Acqua in bocca
Water in the mouth
This idiom means “keep it a secret” or “don’t tell anyone.” It is used to urge someone to keep silent about something and not to reveal confidential information. The phrase evokes the image of keeping one’s mouth full of water, thus preventing the person from speaking.
Exemples:
- Mi raccomando, acqua in bocca su quello che ti ho detto. – Please, keep it a secret about what I told you.
- Non preoccuparti, acqua in bocca, non dirò nulla a nessuno. – Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone, I’ll keep it a secret.
- Il progetto è ancora riservato, quindi acqua in bocca fino all’annuncio ufficiale. – The project is still confidential, so keep it a secret until the official announcement.