# avere la coda di paglia



## Pamela fluente

How do you render in English:

"Ma che hai/avete la coda di paglia ?" 

?


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## Elisa68

Ti interessa la traduzione o sei in cerca di altro?
Nella prima ipotesi:
_Do you have a guilty conscience_?


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## Pamela fluente

Thank you Elisa! I like it. 

I am wondering could I be taken seriously when I say that. That is have a reply such as "*no I am innocent*" ? Or the sentence is always understood as you suggest ?


PS.
What you mean "cerca altro", an foreign boyfriend? This could be a good case of applicability of my sentence perhaps (?) Well, who knows. Wanna chat more drop me a PM. The MODS of this f. are very strict and don't allow chat, ...



			
				Elisa68 said:
			
		

> Ti interessa la traduzione o sei in cerca di altro?
> Nella prima ipotesi:
> _Do you have a guilty conscience_?


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## Nokta Ombro

I'd like to have some more suggestions on this. 
Is _"to __have a guilty conscience" _the only way to express it because it seems a bit too strong to me. 

"avere la coscienza sporca" is pretty different from "avere la coda di paglia" 
the first refer to a very bad behave the second is usually said in more "friendly" situations or for something that was not so terrible.

Any suggestion will be really appreaciated


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## aleCcowaN

maybe "avere la coda di paglia" = "feeling (some) remorse" (having regrets about one's misdeeds)


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## Nokta Ombro

Nice, let's wait for some english speaker to check our guesses


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## happy-too

Ho trovato questo significato sul sito di Wikipedia...

Avere la coda di paglia - essere in sospetto di non avere la coscienza tranquilla quindi reagire velocemente a critiche od osservazioni, "prendere velocemente fuoco", come la paglia.

So...it seems to me that to have a guilty conscience or to feel remorseful about something is correct. Comunque...the Wikipedia definition goes on to say that the gulity conscience might lead to one being a little touchy (permaloso/a). Diciamo "spring loaded" (like the position of the hammer of a firearm when ready for firing)...meaning...if one has feelings of guilt...they may quickly jump to defend themselves if/when accused...whether in fact they are guilty of it or not! Therefore...I agree with Nokta Ombro...and it is my humble guess that "avere la coda di paglia" is not as though one has committed a grave/serious offense...but nevertheless feels badly about whatever it was they DID do. (Esempio: eating cookies from the cookie jar just before dinner when you know it is not allowed vs. wrecking your father's automobile!)

Hope this helps.


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## Jacomina

Could someone help me to find the proper english translation of the italian expression "coda di paglia", please?
Generally we use it with reference to a person who knows that he/she has something to hide and it is constructed with the italian auxiliary verb "avere" (e.g.: Lei ha la coda di paglia / Ma che hai la coda di paglia?). 
Thanks very much in advance for your help.


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## housecameron

Ciao Jacomina e benvenuta 
Il dizionario Oxford-Paravia la traduce con _to have a guilty conscience._
Aspettiamo conferme o smentite 
__


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## Jacomina

Thanks a lot housecameron! 

I thought there was something less formal, maybe another idiomatic expression similar to the italian one.. but that's perfect! 

This forum is amazing & really helpful, thank you.


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## Kraus

housecameron said:


> Ciao Jacomina e benvenuta
> Il dizionario Oxford-Paravia la traduce con _to have a guilty conscience._
> Aspettiamo conferme o smentite
> __


Il dizionario Ragazzini conferma! Ma si copiano l'un l'altro?


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## Jacomina

Grazie anche te Kraus!


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## underhouse

Anche Garzanti dice la stessa cosa, ma sono convinto ci sia qualcosa di più idiomatico...


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## Ka Mate Ka Ora

Suggerisco,

Are you hiding a tell-tale heart?

da una novella famosa di Edgar Allen Poe, The Tell-tale Heart, 1843


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## underhouse

Ka Mate Ka Ora said:


> Suggerisco,
> 
> Are you hiding a tell-tale heart?
> 
> da una novella famosa di Edgar Allen Poe, The Tell-tale Heart, 1843


 
Interesting, Ka Mate Ka Ora, could you tell us a bit more about it?

