to go through hell, to have a rough time
Antes de ficar rico, ele comeu o pão que o diabo amassou.
Before becoming rich, he went through hell.
The force of comer o pão que o diabo amassou lies in its imagery. In the Christian tradition bread is a symbol of life and blessing; bread kneaded by the devil is therefore its cursed opposite — a loaf made of malice and hardship. To eat it is to be fed nothing but suffering.
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