What does “crepi l’avarizia” mean in Italian?
Preparare il ragù come una volta
A2 Italian listening practice · Tuscan Italian · Picked for people who know a little
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.
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Harder words in this video
These words are harder than A2. Here is what they mean.
Source: wordfreq 3.1.1 (general) · OpenSubtitles 2018 (HermitDave) (spoken). These numbers are close, not perfect.
- ▸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