Why a tell-tale heart?

Would this expression be understandable both in the UK and the US?


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## Ka Mate Ka Ora

In italiano, la novella è tradotto come Il Cuore Revelatore. Puoì trovarla in italiano su Google. Edgar Allen Poe (1809-49) era americano ed è uno dei più famosi scrittori negli Stati Uniti, sopratutto per The Tell-tale Heart. No lo so se è ben conosciuto nel UK.


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## TrentinaNE

Unfortunately, no longer that well-known in the USA either.    Nice alternative though.  Here's the Italian wikipedia article.

Elisabetta


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## underhouse

In effetti, su google neanche un risultato per "are you hiding a tell-tale heart?"...


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## Ka Mate Ka Ora

Unfortunate indeed 

The plot was used in a segment of the Simpsons. 

http://www.thesimpsons.com/episode_guide/0602.htm

But now that I think about, the reference may be a little recondite.


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## Jacomina

Dear Ka Mate Ka Ora,
is very interesting what you found about the "tell-tale heart", I hadn't heard of that Poe's tale before, thank you! So now I hope to find a bit more about the 'connection' between this expression and our "coda di paglia"..


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## Ka Mate Ka Ora

Jacomina said:


> Dear Ka Mate Ka Ora,
> It is very interesting what you found about the "tell-tale heart", I hadn't heard of that Poe's tale before, thank you! So now I hope to find a bit more about the 'connection' between this expression and our "coda di paglia"..


 
Enjoy!


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## joeyo

Can anyone explain the origin of this expression?
Thank you.


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## TimLA

Coda di paglia = tail of straw
Those with a guilty conscience will often overreact to situations about which they feel guilty -
...the lady doth protest too much methinks...
In that case, they "catch fire" (get angry/respond or react quickly to) in a situation about which they feel guilty...
Thus they have a tail that burns VERY fast, like straw.

Magari...


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## joeyo

That's a great answer--thanks very much.
L'aprezzo.


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## sgot

Hi!!
I'm new in this forum and i'd like to begin telling that you all have been my bible in last two years! ...great job guys!!
...actually i don't know why i didn't register before...maybe cause i'm an idiot 

Anyways, i'd like to contribute about this common italian expression now.
i was watching some tv series in english (with italian subtitles, i'm still not so great in understanding mother-tongues ) and it came out!

The "subber" (on which you really can rely ) wrote:
- "Mi stai spiando?"
- "Non avrai mica la coda di paglia??"
but i can't understand what the second guy says...

I made a short mp3 for you but i can't post an external link cause i'm a newbie 

I hoped it could be helpful.

how can i do? can i send the link to someone so that he can post it instead of me?

thank youuu!!


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## Einstein

I'm not sure if there's a standard expression for all occasions.
_*Have you got a guilty conscience?*_ doesn't sound so strong in English as in Italian, so I think it would work in many cases.
Another could be _*Have you got something to hide?*_


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## shopkins

From what I have read above, I think the best option would be "feeling defensive?"  or "a little defensive, aren't we?"  This is more idiomatic, and seems to fit the situation.  True, we don't have the idiomatic expression in English, but this is what I would use in the situations specified above.  My sons are watching Toy Story 2 in Italian, and when Woody accuses Jessie of turning on the tv, he says "abbiamo la coda di paglia eh?"  Which I would definitely translate into "a little defensive, aren't we?"


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## tsoapm

Other possibilities might involve “skeleton in the closet”, "dirty/guilty little secret".


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## Ludwig von Drake

Ciao, non sono madrelingua inglese ma italiano e vedo che già tanti hanno risposto.

Tuttavia, volevo darti il mio parere. Io credo che l’espressione italiana “avere la coda di paglia” abbia un implicito riferimento a una colpa che fa “scattare” la persona. Per questo penso che l’inglese “to have a guilty conscience” ci stia come traduzione, quando posto in forma interrogativa (hai la coda di paglia?) o con un verbo che pone una forma di dubbio (es. sembra che tu abbia la coda di paglia).

