Vulgarphrase
avere le palle girate
to be in a foul mood, to be really irritated
Literal Translation
"to have one's balls twisted"
Formal Equivalent
essere molto irritato, essere di pessimo umore
Examples in Context
"Oggi ho le palle girate, lasciami in pace."
"I'm in a foul mood today, leave me alone."
"Ha le palle girate perché l'hanno bocciato."
"He's really pissed off because he failed the exam."
⚠️
Cultural Note
Vulgar but extremely common among men. Women sometimes use it too, though 'girare le scatole' is the milder, gender-neutral alternative. Often shortened to just 'mi girano' (they're spinning on me).
Want to practice Italian?
Take a free placement test and start with grammar exercises.