togliere il fiato

Italian[edit]

Literally, “to remove the breath”.

tògliere il fiato (first-person singular present tòlgo il fiato, first-person singular past historic tòlsi il fiato, past participle tòlto il fiato, auxiliary avére) [+ a (object)]

to take someone's breath away
una bellezza da togliere il fiato ― a breath-taking beauty (literally, “a beauty that takes one's breath away”)
- 2013, chapter 1, in F. Scott Fitzgerald, translated by Ferruccio Russo, Il Grande Gatsby [The Great Gatsby], Edizioni Scientifiche e Artistiche, page 40:
  La sua famiglia era smisuratamente facoltosa – anche all'università il suo rapporto disinvolto col denaro era motivo di biasimo – ma ora aveva lasciato Chicago e se n'era venuto nell'Est con un tono, uno stile che toglieva il fiato...
  His family were enormously wealthy – even in college his freedom with money was a matter for reproach – but now he'd left Chicago and come east in a fashion that rather took your breath away...
  (literally, “His family was exceedingly wealthy – even in college his free and easy relationship with money was a reason for reproach – but he had left Chicago and came to the East with a tone, a style that took one's breath away...”)
to bother insistently; to pester
Synonyms: assillare, annoiare; see also Thesaurus:infastidire