After our piece on “al bacio” as an Italian saying meaning perfection, I thought we’d look at one that might be helpful when in Italy, particularly if you find yourself in Liguria where people are known to be a little tight with their money: considered the Scots of Italy if you like.
“Braccine corte” is a wonderful saying which means “little short arms” and we usually use it when you find yourself with someone not moving too fast to pull out the wallet or get some coins out of his pocket.
Perhaps not as colourful (or crude) as some of our English sayings, “braccine corte” is delightful because it’s normally combined with a gesture, as all good Italian sayings should be.
The gesture is a kid of limp wristed, shoulder shrug where you pull your arms up and back into you – exactly the opposite of flamboyant displays of generosity.
Which is what most Italians are actually famous for.