Brazilian Portuguese Idioms

Acertar na mosca

To guess correctly / To hit the nail on the head

Amigo da onça

A fake/false friend

Andar na linha

To toe the line / To behave properly

Armar um barraco

To cause a public scene

Rodar a baiana

To cause a public scene / To go ballistic

Arrumar sarna pra se coçar

To ask for trouble

Arrastar as asas

To hit on someone / To flirt

Abrir o jogo

To come clean / To open up

Arregaçar as mangas

To roll up one's sleeves / To get to work

Agarrar com unhas e dentes

To hold on for dear life / To seize an opportunity

Bater as botas

To kick the bucket / To die

Bater na mesma tecla

To beat a dead horse / To harp on

Boca de siri

To keep a secret / Mum's the word

Briga de cachorro grande

A battle of giants / Big league fight

Buscar pelo em ovo

To nitpick / To split hairs

Bater papo

To chat / To shoot the breeze

Cair a ficha

The penny drops / It finally sinks in

Cara de pau

Shameless / To have some nerve

Chutar o balde

To give up / To throw in the towel

Colocar a mão no fogo

To vouch for someone / To trust completely

Comprar gato por lebre

To buy a pig in a poke / To be ripped off

Custar os olhos da cara

To cost an arm and a leg

Dar a volta por cima

To bounce back / To overcome

Dar uma mão

To give a hand / To help out

Dar um fora

To dump someone / To reject someone

Deixar na mão

To leave in the lurch / To let someone down

Dar um gelo

To give the cold shoulder

Descascar o abacaxi

To handle a hot potato / To deal with a tough problem

Encher linguiça

To beat around the bush / To pad out

Engolir sapo

To eat crow / To swallow one's pride

Estar com a faca e o queijo na mão

To have the upper hand / To hold all the aces

Fazer vaquinha

To chip in / To pass the hat

Feito cego em tiroteio

To be completely lost / Clueless

Fazer vista grossa

To turn a blind eye

Ir pentear macaco

To tell someone to get lost / Go fly a kite

Jogar conversa fora

To shoot the breeze / To make small talk

Jogar um balde de água fria

To throw cold water on / To put a damper on

Cada macaco no seu galho

Each to his own / Mind your own business

Cutucar onça com vara curta

To poke the bear / To provoke someone

Colocar melancia na cabeça

To show off / To seek attention

Dar bola

To flirt / To show romantic interest

Dar com a cara na porta

To get rejected / To be shut out

Dar mancada

To mess up / To slip up

Estar com a corda toda

To be full of energy / To be pumped up

Entrar pelo cano

To get into trouble / To get screwed

Estar com dor de cotovelo

To be heartbroken / To be jealous

Falar pelos cotovelos

To talk nonstop / To talk someone's ear off

Fazer das tripas coração

To go above and beyond / To go the extra mile

Ficar a ver navios

To be left high and dry / To be left hanging

Golpe de mestre

A masterstroke

Golpe da barriga

To trap someone with a pregnancy for money

Golpe do baú

Gold-digger marriage / To marry for money

Guardar a sete chaves

To keep under lock and key

Hora H

The critical moment / The moment of truth

Homem de palavra

A man of his word

Juntar as escovas de dentes

To move in together / To shack up

Lavar roupa suja

To air dirty laundry

Jurar de pés juntos

To swear up and down

Jogar a toalha

To throw in the towel / To give up

Segurar vela

To be a third wheel

Mala sem alça

A pain in the neck / An annoying person

Onde Judas perdeu as botas

In the middle of nowhere

Pendurar as chuteiras

To hang up one's boots / To retire

Procurar chifre em cabeça de cavalo

To split hairs / To look for trouble where there is none

Puxar saco

To be a brown-noser / To suck up

Tirar onda

To show off / To make fun of

Trocar seis por meia dúzia

Six of one, half a dozen of the other

Tempestade em copo d'água

A storm in a teacup / Making a mountain out of a molehill

Lavar as mãos

To wash one's hands of it

Lágrimas de crocodilo

Crocodile tears

Levantar com o pé esquerdo

To get up on the wrong side of the bed

Mandar ver

Go for it! / Give it your all!

