Vittoria di Pirro

Vittoria di Pirro
Pyrrhic victory

This idiom refers to a victory that comes at such a great cost that it is almost tantamount to defeat. The phrase originates from King Pyrrhus of Epirus, whose army suffered irreplaceable casualties in defeating the Romans at Heraclea in 280 BC and Asculum in 279 BC, during the Pyrrhic War. Pyrrhus is reported to have said, “Another such victory and we are lost.”

Exemples:

1. La loro vittoria in tribunale è stata una vittoria di Pirro, considerando le spese legali astronomiche. – Their court victory was a Pyrrhic victory, considering the astronomical legal fees.
2. Hanno vinto la battaglia, ma con così tante perdite che è stata una vera vittoria di Pirro. – They won the battle, but with so many losses that it was a true Pyrrhic victory.
3. La promozione che ha ottenuto è stata una vittoria di Pirro, dato che ha perso la sua vita personale. – The promotion he got was a Pyrrhic victory, as he lost his personal life.