As far as Italian workplace traditions go, mettere le mani avanti may only be second to taking lunch breaks that would probably qualify as paid annual leave in most other European countries.
But, while you may have heard the expression before, what are Italians really doing when they're ‘putting their hands forward’?
The idiom is generally used to suggest that whatever task you’re working on or about to see to may have unsatisfactory results, emphasising that you shouldn’t be blamed if, in fact, the outcome isn’t up to par.
Essentially, it’s a way of preemptively dodging accountability should anything at any point go wrong – a tactic which most English speakers would probably refer to as ‘covering your arse’.
But what do hands have to do with the time-honoured CYA strategy?
Well, putting your hands forward is what people generally do when they’re about to fall over so as to have a ‘softer’ landing.
Italian speakers see this as a fitting metaphor for when someone produces a host of early excuses and justifications as a way to avoid potential criticism of their work further down the road.
The expression is often used in relation to work tasks, but can be used in other areas.
For instance, it’s a fairly popular way to keep partners or family members from getting their hopes up when you’re asked to do something useful around the house.
Ogni volta che gli chiedo di sistemare il giardino, mette subito le mani avanti, dicendo che non lo fa da mesi e ha avuto dolori alla schiena ultimamente.
Every time I ask him to clean up the garden, he immediately puts in a disclaimer, saying he hasn’t done it in months and he’s been having back pain lately.
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