Paganini non ripete

Italian

Alternative forms

Etymology

Literally, “Paganini does not repeat”. The phrase originates from an episode dating back to 1825: in Teatro Falcone, Genoa, the artist was asked by King Charles Felix for an encore of a piece he had liked; but since Paganini had improvised, he was unable to repeat the performance and is said to have given this as his answer. As a result, he was expelled from the Kingdom of Sardinia for two years.

Phrase

Paganini non ripete

  1. (usually humorous, sometimes menacing) said when someone is unwilling to repeat what they have already said
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Further reading
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