Learn Italian Idioms

In this video I'll explain the meaning of the Italian idiomatic phrase "DARE UN COLPO AL CERCHIO E UNO ALLA BOTTE".

This video lesson is aimed at those amazing people who wish to learn Italian well.

In particular, I am referring to those who understand Italian, but would like to expand their active vocabulary to speak Italian like a native.

If you are looking for video lessons for learning Italian well, you have come to the right place!

(Channel Intro)

Hi, everybody! I am Luca and in this epic video I wanted to talk about what is quite possibly the most difficult idiom of the entire Italian language. Many Italians remember that such an idiom exists, but they quote it wrong.

I for one must confess that until recently had difficulties with this idiom. Meaning that I always forgot what the two nouns were.

The nouns are "cerchio" and "botte".

It was only when I recently read the etimology of this idiomatic expression, that I finally understood how you should say, and from that moment on I stopped making mistakes.

Properly speaking, the idiomatic phrase is "dare un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte". "Dare un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte".

However, many people say things like: "dare un colpo alla botte e un colpo al secchio". Or: "Dare un colpo al secchio e uno alla botte".

There are also people who remember the first part, they start saying "dare un colpo al cerchio..." - but then don't remember what's the other noun.

For some strange reason, many people come up with the word "secchio" in reference to this idiom. I think, but this is just my educated guess, that this can be attributed to the fact that there's also the idiomatic phrase "E buonanotte al secchio!". So perhaps, arguably because of analogy with a similar sound, people could be tempted to say "dare un colpo al secchio e uno alla botte", right? "Secchio, botte. Buonanotte al secchio". But this is just my educated guess. Basically, the two sayings tend to be mixed up.

Not long ago I also made a video about the proverb "E buona notte al secchio!" In the top corner you will find a card to it. If you don't know this idiom, check this video out!

Like I said, to avoid getting confused, learning the etimology of this idiom is particularly useful. That is, where this idiom comes from, and why people say that.

Alright. You probably know the noun "botte". "La botte" refers to a kind of vessel, usually made of wood. "La botte" is typically used for storing wine.

"La botte" is typically made of wood, but it has metal hoops, usually one at the top and one at the bottom. Well, that is what "cerchio" stands for in this idiom.

So there are "la botte" and "il cerchio". "Il cerchio" should be understood as the hoop keeping the barrel staves in position. That is, the barrel is made of wooden staves. These staves are bound by 2 hoops, typically one at the top and the other at the bottom.

Incidentally, a barrel is mentioned in several Italian idioms. For example, in the past I made 3 video lessons about 3 different idioms with the word "botte".

The first one is the proverb "Non puoi avere la botte piena e la moglie ubriaca". I'm gonna add a card to it in the top corner.

Next, there's the idiom "Nella botte piccola c'è il vino buono". Well, I'll add the respective cards up here, one after the other. As soon as one disappears, I will add the next one.

Next, there's the idiomatic phrase "essere in una botte di ferro", for example "Siamo in una botte di ferro". Or: "Pensa di essere in una botte di ferro": Well, I'll add relevant cards up here. If you want, check them out.

That being said, let's go back to our idiom!

The idiom "dare un colpo al cerchio e un colpo alla botte" precisely refers to the process of buiding a barrel.

Back in the day, there were carpenters who were called, if my memory serves me right, "bottai". Well, these people produced barrels. That is, they built barrels. They took wooden staves and built barrels with them.

In particular, once they had applied a hoop around these wooden staves, they first hit the hoop with a hammer, to push it deep into the wood, and then they hit the staves. They essentially alternated blows: one hammer blow on the metal hoop, one hammer blow on wooden staves.

Here I have this object. What is it?

It's the hammer of Thor.

No.

As you can see, here I have a hammer. Here I have this object, you may recognize it: It's the hammer of Thor.

It's the hammer of Thor.

In any case, "il bottaio" would use this object, a hammer, to first hit the hoop (the metal part), and then the wooden part. So one hammer blow on the hoop and one blow on the barrel. In particular, he alternated blows. In this way, he managed to set the hoop into the barrel as he wished.

(screen subscribe to the channel).

This idiom refers to this scenario. But what does it figuratively mean?

It essentially means trying to please two people who are having an argument. Or in any case two parties in a fight, in a dispute. In particular, by agreeing with one at first, and then with the other. So alternating between the two parties.

I mean, there are two parties which want two different things. If we "diamo un colpo al cerchio e un colpo alla botte", it means that we are trying to please both. Or in any case not to disappoint neither party.

So, if there are two parties that want two different things, we try to please the first one and at the same time we try to please the second one. That is, first we make a concession to the first one, then we make a concession to the second one. Next, we make another concession to the first one, like this, we alternate.

Our goal is to satisfy both parties. In this sense we don't want to back up one of the parties, because otherwise the other party could get offended. In a way, we want to agree with both. That is, first with one, then with the other. Then again with the first one, then with the second one and so on.

In this sense we can say that "non ci schieriamo". You might not know the verb "schierarsi". "Schierarsi" means exactly this, that is, saying which side you're on. That is, making a decision, which is the opposite of what is done by someone who "dà un colpo al cerchio e un colpo alla botte".

Depending on the situation, this idiom can be either positive or negative.

This behaviour can indeed amount to an attempt at mediation, that is, at reaching a compromise between the two arguing parties. The individual who "dà un colpo al cerchio e un colpo alla botte" is trying to help the two arguing parties reach a compromise. So in a way they act as an intermediary.

However, I would say that most of the time this idiom has a negative meaning and precisely refers to the fact that an individual, in order to take advantage from a given situation, doesn't say which side they're on, the don't make any clear decisions. And they try to please both parties (first one, then the other). Possibly in order to take advantage of both parties.

Because, you know better than I, if there's someone who wants to do something, and another person wants to do the opposite, it is very difficult to please both.

In this sense this idiom is very, very similar to the idiom "salvare capra e cavoli". Or "cercare di salvare capra e cavoli". Not long ago I made a video about this idiomatic phrase as well, I'm gonna add a card to it up here. If you want to learn this amazing expression too, check it out!

But this is not the only idiom similar to "dare un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte", there's another one, which is: "tenere il piede in due scarpe". Pay attention that I said: "tenere il piede in due scarpe", - not "tenere due piedi in una scarpa". Here I'm gonna add a card to this idiom. If you want, check it out!

These three idioms are very, very common. In some cases people prefer to say "salvare capra e cavoli", in other cases "dare un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte", and in other cases "tenere il piede in due scarpe".

The idiom "dare un colpo al cerchio e uno alla botte" is very often used by journalists in reference to politicians. Because, you know better than I, politics is really the art of pleasing people who want opposite things.

And precisely journalists created the neologism "cerchiobottismo", that is, "cerchio" plus "botte", and the suffix -ismo was added, which precisely refers to the behaviour we discussed. That is, not making clear decisions, but instead trying to please practically everybody.

Well, that is it! I hope you liked this idiom.

Up here I'm gonna add the link of a playlist where I grouped hundreds of Italian idioms. If you wish to expand your active vocabulary and speak Italian like a native, you might wanna check it out!