A me piace fare la candela.

English Translation

I like playing the gooseberry.

While trying to ignore the a me piace part of this sentence for obvious (for me) reasons, I found that the Italian idiom should be : reggere la candela.

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English Translation

I like playing the gooseberry.

For the record, I had to look up this expression in both English and Italian and confess that I knew neither. Apparently, both mean being being in the presence of two people who are too free with public displays of affection. Does this happen a lot? In any case, it’s hard to imagine someone liking to be in that situation.

I wouldn’t say that either expression has to involve a couple being too free with public displays of affection (mmm, that makes think of “Brandt can’t watch though, or he has to pay a hundred”).

It’s more that there is a couple who would probably prefer to be left alone (be that for romance, affection, or just wanting to get to know each other out on a first date etc.), and there’s an extra person who is getting in the way of that happening.

I believe that in America the equivalent saying would be “being the third wheel”.

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