Brasileiro Falado: more interesting words and phrases in Brazilian Portuguese

This is my second installment of interesting words and phrases in spoken Brazilian Portuguese (brasileiro falado). The Brazilian sense of humor comes through in all of them, as well as a lot of common-sense wisdom. It’s also fun to learn sayings that have meanings similar to various adages in English.

1.       Mão de vaca: literally translates as “hand of a cow.” This is what we would call tight-fisted, a penny pincher. Or here’s another expression meaning tight-fisted:

2.       Pão duro: precise meaning is hard bread, but it indicates someone who doesn’t part easily with their money. This is a dangerous one due to pronunciation. The “ão” sound is quite nasal, but for English speakers new to Portuguese it can sound like “ow,” which leads to a possible misstatement if one says:

3.       Pau duro: hard wood. This is slang for the erect male member. Saying this when one means to say tight-fisted leads to widespread hilarity among Brazilians, and another aspect of the culture is that they are usually too polite and won’t correct you, not wanting to hurt your feelings.

4.       Encher saco: to fill a bag—to be annoying. In the American South they would say “you are getting on my last nerve.” It’s said as an admonition: “Não enche saco.” Don’t be so annoying!

5.       Rei na barriga: a personal favorite. Literal meaning is “a king in the stomach.” Refers to petty functionaries or lower-level staff people in government or business who lord it over you and make your life difficult, often by rigidly enforcing rules or inventing new ones to torment you, seemingly for their own enjoyment. Found the world over, this expression perfectly fits so many situations!

6.       Quebra-mola: break the springs. A very descriptive name for speed bumps. Driving over them too fast will damage your shocks--break your springs.

7.       Suando igual tirador de espírito: sweating like an exorcist, someone who removes bad spirits. In the US we say, “sweating like a racehorse,” among other expressions. Another phrase for perspiring heavily:

8.       Suando igual cuscus na cuscuzeira: sweating like couscous in a couscous maker. Couscous is put in a steamer to cook.

9.       Lambe-lambe: An itinerant photographer who works on the streets. To lamber means to lick, and this term refers to slicking unruly hair down before taking a picture. Greasy or pomaded hair is often indicated by the phrase, “A vaca lambeu.” The cow licked it.

10.   Focinho não é tomada: a pig’s snout is not an electrical outlet. Don’t compare two things that have nothing to do with one another.

11.   Melhor sozinha que mal acompanhada: better alone than in the wrong company. So true!