a bocca asciutta

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Italian

Etymology

Literally, at dry mouth.

Pronunciation

  • IPA(key): /a‿bˈbok.ka aʃˈʃut.ta/

Prepositional phrase

a bocca asciutta

  1. hungry, starving, without food
    Synonyms: affamato, digiuno
    • 2019, George Orwell, translated by Nicola Gardini, Nineteen Eighty-Four, Mondadori:
      Sapeva bene che così le lasciava tutt'e due a bocca asciutta, ma non poteva farne a meno; si sentiva perfino in diritto di agire a quel modo.
      He knew that he was starving the other two, but he could not help it; he even felt that he had a right to do it.
      (literally, “He knew well that, in this way, he left them both starving, but he could not help it; he even felt entitled to act in that way.”)
  2. (figurative, by extension) disillusioned
    Synonyms: deluso, a mani vuote
    • 17th century, Jacopo Salviati, Lamento della Sandra innamorata di Fello [Lamentation of Sandra in love with Fello]‎, published 1856, page 153, collected in Rime burlesche di eccellenti autori by Pietro Fanfani:
      Ed è ver ch'io rimango,
      Spietato, a bocca asciutta,
      Solo perché tu fai
      Di tue parole fango?
      Merciless one, am I really to be left disillusioned, just because you don't keep your word?
      (literally, “Is it true that I remain, merciless, with a dry mouth, just because you make of your words mud?”)