Also means
nagging worry
Usage Note
Tarlo is literally the woodworm beetle larva that bores into timber, but it is very commonly used figuratively for a persistent, gnawing anxiety — il tarlo del dubbio (the nagging worm of doubt) is an established idiom. The image is of something eating away slowly from within.
Examples
"Il tarlo del dubbio lo tormentava."
Natural Translation
The nagging worm of doubt tormented him.
Literal Translation
The woodworm of-the doubt him tormented.
Related Words
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