…to preach and to…. tumble down…

I recently heard someone talking on TV and saying “predicare bene e ruzzolare male”. This spoonerism made me laugh a lot. The fact is that, to say “not to practise what one preaches”, the verbs we use are “predicare” (to preach) and “razzolare” (to scratch: it is literally what chickens do, scratching in the hen house, looking for food). The correct saying is “predicare bene e razzolare male”. The verb “ruzzolare”, instead, means “to tumble down”. The noun “ruzzolone” is a heavy fall.

What a difference a vowel makes! 🙂