to cut someone some slack, to give a break
Professor, me dá uma colher de chá, eu estudei muito mas fiquei nervoso na prova!
Professor, cut me some slack, I studied a lot but got nervous during the test!
A popular explanation links the expression to old sickroom care: tea was thought to be a gentle, restorative drink, so it was fed to the ill and the recovering one small spoonful at a time. To "give someone a teaspoon of tea" (dar uma colher de chá) therefore meant to ease the way for someone who was struggling.
Sources: Espírito do Chá, Mexido de Ideias.
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