Have you ever been in a situation where, no matter how calm and composed you usually are, you just lost any semblance of control over yourself and flew into a rage?
Italians have a colourful way of describing this situation: perdere le staffe (hear it pronounced here), which literally means ‘to lose the stirrups’.
In the context of horse riding, stirrups are frames or rings that hold a rider’s feet, which makes them vital for maintaining balance and control of the horse. When a rider ‘loses’ the stirrups, they’re no longer in control and risk falling off the horse.
Translated to everyday life, losing your stirrups means losing your temper or composure.
Whether it's a frustrating situation at work, an argument with a friend or just a moment when things go totally off the rails, perdere le staffe is a phrase Italians use to describe that emotional tipping point when you can’t keep it together any longer.
Quando ho visto quel messaggio, ho perso le staffe. Non riuscivo a crederci!
When I saw that message, I flew off the handle. I couldn’t believe it!
Non so cosa mi sia preso, ma quando ho visto come hanno trattato il mio lavoro, ho davvero perso le staffe!
I don’t know what came over me, but when I saw how they treated my work, I really lost it!
È facile perdere le staffe quando sei sotto molto stress.
It's easy to lose it when you're under a lot of stress.
The expression is generally rendered into English with expressions such as ‘flying off the handle’, ‘blowing a fuse’, ‘going up the wall’ or, quite simply, ‘losing it’.
Even the calmest of people can perdere le staffe in certain situations.
If that happens to you, remember to fare respiri profondi (‘take deep breaths’) to regain your composure as soon as possible.
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