Preparare il ragù come una volta
A2 Italian listening practice · Tuscan Italian · Curated for beginners
What does “crepi l’avarizia” mean in Italian?
Crepi l’avarizia literally means “may stinginess die.” Italians use it as a small celebratory phrase the moment they decide to be generous, usually around food, drink, or money. In this clip, the cook pours an extra splash of wine into the ragù, says crepi l’avarizia, and keeps going. The phrase makes the moment feel festive: stinginess loses, generosity wins.
It belongs to the same Italian habit as alla salute or cin cin, those tiny phrases that turn an ordinary moment into something you announce. When cooking come una volta (“the way it used to be done”) is the goal, an extra splash of wine deserves saying out loud.
Vocabulary frequency
How common is the vocabulary in this A2 Italian listening practice listening practice?
General Italian frequency
Spoken Italian frequency
Words above this video’s level
Quick glosses for vocabulary that goes beyond this video’s A2 level.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). Buckets approximate; exact ranks not stored.
- ▸In Italian home-cooking shows (Benedetta Rossi, Cotto e mangiato, Antonella Clerici)
- ▸In Italian films featuring family meals (Big Night, Mid-August Lunch)
- ▸In Italian wine-pouring rituals at trattorie and home dinners
- ▸In Italian conversations when someone splurges on a bottle
- ▸In Italian stand-up about Italian generosity stereotypes