il salasso

Today's Parola del Giorno is the noun, il salasso, which means bloodletting.

For most of us, bloodletting (I hope) is not a common word, but it is used figuratively to mean a drain, such as a financial drain when you get slammed with one too many bills.

See the noun used below in its context:

Questo mese pagare le bollette è stato un vero e proprio salasso! Abbiamo speso 500 euro solo per il riscaldamento, più 200 euro solo per la luce. E viviamo solo in due in casa! Se il prossimo mese arrivano nuove bollette così alte, non so dove prenderemo i soldi.

This month the bills were a real drain! We spent 500 euro just for the heating, plus 200 euros alone for the electricity. And there are only two of us at home! If the new bills coming next month are so high, I don't know where we will get the money.