SUI FRANCESISMI FRASEOLOGICI IN ITALIANO

Research into the etymologies of higher lexical units is still relatively recent. The recent blooming of phraseological projects and the current abundance of and easy access to historical documentation make a close examination of the origin and history of some of these elements timely. Based on some examples, the close relationship between French and Italian phraseology is illustrated here, proposing among other things three hypotheses of borrowing from the former language to the latter: figlio or figlia di papà ʻyoung man who is aided excessively in life and career by his fatherʼs prestige and wealthʼ, literally ʻfather’s son/daughterʼ , girarsi or rigirarsi i pollici ʻstay idle, inactiveʼ, literally ʻto twiddle one’s thumbsʼ, mettere alla porta ʻto dismiss, to send away, to kick outʼ, literally ʻto put someone at the doorʼ. In other cases (a tentoni ~ à tâtons ʻblundering, fumblingʼ, adagio Biagio ~ à l’aise Blaise ʻexpression that calls for cautionʼ) the kinship between Italian and French expression is evident but it is difficult (or conceivably impossible) to reconstruct whether this is a transfer from one language to another and in which direction.