Obtorto collo
LATIN EXPRESSION
Meaning and English translation 🔖
Unwillingly
🇬🇧 Unwillingly, reluctantly, against one's will.
🇮🇹 Controvoglia, di malavoglia, con riluttanza, per forza.
Example sentences 💬
Ha accettato l'incarico obtorto collo, sapendo che non aveva altra scelta.
She reluctantly accepted the assignment, knowing she had no other choice.
Obtorto collo, ha dovuto ammettere di aver commesso un errore.
Against his will, he had to admit he had made a mistake.
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Where does the expression come from? 🔎
Obtorto collo is a Latin adverbial phrase that literally means "with a twisted neck".
This expression is found in several classical Latin authors. We see it, for example, in the works of Plautus. Cicero uses a similar variant, "obtorta gula" (with a twisted throat).
The phrase then passed into Italian usage, maintaining its original meaning of "unwillingly", "against one's will", or "under coercion".
