Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #89

Dar pau - To stop working/ to go wrong

Literally, “it ended in a stick”.

Even more literally, “it gave [a] stick”

e.g. O computador deu pau outra vez! - The computer’s frozen/stopped working again!

Brazilian Colloquialisms, Sayings, and Slang #88

Deus ajuda quem cedo madruga - God helps those who rise with the early dawn

The Brazilian equivalent of “the early bird catches the worm”.

Taken just outside Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais in 2006.From...

Taken just outside Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais in 2006.

From what I understand, in English their name is “black tufted marmoset” or “black-tufted tamarin”.

In Brazil tiny little monkeys like these are all referred to as a mico (which made the name of Pocahontas’ raccoon - Meeko - really confusing for me as a kid). 

This specific kind is known as a mico estrela (star mico, due to the little star on its forehead). 

Game Changers: Brazilian Game Names #6

Par ou Impar - Even or Odd

Kind of like the mutant baby between tossing a coin and Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Particularly popular when a group needs a Rock-Paper-Scissors decision but there’s too many people for it to work.

One person calls Odd, one person calls Even, then everyone tosses in their hands. If the number’s odd, whoever had called Odd wins and vice versa.

It’s usually pronounced as if the name of the game was “Paroimpar”.

Fun fact: Par literally translates as “pair”.

Brazilian Foods #2