I can't find much information about this expression. Obviously the meaning is clear (being lazy), but I was wondering about its origin. I just found some unconvincing sources on yahoo answers, but nothing more. Anyone knows something about it?
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This is a difficult one!– RobertoCommented Dec 17, 2013 at 20:31
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1 Answer
Here is a relevant, reliable source: http://www.accademiadellacrusca.it/it/lingua-italiana/consulenza-linguistica/domande-risposte/perch-fiacca-si-batte .
It's military jargon, like "battere la carica", "battere la ritirata", etc., and it originated in Piedmont at the end of the nineteenth century.
"Fiacca" means "stanchezza", "spossatezza", "lack of energy". It comes from "fiacco", and this from Latin "flaccus-a-um", meaning "stanco" (here and here).
So, "battere la fiacca" means "being strenuously committed to … let laziness/idleness/indolence/tiredness prevail" (the contrary of a military attack).
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Thanks, very interesting. I still don't get the ethymology of the word "fiacca", which, as far as I can understand, seems to be a sort of military drum? Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 9:17
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@LorenzoMarcon fiacca comes from the Latin flaccus, see here etimo.it/?term=fiacco Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 11:33
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thanks, it all seemed weird because I didn't get at first the figurative meaning, and I tought that "fiacca" was something physical used in the past. With the updates to the answer, everything is clearer :) Commented Dec 18, 2013 at 12:12