lasciarci le penne

Parola del giorno | Word of the day

Today's Parola del Giorno is the verb expression, lasciarci le penne, which means to lose one's life or to die.

Italian has a number of verbs to express dying, however, it is important to note that this expression is meant to be used in a humorous way, like in the example below. You shouldn’t use this expression when talking about something serious.

See the expression used below in its context:

I miei amici vanno a fare lo skydiving e mi hanno invitato.  Stanno fuori? Non voglio lasciarci le penne: preferisco rimanere sulla terra!

My friends are going skydiving and invited me.  Are they crazy?  I don't want to lose my life: I prefer to stay on the ground.