senza fiato

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “without breath”.

Prepositional phrase

senza fiato

1. out of breath

   Synonym: trafelato

   • 2012, John Green, translated by Giorgia Grilli, Colpa delle Stelle [The Fault in our Stars], Mondadori, page 169:

     Ero senza fiato quando sono crollata su una sedia accanto a Isaac, e ho passato tutto il tempo della confessione di Patrick sulla sua mancanza di palle a dire ai polmoni che andava tutto bene, che potevano respirare, che c'era abbastanza ossigeno.

     I was really out of breath by the time I settled into a chair next to Isaac, and I devoted the entirety of Patrick’s nutless testimonial to telling my lungs they were okay, that they could breathe, that there was enough oxygen.

     (literally, “I was out of breath when I collapsed on a chair next to Isaac, and I passed all the time of Patrick's confession on his lack of balls to tell my lungs that everything was going well, that they could breath, that there was enough oxygen.”)

2. (figurative, by extension) breathless, amazed