In bocca al lupo: what it means and how to reply

Before an exam, a job interview or a big game, Italians won’t say buona fortuna. They’ll say in bocca al lupo. Literally, “into the wolf’s mouth.” It sounds like a threat, but it’s one of the warmest things you can hear.

What it means

In bocca al lupo means good luck, especially before something difficult: an exam, an audition, a first day at work.

Domani hai l’esame? In bocca al lupo! You have the exam tomorrow? Good luck!

How to reply

This is the part learners get wrong. You don’t say grazie. The traditional answer is:

Crepi! or Crepi il lupo!, meaning “May the wolf die!”

— In bocca al lupo per il colloquio! — Crepi!

Saying grazie isn’t rude, but it sounds a little like you don’t know the custom. Some people, especially animal lovers, prefer Evviva il lupo! (“Long live the wolf!”). You’ll hear both.

Where it comes from

Nobody knows for sure. The most common story is that it was a hunters’ saying: wishing someone luck directly was thought to bring bad luck, so you wished them the opposite, like the theatre’s “break a leg.” Another story says a mother wolf carries her cubs safely in her mouth, so being “in the wolf’s mouth” means being protected.

Similar expressions

• Buona fortuna: the plain, neutral “good luck.” Fine in writing and with people you don’t know well.
• Incrociamo le dita: “let’s cross our fingers.”
• Forza!: “come on!” or “you can do it!”, to cheer someone on.

Try it

Next time an Italian friend has an exam, a match or an interview, send them In bocca al lupo! And when someone says it to you, you know what to answer.

You’ll find this one, and 360 more Italian expressions with English translations and recordings, in Saylolo’s Italian course.