Italian Phrase
Questo cassetto è un casino.
Meaning
Literally ‘This drawer is a mess.’ The phrase uses the informal noun ‘casino’ to describe a place that is disorganized, cluttered, or chaotic. It conveys a light‑hearted complaint rather than a serious criticism.
When to use
Use this sentence in casual conversation when you open a drawer and find it full of random items, papers, or anything that looks chaotic. It’s perfect for friends, family, or coworkers, but avoid it in formal writing or when speaking to someone you need to show respect to.
✦Grammar Breakdown
Questocassettoèuncasino
Questo (demonstrative adjective)
Used before a masculine singular noun to point out something close to the speaker; it agrees in gender and number with the noun.
cassetto (noun, masc. sing.)
Means ‘drawer’; masculine, singular, ends in -o, so it takes the article ‘il’ (omitted after a demonstrative).
è (verb essere, 3rd sing. pres.)
The present indicative of ‘to be’; links the subject with its description.
un (indefinite article)
Indefinite article for masculine singular nouns; here it introduces the colloquial noun ‘casino’.
casino (colloquial noun)
In everyday speech it means ‘mess’, ‘chaos’, or ‘disorder’. Historically it also meant ‘brothel’, so context matters.
🗨In Conversation
Questo cassetto è un casino!
This drawer is a mess!
Sì, è ora di fare ordine.
Yeah, it’s time to tidy it up.
✕Common Mistakes
Questo cassetto è un casino (meaning a gambling place).
Learners often translate it literally as ‘a casino (gambling hall)’, forgetting the colloquial meaning ‘mess’.
Questo cassetta è un casino.
‘Cassetta’ means ‘box’ or ‘mailbox’; the correct word for a drawer is ‘cassetto’.
Questo cassetto è casino.
The verb ‘essere’ needs the indefinite article before ‘casino’ in this idiom.
↔Alternatives
Questo cassetto è un disastro.
This drawer is a disaster.
Questo cassetto è un caos.
This drawer is chaos.
Questo cassetto è pieno di confusione.
This drawer is full of confusion.
Cultural Tip
In modern Italian ‘casino’ is almost always used colloquially to mean ‘mess’ or ‘chaos’, especially among younger speakers. Its older meaning ‘brothel’ still appears in historical texts or regional slang, so be aware of the context. The phrase is informal; if you need a more neutral tone, choose ‘disordine’ or ‘caos’.