Word of the Day: Dare buca

You know when it’s ‘snowing’ really [not] hard and all your Italian friends cancel their plans with you? Well that is being stood up, or in Italian, dare buca.

A term used throughout Italy, dare buca literally means, to give a hole:
Dare = verb, to give
Buca= noun, a hole
Since dare is the verb, it must be conjugated accordingly, depending on person and tense.

I am not really sure how the literal meaning of the words come to mean ‘to stand someone up,’ or ‘to cancel on someone,’ but it does. Perhaps you make a hole in someone’s plans by cancelling with them?

Some examples:
Luigi mi ha dato buca ieri sera. = Luigi stood me up last night.
Non mi dare buca come l’altra volta! = Don’t stand me up like you did last time!

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About Zvia Shwirtz

In Rome for 3 years now, and counting, Zvia boasts 'pro level' knowledge of the Roman public transportation system, club/music scene, and where to get a cappuccino after 11 AM without a dirty look. She also can't believe that Italians do not know about Seinfeld.
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