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Jurar de pés juntos

Portuguese

Meaning

To swear up and down

Example

Ele tinha jurado de pés juntos que não tinha roubado nada.

He swore up and down that he didn't steal anything.

Origin

The expression is traced to the Inquisition. On the Iberian Peninsula, the accused were interrogated under torture with their feet bound together (or hung upside down), and made to swear to the truth of their words in that position.

Source: Gramática.