Italian Idiomatic Expressions: In the Parking Lot

I love Italian idiomatic expressions – those sayings you just can’t translate directly but which make the Italian language the colorful and charming language it is.

Today’s saying has to do with work, or rather the lack thereof:

Mio nipote è in area di parcheggio.

The translation of this is supposed to be, “My grandson is unemployed.” But instead of saying something boring like “senza lavoro,” or “without work,” the Italians make it much more colorful. The literal translation of the sentence above is, “My grandson is in the parking lot.” Now, if your grandson is actually in the parking lot and not unemployed, I’m not sure how you’d communicate that without confusing yourself or the person you’re talking to.

I’ll keep sharing Italian idiomatic expressions with you periodically; and if you’ve got a favorite saying, let me know!

If you like this one, check out some of the other Italian idiomatic expressions I’ve posted about, too.