Ways of saying with the word “occhio”

In Italian there are numerous expressions with the word eye; occhio. In this article we see the ones that all Italians use daily to color their speech.

'The eyes are the mirror of the soul', gli occhi sono lo specchio dell’anima,at least in Italy, but you know, we Italians are a bit sentimental. Eh, yes, because we are convinced that from the messages that come from our eyes, we can understand the true feelings of a person, especially in that recent period when we had to wear masks, as the eyes were the only part of the face that we could show. I correct myself, there are also foreheads and ears, but those are a little less expressive.

When we like a person very much and we can't stop looking at this person, we say that we 'eat with our eyes' mangiamo con gli occhi, but 'eating with our eyes' can also refer to a particularly inviting food. Just folk wisdom? Not at all! Scientists inform us that this is not just a way of saying: in our brain there is a mechanism that establishes direct communication between the centers that control the sense of sight and the centers that regulate appetite. A bit like when 'we can't take our eyes off someone or something', because we are very attracted to it.

Not always, however, are we happy to show our feelings and we would prefer 'not to give in the eye' non dare nell’occhio that is, go unnoticed, in short, it would be better if no one noticed!

It is also true that, we can “ bet an eye of the head” scommettere un occhio della testa,that is, we can affirm it with a certain confidence, that when we are overwhelmed by the passion for someone or something, when we “we have eyes only for” that person or that thing, we care little about the judgments of others.

Let's say that this 'eye and cross' a occhio e croce, more or less, applies to all of us. It is also true that when we look at someone we like a lot, inevitably our gaze could seem not so intelligent, not very expressive and we make the typical 'boiled fish eye' occhio da pesce lesso.

If you are very shy or very controlled you definitely do not want to be noticed and 'look under the eye' at the loved person, observing without wanting to be observed. Unfortunately, not always do the shy and rational manage to hide their feelings, because if others 'keep their eyes wide open' tengono gli occhi bene aperti, and therefore observe very carefully, the fatal attraction 'immediately jumps to the eyes': it is something that cannot but become evident!

However, let us remember that if we cannot see the desired person or thing for a long time, as they say: “Far from the eyes away from the heart”lontano dagli occhi lontano dal cuore, the feeling sooner or later ... will also fade away from our thoughts and from our heart.

Okay, the list is long and I don't want to bore you and see you 'eye up to the sky'alzare gli occhi al cielo . I leave it to you to find the many other expressions, I'm sure you will succeed "with your eyes closed"a occhi chiusi!!

Let us know!