tarlo

woodworm

noun TAR-loh Rare

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.

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