Italian · Behind the Wheel
Metti la freccia!
MET-tee lah FRET-chah · /ˈmet.ti la ˈfret.tʃa/
Use your blinker!
1/5 Grandma-safe
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Put the arrow!"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The universal lament of every passenger and every driver behind someone who changes lanes by telepathy. "La freccia" is the turn signal (the little arrow). Completely clean — the exasperation does all the work. A dependable mutter.
Heard in the wild
Gira senza mettere la freccia, ma dai!
Turning without signaling, come on!
Where it lands
Universal across Italy
Quick answers
- What does "Metti la freccia!" mean?
- In Italian, "Metti la freccia!" means "Use your blinker!". Literally it's "Put the arrow!". The universal lament of every passenger and every driver behind someone who changes lanes by telepathy. "La freccia" is the turn signal (the little arrow). Completely clean — the exasperation does all the work. A dependable mutter.
- Is "Metti la freccia!" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Metti la freccia!"?
- Say it "MET-tee lah FRET-chah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈmet.ti la ˈfret.tʃa.
Related in Italian
Pirla! PEER-lah Idiot / dumbass (Milanese) Leva 'sto culo! LEH-vah sto KOO-lo Move your ass! / Get out of the way! L'hai presa alla lotteria la patente?! lye PRAY-zah AHL-lah lot-teh-REE-ah lah pah-TEN-tay Where'd you get your license, a cereal box?! Ma vai a piedi! mah VYE ah PYEH-dee You should be walking, not driving! Ma smettila di strombazzare! mah ZMET-tee-lah dee strom-baht-TSAH-ray Quit leaning on your horn! Ma dove vai?! mah DOH-vay VYE Where the hell do you think you're going?!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Road rage".
- French Quelle galère ! What a hassle / What an ordeal
- Greek κόλλησα στην κίνηση I'm stuck in traffic — the eternal Athens lament.
- Polish niedzielny kierowca Sunday driver — the road-rage taxonomy's gentlest species.
- Portuguese Que saco! What a drag! / So annoying! / Ugh!
- Russian Твою мать! Damn it! / Son of a bitch! / For crying out loud!
- Spanish Estar hasta la madre To be fed up / sick and tired — or packed full
- Portuguese Que inferno! What a nightmare! / For crying out loud!
- Spanish Un chingo A ton / a whole lot
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