quadratura del cerchio

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “squaring of the circle”.

Noun

quadratura del cerchio m (plural quadrature del cerchio)

  1. (idiomatic) squaring the circle
    • 2020, Barack Obama, chapter 24, in Chicca Galli, Paolo Lucca, Giuseppe Maugeri, transl., Una terra promessa [A Promised Land], Garzanti Libri:
      Prima di concludere la telefonata, Claire e io facemmo un patto per cercare di trovare la quadratura del cerchio.
      Before hanging up, Claire and I made a deal to help square the circle.
      (literally, “Before concluding the phone call, Claire and I made a deal to try to find the squaring of the circle.”)

Usage notes
  • Sometimes preceded by trovare (“to find”) or tentare (“to try”).
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