Turista sfregia il Colosseo: “non sapevo che fosse così antico”

L’espressione “arrampicarsi sugli specchi” = to grasp at straws

“Sarà vero, o come si dice in Italia, si sta arrampicando sugli specchi?”
(Is it true, or as they say in Italy, is he grasping at straws?)

The Italian expression “arrampicarsi sugli specchi” translates literally to “climbing on mirrors” in English.
However, its figurative meaning is “to grasp at straws” or “to clutch at straws” in order to find support for an argument or to justify a position.

The expression conveys the idea of making desperate and futile attempts to find weak or irrelevant justifications or explanations for something, usually in a situation where one is in a difficult or untenable position. 

Here are more examples:

• Si sta arrampicando sugli specchi per evitare di ammettere la verità. (He’s grasping at straws to avoid admitting the truth.

• Sta cercando disperatamente di trovare una scusa, ma si sta solo arrampicando sugli specchi. (He’s desperately trying to find an excuse, but he’s just grasping at straws.)

• Di fronte alle domande incalzanti dei giornalisti, l’imputato si è arrampicato sugli specchi per evitare di ammettere la verità.(Faced with the relentless questions from journalists, the defendant grasped at straws to avoid admitting the truth.)