scavalcare
to climb over
verb skah-val-KAH-reh Rare
Origin: From 'scavalcare', from 'cavallo' (horse); original sense of dismounting or stepping over a horse.
Also means
to bypass
Usage Note
Scavalcare literally means to climb over or vault an obstacle (scavalcare un muro = to climb over a wall), but is very common figuratively meaning to bypass or leapfrog someone in a hierarchy — lo ha scavalcato nella promozione = he leapfrogged him for the promotion. It is a regular -are verb taking avere. The figurative sense is frequent in workplace and political discourse.
Examples
"Il ladro ha scavalcato il cancello del giardino."
Natural Translation
The thief climbed over the garden gate.
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