Meter o dedo na ferida

To touch a sore spot / To rub salt in the wound

Mudar da água para o vinho

To make a complete change / A total 180

Nem que a vaca tussa

No way / Not in a million years

Pagar mico

To make a fool of oneself / To embarrass oneself

Pagar o pato

To take the blame / To be the scapegoat

Passar a perna

To pull a fast one / To con someone

Pisar na bola

To drop the ball / To let someone down

Santo do pau oco

A wolf in sheep's clothing / A plaster saint

Quebrar o galho

To make do / To get by / A quick fix

Bode expiatório

Scapegoat

Soltar fogo pelas ventas

To be furious / To be fuming

Achar-se

To be full of oneself / To think too highly of oneself

Tirar de letra

To ace something / To do with ease

Tirar o cavalo da chuva

To give up on something / Forget about it

Tomar banho de gato

To take a quick/incomplete shower

Tomar chá de cadeira

To be kept waiting / To cool one's heels

Trocar o disco

To change the subject

Uma mão lava a outra

You scratch my back and I'll scratch yours

Última cartada

Last resort / Final card

Virar a casaca

To switch sides / To turn one's coat

A cobra vai fumar

All hell is going to break loose

Andar nas nuvens

To have one's head in the clouds

Advogado do Diabo

Devil's advocate

Ao pé da letra

To the letter / Literally

Armado até os dentes

Armed to the teeth / Fully prepared

Abotoar o paletó

To kick the bucket / To die

A fila anda

Life goes on / There are plenty of fish in the sea

Barata tonta

Disoriented / Running around like a headless chicken

Barra pesada

Tough / Dangerous / Heavy stuff

Bola pra frente

Move on / Keep going forward

Presente de grego

A Trojan horse / A gift that brings trouble

Dar em cima

To hit on someone / To make a move

Dar o braço a torcer

To give in / To admit defeat

Ficar de bico calado

To keep quiet / To zip it

Meter os pés pelas mãos

To mess things up / To put one's foot in it

Não ter papas na língua

To not mince words / To be blunt

Queimar a largada

To jump the gun

Dar com os burros n'água

To fail miserably / To come up empty

Estar por fora

To be out of the loop / To be clueless

Morder a língua

To bite one's tongue

Dar uma colher de chá

To cut someone some slack / To give a break

Ter sangue de barata

To have the patience of a saint / To have thick skin

Pôr a mão na massa

To get down to business / To roll up one's sleeves

Dar as caras

To show up / To show one's face

Cair como uma luva

To fit like a glove

Falar abobrinha

To talk nonsense / To talk rubbish

Dar no pé

To make a run for it / To bolt

Estar com a pulga atrás da orelha

To smell a rat / To be suspicious

Dar o troco

To get back at someone / To get even

Ter dois dedos de prosa

To have a quick chat

Tapar o sol com a peneira

To try to hide the obvious / To bury one's head in the sand

Pegar no pé

To nag / To be on someone's case

Dar uma banana

To flip someone off / To give the finger

Engolir em seco

To gulp / To swallow hard

Ficar com o pé atrás

To be wary / To have reservations

Ir com a cara de alguém

To take a liking to someone / To like someone right away

Fazer corpo mole

To slack off / To drag one's feet

Dar o cano

To stand someone up / To bail

Bater boca

To argue / To have a shouting match

Cair na real

To face reality / To get real

Dar conta do recado

To get the job done / To handle it

Comer o pão que o diabo amassou

To go through hell / To have a rough time

Dormir no ponto

To miss the boat / To drop the ball

Estar pisando em ovos

To walk on eggshells

Fazer ouvidos de mercador

To turn a deaf ear

Ter o rei na barriga

To be full of oneself / To act high and mighty

Botar a boca no trombone

To blow the whistle / To speak out

Dar uma de João sem braço

To play dumb / To act clueless

Cair a ficha de alguém

For the penny to drop

Chorar as pitangas

To cry one's eyes out / To whine

Dar uma forcinha

To lend a hand / To give a little push

Meter a colher

To stick one's nose in / To butt in

Dar com a língua nos dentes

To spill the beans / To let the cat out of the bag

Enfiar o pé na jaca

To go overboard / To go off the deep end

Ficar de braços cruzados

To sit on one's hands / To stand idly by

Ter jogo de cintura

To think on one's feet / To be flexible

Pintar e bordar

To raise hell / To be up to all sorts of mischief

Valer a pena

To be worth it / To be worthwhile

De bubuia

Lazing around / kicking back / floating along

Levou o farelo

Kicked the bucket / bit the dust

Pagar sapo

To eat crow / to be put on the spot

Pé-de-boi

A real workhorse / a hard grafter

Cair os butiá do bolso

To be scared stiff / to be spooked silly

Trocar ideia

To shoot the breeze / to have a chat

Bater um rango

To grab a bite / to chow down

Só o pó

To be running on fumes / to be wiped out

Comer na gaveta

To be a real cheapskate / to hoard

Chapar o coco

To get hammered / to drink yourself silly

Dar uma banda

To take a stroll / to go for a wander

Alçar a perna

To mount up / to hit the road

Baixa da égua

The middle of nowhere / the back of beyond

Balaio de gato

A complete mess / a can of worms

Bater a caçuleta

To kick the bucket / to bite the dust

Cão chupando manga

Ugly as sin / face only a mother could love

Dar pitaco

To stick one's oar in / to give one's two cents uninvited

Égua de largura

A stroke of luck / lucky as anything

Paga uma aí

Buy us a round / put one on the tab

Vigia bem

Listen closely / pay close attention

Campo santo

Resting place / God's acre

Aooonde!

No way! / Get out of here!

Botar as barbas de molho

To watch one's step / to be on guard

Rebole no mato

Sort it out yourself / figure it out on your own

Umborimbora?

Shall we go? / Let's get out of here

É fria

It's a bummer / it's a trap

Paga pau

Brown-noser / suck-up

Não dar conta

Can't handle it / can't manage

Tá forrado

To be loaded / rolling in cash

Boca de me dê

Mooch / freeloader

Bão demais da conta

Really good, excellent

Dar uma rata

To make a fool of oneself / to commit a gaffe

Quando é fé

All of a sudden / next thing you know

Tem base?

Can you believe it? / Is that even possible?

Goiano do pé rachado

True-blue Goiano / Goiano through and through

Larga mão

Drop it / let it go

Lá ele

Right back at you / not me, you (response to a double entendre)

Comer água

To drink heavily / to get hammered

Babar ovo

To brown-nose / to suck up

Dar bolo

To stand someone up / not show up

Dar cano

To bail / flake / stand someone up

Mão de vaca

Stingy / cheapskate / tightwad

Pão duro

Stingy / penny-pincher

Cabra-da-peste

Tough guy / badass / real one

Chave de cadeia

Ugly person

Picar a mula

To leave quickly / run away

Rachar o bico

To crack up laughing