Italian expression of the day: Tenere banco
With this phrase up your sleeve, you'll be holding court in no time.
Are you a shrinking wallflower, someone who shies away from the spotlight - or are you the kind of person who likes to tenere banco?
It means to hold court, to attract everyone's attention, to dazzle with your authoritativeness - or, when used in a more negative sense, to monopolise a conversation in such a way that you don't let anyone else get a word in.
A banco was originally the wooden plank or table where vendors would sell their wares in the marketplace.
Today, if you want to have your espresso or cappuccino at the bar rather than sitting at a table (where you'll usually pay more), you'll ask for it al banco.
According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper's glossary, though, in the case of today's expression, the banco refers back to the table where gambling card games were played.
The person who would tiene banco or 'hold the table' is the one who would preside over the game, dealing out the cards, keeping score, and distributing the winnings to the victors.
Note that you'll frequently hear the expression pronounced tener banco (listen here), as it's common with Italian phrasal verbs to drop the final e on the end of the verb.
Per lei è stata una serata perfetta, sai come ama tener banco.
It was a perfect evening for her, you know how she loves to hold court.
L'estrema destra ha tenuto banco negli ultimi anni.
The far-right has monopolised the conversation in recent years.
While only a person or people can 'hold court' in English, in Italian it's also possible for a topic or argument, or a physical object or feature, to tener banco and become the main focus of attention.
Il tema del carovita ha tenuto banco durante tutto il dibattito.
The issue of rising living costs dominated the debate.
Il lampadario di cristallo tiene banco come una delle caratteristiche più importanti della villa.
The crystal chandelier draws attention as one of the villa's most prominent features.
Now you've mastered this expression, the floor's all yours.
Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
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Are you a shrinking wallflower, someone who shies away from the spotlight - or are you the kind of person who likes to tenere banco?
It means to hold court, to attract everyone's attention, to dazzle with your authoritativeness - or, when used in a more negative sense, to monopolise a conversation in such a way that you don't let anyone else get a word in.
A banco was originally the wooden plank or table where vendors would sell their wares in the marketplace.
Today, if you want to have your espresso or cappuccino at the bar rather than sitting at a table (where you'll usually pay more), you'll ask for it al banco.
According to the Corriere della Sera newspaper's glossary, though, in the case of today's expression, the banco refers back to the table where gambling card games were played.
The person who would tiene banco or 'hold the table' is the one who would preside over the game, dealing out the cards, keeping score, and distributing the winnings to the victors.
Note that you'll frequently hear the expression pronounced tener banco (listen here), as it's common with Italian phrasal verbs to drop the final e on the end of the verb.
Per lei è stata una serata perfetta, sai come ama tener banco.
It was a perfect evening for her, you know how she loves to hold court.
L'estrema destra ha tenuto banco negli ultimi anni.
The far-right has monopolised the conversation in recent years.
While only a person or people can 'hold court' in English, in Italian it's also possible for a topic or argument, or a physical object or feature, to tener banco and become the main focus of attention.
Il tema del carovita ha tenuto banco durante tutto il dibattito.
The issue of rising living costs dominated the debate.
Il lampadario di cristallo tiene banco come una delle caratteristiche più importanti della villa.
The crystal chandelier draws attention as one of the villa's most prominent features.
Now you've mastered this expression, the floor's all yours.
Do you have a favourite Italian word you’d like us to feature? If so, please email us with your suggestion.
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