Italian Idiom of the Week: “Si chiama Pietro… “

“Si Chiama Pietro e torna indietro!”

This is a popular and silly idiom/rhyme. What it literally means is “It’s name is Peter (Pietro) and it comes back (torna indietro). It’s a little non-sensical… and is used when you lend something to a friend… it’s a tongue in cheek way of slipping in the fact that you want the item returned… and it is funny because Pietro rhymes with dietro.

So let’s say you lend your friend a book… and you say, jokingly “Si chiama Pietro (the book’s name is Peter/Pietro) and it comes back to me (torna indietro)! Try it next time a friend asks to borrow something!