quadratura del cerchio

Italian

Etymology

Literally, “squaring of the circle”.

Noun

quadratura del cerchio m (plural quadrature del cerchio)

1. (idiomatic) squaring the circle
   • 2020, Barack Obama, chapter 24, in Chicca Galli, Paolo Lucca, Giuseppe Maugeri, transl., Una terra promessa, Garzanti Libri:

     Prima di concludere la telefonata, Claire e io facemmo un patto per cercare di trovare la quadratura del cerchio.

     Before hanging up, Claire and I made a deal to help square the circle.

     (literally, “Before concluding the phone call, Claire and I made a deal to try to find the squaring of the circle.”)

Usage notes

• Sometimes preceded by trovare (“to find”) or tentare (“to try”).