Alçar a perna

Portuguese

Meaning

To mount up / to hit the road

Example

Vou alçar a perna e ir embora antes que escureça.

I'm gonna hit the road before it gets dark.

Origin

Literally 'to lift the leg.' In gaucho horsemanship alçar a perna is the act of swinging the leg up and over to mount the horse, and from there the meaning extended to 'to set off, to head out.

Create a free account to read the full origin

Practice idioms with the Idiom Trainer

Falando's Idiom Trainer teaches you to recognize idiom meanings and create sentences using them, so you can speak like a Brazilian.

Try the Idiom Trainer Create a free account

More idioms

Baixa da éguaThe middle of nowhere / the back of beyond Balaio de gatoA complete mess / a can of worms Bater a caçuletaTo kick the bucket / to bite the dust Cão chupando mangaUgly as sin / face only a mother could love Dar pitacoTo stick one's oar in / to give one's two cents uninvited Égua de larguraA stroke of luck / lucky as anything