In cambio, quando in italiano è affermativo “hai proprio una coda di paglia”, non credo che ci stia bene, perché si sta facendo un’affermazione sull’atteggiamento e non sulla coscienza sporca. Quindi, in quel caso, credo si debba porre l’accento sull’atteggiamento con qualcosa del tipo: “to have a defensive behaviour”.

My two cents…


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## Italianfab

Magari la corretta traduzione per “avere la coda di paglia” sarebbe:
“to have a chip on your shoulder”.


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## Mary49

Italianfab said:


> Magari la corretta traduzione per “avere la coda di paglia” sarebbe:
> “to have a chip on your shoulder”.


Sono due cose diverse:
Modi di dire: avere la coda di paglia - Consulenza Linguistica - Accademia della Crusca 
"chi ha _la coda di paglia_ sa di aver combinato qualcosa, non ha la coscienza tranquilla e, di conseguenza, è sempre sospettoso per timore di essere scoperto; la versione tradizionale (e un po' in disuso) del più recente e “mediatico” _avere uno scheletro nell'armadio"_.

chip on shoulder
"Meaning:
-holding a grudge or grievance
-a perceived sense of inferiority
-being angry because of something that happened in the past
-habitually combative attitude
-take offence easily"


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## King Crimson

Tra l'altro "have a chip on one's shoulder" è già stato discusso qui, dove si conferma il significato indicato da Mary.


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## Eddytorsa

Non c'è traduzione ovvero non c'è una sentenza o un detto comunque in lingua inglese che trasmetta precisamente il significato che viene trasmesso in lingua italiana. Non esiste proprio. Ci sono altre espressioni come hanno già detto altri ma l'intensità del messaggio è più importante o meno ma non esattamente quella che comunica la frase italiana. In inglese o li insulti o vai troppo leggero. Non c'è la sfumatura della coda di paglia. Quindi bottom line non c'è traduzione. Ciao


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## Eqmeliten

Ma dalla Bibbia un’espressione ad rem, e del resto carina in inglese:  “Evil flee where none pursue.” Proverbi 28,1
In italiano un po’ più dura: L’empio fugge anche quando nessuno lo insegue.”

Se una frase è biblica ha sempre il suo peso ma nessuno se ne la prende troppo


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## tsoapm

Eqmeliten said:


> “Evil flee where none pursue.” Proverbi 28,1


What translation is that? Everything at biblehub seems to use "the wicked". Not a common expression or a verse that springs to my mind, but verses that have come to be common expressions tend to come from the KJV: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” - updated to "no one pursues" in NKJV, ESV and WEB.


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## Eqmeliten

tsoapm said:


> What translation is that? Everything at biblehub seems to use "the wicked". Not a common expression or a verse that springs to my mind, but verses that have come to be common expressions tend to come from the KJV: “The wicked flee when no man pursueth” - updated to "no one pursues" in NKJV, ESV and WEB.


Wish I could say the translation is mine, but I first heard it more than forty years ago from a mentor 
and elder brother-at-the-bar and have used it ever since. Be assured that it is accurate but on two points I think it better than the translations you mention:  It’s conciseness and structure track the original Hebrew, as well as the Septuagint Greek and Latin Vulgate, better than they do and “wicked” in addition to being a little dated strays farther from the Hebrew, Greek, and Latin (rasha, asebes, impius) than does “evil.” These days, with so few people really caring what the Bible says, if we can quote it in words that are different but that hit the mark, let’s do do so as a foretaste of the promised “glorious liberty of the children of God.” Rom. 8:21 (KJV)


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## tsoapm

Eqmeliten said:


> It’s conciseness and structure track the original Hebrew, as well as the Septuagint Greek and Latin Vulgate


But at the expense of idiomatic English, I think. I can see why one might not want the traditional construction "the wicked/evil" (I don't think we need to discuss the translation into English here, but I do think commenting on the English in itself is appropriate), but I don't think simply omitting the article and leaving the bare adjective is very natural. Surely we'd want something like "evil people"?


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