to raise hell, to be up to all sorts of mischief
Quando era criança, eu pintava e bordava, minha mãe não tinha sossego!
When I was a kid, I was up to all sorts of mischief, my mom had no peace!
Pintar e bordar literally means "to paint and embroider" — two showy, elaborate crafts. Pairing them paints a picture of someone doing everything imaginable, sparing no effort or flourish, which is why the phrase is used for getting up to all sorts of things or causing every kind of mischief.
Falando's Idiom Trainer teaches you to recognize idiom meanings and create sentences using them, so you can speak like a Brazilian.
