to chip in, to pass the hat
Que tal fazermos uma vaquinha para comprar alimentos e ajudar aquela família?
How about we chip in to buy food and help that family?
A popular explanation reported by O Povo links the expression to early-20th-century Brazilian football, when many players earned no fixed wage and fans collected money to reward good results. In this story, sums were named after animals of the jogo do bicho lottery: ten thousand réis was a "rabbit", and twenty-five thousand réis a "cow" (vaca, group 25), the largest sum in the account — collecting it took many people chipping in.
Source: O Povo.
Create your account to continue with this topic in Falando.
Free account. A1 lessons included. A2–C2 content requires a subscription.
