English translation of "le sta combinando un piattino" - "He's setting her up..."

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152 months ago

Barbara Cochran (a guest user) asked this question:

Language pair:	Italian > English
Subject:	Other
Level of diffculty:	Easy / medium
Word or term in question:	le sta combinando un piattino
Context:	Qualche giorno dopo, Pession mi disse: "Badi che Alfieri le sta combinando un piattino...
Keywords:	...Io ho già messo le mani avanti. Ma, cosa vuole, io non ho voce in capitolo con quella gente." Poi mi spiegò che si parlava della venuta al ministero, in veste di supervisore delle tramissioni per l'estero, del ministro plenipotenziario Armando Koch, noto allora per i suoi sentimenti filo-germanici.

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Complete list of answers and comments

152 months ago

giulianoscarpa wrote:

Prick up your ears, Alfieri is setting you up.

152 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL wrote:

They're pulling a fast one

152 months ago

Amanda Haste PhD, DipTrans(IoLET), MCIL, CL wrote:

they are trapping you/ setting you up/ tricking you

My comment:

It means that they are out to trick you and you will get into trouble

152 months ago

Josephine Cassar wrote:

they are trapping you/ setting you up/ tricking you

My comment:

It means that they are out to trick you and you will get into trouble

152 months ago

Josephine Cassar wrote:

Alfieri is deceiving you

152 months ago

Mary Jane wrote:

He's setting her up...

My comment:

To "combinare un piattino" is a figurative way to say that someone is intentionally fooling or deceiving someone else. It literally means to set someone up, to make them believe they will probably obtain something they want when instead they will find themselves caught up in a complete different situation, most of the times a negative one.

Comments by other colleagues on this answer:

151 months ago

giulianoscarpa wrote:

"le" in this case is not the feminine form "her" but the polite form for "you"

151 months ago

Mary Jane wrote:

Right Mr. Scarpa! My mistake here. I must have thought they were speaking of a third person. Thank You for pointing that out.

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