impennare

to rear up

verb eem-pen-NAH-reh Rare

Origin: From penna (feather, quill) — originally of a horse raising its neck and mane.

Also means

to soar, to spike

Usage Note

Impennare (or the reflexive impennarsi) describes a horse rearing up on its hind legs; figuratively it means to skyrocket (prices, temperatures) or for a person to bristle with anger. I prezzi si sono impennati = prices have soared. It takes essere in the reflexive form and avere in the transitive. The figurative usage is very common in journalism.

Examples

"Il cavallo si è impennato improvvisamente."

Natural Translation

The horse reared up suddenly.

Literal Translation

The horse itself has reared-up suddenly.

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