Casualphrase
fare la scarpetta
to mop up sauce with bread
Literal Translation
"to make the little shoe"
Formal Equivalent
raccogliere il sugo con il pane
Examples in Context
"Il sugo era così buono che ho fatto la scarpetta."
"The sauce was so good that I mopped it all up with bread."
"Non fare la scarpetta al ristorante — è maleducazione!"
"Don't mop up sauce with bread at the restaurant — it's bad manners!"
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Cultural Note
Fare la scarpetta — dragging bread around the plate like a little shoe — is technically bad table manners in formal settings, but universally practiced at home. It's the ultimate compliment to the cook: the sauce was too good to waste.
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