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Italian · Hand Gestures · hand gesture

Fare le corna (scaramanzia)

Touch wood / knock on wood / ward off the evil eye

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

The gesture

"Same horns shape, pointed downward — or touching iron — to repel bad luck"

What your hand is actually doing.

How to use it

Superstition, not insult. Point the horns down (or grab something iron — "tocca ferro") to fend off the malocchio (evil eye) after tempting fate. Southern Italians, Neapolitans especially, take scaramanzia seriously; the little red horn charm (corno / cornicello) you see everywhere does the same job on a keychain. Same fingers as the insult — the direction flips the meaning entirely.

Heard in the wild

Non si è mai rotto... facciamo le corna!

It's never broken... touch wood!

Where it lands

Universal; strongest in Naples/the south

Quick answers

What does "Fare le corna (scaramanzia)" mean?
In Italian, "Fare le corna (scaramanzia)" means "Touch wood / knock on wood / ward off the evil eye". Literally it's "Same horns shape, pointed downward — or touching iron — to repel bad luck". Superstition, not insult. Point the horns down (or grab something iron — "tocca ferro") to fend off the malocchio (evil eye) after tempting fate. Southern Italians, Neapolitans especially, take scaramanzia seriously; the little red horn charm (corno / cornicello) you see everywhere does the same job on a keychain. Same fingers as the insult — the direction flips the meaning entirely.
Is "Fare le corna (scaramanzia)" 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 "Fare le corna (scaramanzia)"?
This one's a hand gesture — there's nothing to pronounce. Same horns shape, pointed downward — or touching iron — to repel bad luck.

Related in Italian

Il gesto del mento gesture I couldn't care less / get lost / nothing Ma che vuoi? gesture What do you want?! / What are you saying?! / Come on! Le corna gesture Your partner's cheating on you / cuckold (as an insult) L'ombrello gesture Up yours! / Vaffanculo, in gesture form Il dito medio gesture Fuck you / flip the bird Ma che dici?! gesture What on earth are you saying?! / I beg you, be reasonable!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Tough luck".

how to say "Tough luck" →

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