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fare le scarpe a qualcuno

English translation: to stab somebody in the back

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GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)

Italian term or phrase:	fare le scarpe a qualcuno
English translation:	to stab somebody in the back
Entered by:	jaipur73

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12:50 Jul 15, 2011

Italian to English translations [Non-PRO]
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

Italian term or phrase: fare le scarpe a qualcuno

Questa frase è venuta fuori nel corso di una conversazione e nessuno è riuscito a trovare un equivalente in inglese.

E' un'espressione idiomatica e significa *danneggiare qualcuno facendo finta di essergli amico*.

Riuscite a pensare ad un'espressione analoga, preferibilmente idiomatica, in inglese?

jaipur73 KudoZ activity Questions: 8 (none open) Answers: 55
Local time: 12:06

to stab sombody in the back

Explanation:
Libro Di Consultazione: Rizzoli Grande Larousse, Italiano/Inglese

Selected response from:

Barbara Cochran
Local time: 06:06

Grading comment

Grazie a tutti per le ottime proposte! La decisione è stata molto difficile, ma alla fine ho scelto questa perché: 1) rende l'idea di doppiezza/tradimento 2) è un verbo
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer

Summary of answers provided

3 +2

a wolf in disguise

Simona V

a snake in the grass

hattiemoll

pull the rug from under somebody ('s feet)

darwilliam

to stab sombody in the back

Barbara Cochran

to do the dirty on someone

Ernestine Shargool

take some one for a ride

James (Jim) Davis

to double-cross sb

Science451

Discussion entries: 1

Answers

25 mins confidence:

a snake in the grass

Explanation:
That would be the expression i would use for the person you have described though if I was translating the phrase "fare la scarpe a qualcuno" I would describe the act of doing it as "eyeing up" someone else's job and thus acting like a "snake in the grass"....

hattiemoll
Italy
Local time: 12:06
Native speaker of:

English

26 mins confidence:

take some one for a ride

Explanation:
In the sense given in the pot of pretending to be a friend. However, I think the phrase can be used in many ways in Italian, without necessarily pretending to be a friend or even without the use of deception as in this title where Formigoni is merely accused of taking advantage of Berlusconi's woes:
http://www.giornalettismo.com/archives/130217/anche-formigon...

Other translations might be "to take some one to the cleaners" "to get one over on sombody".

James (Jim) Davis
Italy
Local time: 12:06
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 125

59 mins confidence:

to double-cross sb

Explanation:
fare le scarpe a qn (fig) → to double-cross sb
________________________________________

Definition of double-cross verb from Cambridge Dictionary Online ... - [ Traduci questa pagina ]
dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/double-cross -
double-cross verb - definition from Cambridge Dictionary Online:

to deceive someone by working only for your own advantage in the (usually illegal) ...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-07-15 13:50:30 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/double-cr...

Reference: http://it.thefreedictionary.com/fare+le+scarpe+a+qlcu

Science451
Italy
Local time: 12:06
Native speaker of:

Italian

1 hr confidence:

to do the dirty on someone

Explanation:
Another option:

Chambers:

do the dirty on someone colloq to cheat or trick them.

Ernestine Shargool
United Kingdom
Local time: 11:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Italian
PRO pts in category: 16

5 mins confidence:

peer agreement (net): +2

a wolf in disguise

Explanation:
perhaps... i'll keep thinking!

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 1 hr (2011-07-15 14:06:43 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

or to "play someone for a fool" (verb)

Simona V
Italy
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Italian

1 hr confidence:

to stab sombody in the back

Explanation:
Libro Di Consultazione: Rizzoli Grande Larousse, Italiano/Inglese

Barbara Cochran
Local time: 06:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English
PRO pts in category: 2

Grading comment

Grazie a tutti per le ottime proposte! La decisione è stata molto difficile, ma alla fine ho scelto questa perché: 1) rende l'idea di doppiezza/tradimento 2) è un verbo

4 hrs confidence:

pull the rug from under somebody ('s feet)

Explanation:
or 'pull the rug - out - from under your feet'.

This one came to mind.

darwilliam
Local time: 12:06
Specializes in field
Native speaker of:

English,

Italian
PRO pts in category: 4

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English translation: to stab somebody in the back

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KudoZ™ translation helpThe KudoZ network provides a framework for translators and others to assist each other with translations or explanations of terms and short phrases.

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