to go above and beyond, to go the extra mile
Ela fez das tripas coração para não deixar faltar alimento para os filhos.
She went the extra mile to make sure her children never went hungry.
Fazer das tripas coração (literally "to make a heart out of the guts") rests on a vivid anatomical image: to summon such effort that the lowly entrails, humble and limited, take on the role of the heart — long held to be the seat of courage and strength. It evokes turning what little one has into the force needed to push on against the odds.
Source: Ciberdúvidas da Língua Portuguesa.
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