho mal di gola, tosse, un raffreddore e persino mal di pancia… Mi sento uno straccio! [I have a sore throat, a cough, a cold and I even have a stomach ache… I feel terrible!]
8. Rimetterci quasi la pelle [to almost die – literally: to almost lose your skin]
This idiom means that you were so sick that you almost died.
It’s used after recovering from a health problem looking back at when you were sick. Whether it was an illness or a painful accident that threatened your life.
As a matter of fact, “rimetterci la pelle” is another way to say “to die”. So, if “ci abbiamo QUASI rimesso la pelle” (literally: we almost lost our skin) it means that we ALMOST died, but it didn’t happen.
Dopo quell’incidente in moto in cui ci ha quasi rimesso la pelle, ha deciso di prendere soltanto i mezzi pubblici per andare a lavoro. [After that motorcycle accident that almost killed him, he decided to only take public transportation to go to work.]
9. Avere una salute di ferro [to be in perfect health – literally: to have an iron health]
That’s right, that’s another way to say that someone is in perfect health.
A person with an iron health rarely gets sick, since iron conveys the idea of being strong and resistant.
Martina ha una salute di ferro! Non l’ho mai vista lamentarsi nemmeno per un mal di testa! [Martina is in great shape! I’ve never heard her complaining, not even for a head ache!]
10. Essere bianco come un cadavere/come un lenzuolo [deathly pale – literally: white as a corpse/as a sheet]
The meaning of this expression is not hard to understand: it’s pretty similar to “avere una brutta cera”: which is used to describe someone who’s very pale, almost greyish, and is about to faint.
Sei davvero bianco come un cadavere… Siediti un po’ sul divano per riprendere un po’ di energie… [You’re pale as a corpse…Sit down on the couch to regain some energy for a bit…]
We hope you enjoyed this lesson! Now, check out the vocabulary of the pharmacy! And don’t forget to read our book Parolacce… e come evitarle!
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