fare di tutto

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “do of everything”.

Verb

fàre di tutto (first-person singular present fàccio di tutto, first-person singular past historic féci di tutto, past participle fàtto di tutto, first-person singular imperfect facévo di tutto, second-person singular imperative fài di tutto or fà' di tutto, auxiliary avére)

1. to carry out any kind of work; to dabble in everything

   sa fare di tutto ― she is good at everything (literally, “knows how to do everything”)

2. (with per + inf.) to make every effort to reach a goal; to do everything in one's power (to); to move heaven and earth (to)

   Synonyms: farsi in quattro, darsi pena; see also Thesaurus:impegnarsi

   • 2020, Barack Obama, chapter 27, in Chicca Galli, Paolo Lucca, Giuseppe Maugeri, transl., Una terra promessa [A Promised Land], Garzanti Libri:

     Gli analisti mi spiegarono che le altre persone che vivevano lì facevano di tutto per nascondere la loro identità...

     As for the people who lived there, the analysts said they went to great lengths to conceal their identities...

     (literally, “The analysts explained to me that the other people who lived there were doing everything to hide their identities...”)