Portugal has excellent bread and award-winning cheese. So, naturally, the language found plenty of ways to turn them into idioms over the years.
Pão pão, queijo queijo
Bread (is) bread, cheese (is) cheese. This describes someone who says what they mean. They speak plainly and directly without beating around the bush or tiptoeing around the subject.
- Ela é pão pão, queijo queijo. Diz sempre o que pensaShe’s very straightforward. She always speaks her mind
- Eu sou um homem de poucas palavras. Comigo é pão pão queijo queijoI’m a man of few words. With me, it’s straight to the point
Ter a faca e o queijo na mão
If you “have the knife and the cheese in your hand”, you’re in control. You have everything you need and nothing is stopping you. This expression is used when someone holds all the cards / has the upper hand in a situation.
- És tu quem tem a faca e o queijo na mãoYou're holding all the cards
- Ela tinha a faca e o queijo na mão, mas deixou passar a oportunidadeShe had the perfect chance, but let the opportunity slip away
Comer o pão que o diabo amassou
Here, we take a darker turn. “To eat the bread the devil kneaded” means to go through a sustained hardship or suffering, the kind that goes on long enough to wear you down. Not a bad day, but a bad stretch of life.
- Eu comi o pão que o diabo amassou durante anosI went through hell for years
- Ela vai comer o pão que o diabo amassouShe’s in for a rough time
Two ingredients, three idioms, and proof that the Portuguese always put food to good use.
Comments
Entre nós, dizemos:
“Diga ‘padre’ ao padre e ‘fava’ à fava”.