it's the tail wagging the dog! it's sheer madness!

1. adj completely irrational ( per fascinated with; crazy for; mad about)

avere una voglia matta di qualcosa be dying for something

2. m, matta f completely irrational person

mi piace da matti andare al cinema I'm mad about the cinema

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matto¹ agg.

1 mad; (fam.) crazy: diventar matto, to go mad; far diventar matto qlcu., to drive s.o. mad; la bambina mi sta facendo diventar matta, the little girl is driving me mad (o out of my mind) // matto furioso, matto da legare, stark raving mad // cavallo matto, wild horse // è sempre stato una testa matta, he's always been a crackpot (o a lunatic o a maniac) // c'è da diventar matto!, it is enough to drive you mad (o crazy)! // va matto per i Beatles, he's crazy about the Beatles; va matta per quel ragazzo, she's crazy about that boy // è mezzo matto, he is half crazy // fossi matto!, what do you take me for? (o do you think I am mad? o you must be joking!): ''Pensi di rivederlo?'' ''Fossi matta!'', ''Will you be seeing him again?'' ''You must be joking!'' // era matto di gioia, he was mad (o beside himself) with joy // ''Ho deciso di cambiare lavoro'' ''Ma sei matto?!'', ''I'm going to change my job'' ''Are you mad?!'' // che tempo matto!, what crazy weather!

2 (fam.) (grande): avevano una voglia matta di andarsene, they were dying to leave; si vogliono un bene matto, they are mad about each other; abbiamo fatto delle risate matte quando ci ha raccontato delle sue prime lezioni di sci, we split our sides laughing when he told us about his first skiing lessons; ho una voglia matta di cioccolato, I've got a craving for chocolate

3 (opaco) mat, matt: (fot.) carta matta, mat paper

4 (falso) false: oro matto, false gold; pietra matta, false stone; gioielli matti, worthless jewellery

◆ s.m. madman*, lunatic: ospedale dei matti, mental hospital; è un matto furioso, he is a raving lunatic // cose da matti!, this is ridiculous (o this is sheer madness)! // gabbia di matti, lunatic asylum (o madhouse): non resterò un momento di più in questa gabbia di matti, I'm not going to stay a moment longer in this madhouse // quel matto del nostro amico, that crazy friend of ours // ridere, correre, urlare come un matto, to laugh, to run, to shout like a madman // le piace da matti andare al mare, she's mad about going to the seaside.

matto² agg. (scacchi): scacco matto, checkmate; dare scacco matto, to checkmate.

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1. agg

1) (gen), fig mad, crazy, Med insane

2)

3) (opaco) matt

2. sm/f

* * *

1) (demente) mad, insane, crazy colloq., loony colloq., bonkers colloq.

2) (grandissimo)

3) da matti (tantissimo) madly

sostantivo maschile (f. -a)

1) (persona demente) insane person, loony; (uomo) madman*

2) (persona insensata)

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/'matto/

I aggettivo

 1 (demente) mad, insane, crazy colloq., loony colloq., bonkers colloq.; non sono mica matto! I'm not that crazy! c'è da diventare -i! it's enough to drive you mad! essere matto da legare to be mad as a March hare o as a hatter, to be crazy with a capital C; fare diventare matto qcn. to drive sb. mad o crazy colloq.; essere una testa -a to be a madcap; andare matto per to be crazy o wild o daft colloq. o nuts colloq. about; "vieni?" - "fossi matto!" "are you coming?" - "I wouldn't dream of it!", "not on your life!"

 2 (grandissimo) avere una voglia -a di qcs. to be dying for sth.; farsi -e risate to laugh one's head off

 3 da matti (tantissimo) madly; è lontano da -i it's a heck of a long way; questa musica mi piace da -i! this music really sends me!

II sostantivo maschile

 (f. -a)

 1 (persona demente) insane person, loony; (uomo) madman*; come un matto [ lavorare] crazily, like crazy colloq.; ridere come un matto to be in hysterics, to laugh like anything

 2 (persona insensata) che banda di -i! what a bunch of lunatics! gabbia di -i madhouse; cose da -i! it's the tail wagging the dog! it's sheer madness!

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/'matto/

aggettivo

scacco matto checkmate (anche fig.), mate; dare scacco matto a to checkmate (anche fig.), to mate.

du/ad.

a. to move; erabil itzazu zangoak arinago move your legs faster

b. ( ibilarazi) to drive, propel; urak darabil eihara water drives the mill ; nolabaiteko erokeriak zerabailen haren mihia some kind of madness drove him to talk

c. ( astindu) to shake, jar, jiggle; harriak kaxan sartu eta erabiltzen hasi zen he put the stones into the box and started shaking it; txakurrak buztana darabil hara eta hona the dog is wagging its tail every which way

2. (irud.) zer darabilzu gogoan? what's going on in your mind? | what are you pondering? luzez \erabili dut gogoan zer nuen egiteko I pondered for a while about what to do ; bekaizgoak darabil he's driven by envy

3. ( baliatu) to use, employ, utilize; ongi erabiltzen du elea he has a way with words ; zenbait jende dabil munduan burua \erabili ezinik several people go around unable to use their heads ; \erabiliz \erabiliz burdina ere higatzen da even iron wears away through sheer use; euskara darabilte they use Basque

4. ( makina, e.a.) to operate, handle

5. ( tratatu) to treat ; sehiak ez dira gaizki erabiltzeko servants are not to be treated badly; ostikoka \erabili dituzte they have mistreated them by kicking them

6. ( eraman, eroan)

a. to carry, take; zama bat soinean \erabili to carry on a load on one's shoulders; erabiltzeko ona portable | conveyable; zer darabiltzazu? what are you carrying?

b. ( garraiatu) to carry, transport

7. ( jardun, ari izan)

a. to be busy doing ; belarra \erabili to be cutting grass

b. ( borroka) to wage ; horren aurkako borroka luzea darabilt I've been waging a long battle against that

8. ( lur) to till, cultivate ; zenbat lur erabiltzen duzu? how much land do you cultivate? ; lur erabili berrian oin-hatzak ageri dira footprints have appeared on the freshly tilled land