E aí, pessoal? Tudo bem?

Let’s learn a very cool idiom in Portuguese today: cair a ficha. Cair a ficha is used when you finally understand something that you hadn’t been aware of, it finally hits you. It can also be used when someone takes a hit.

This expression in Portuguese from the time when pay phones had tokens so when the token, a ficha, dropped, caía, you got through. Here are some examples:

Só caiu minha ficha que eles eram casados quando eu os vi se abraçando carinhosamente.
I only realized they were married when I saw them hugging each other passionately.

Não caiu tua ficha ainda?
Haven’t you realized that yet?

Caiu a ficha?
Got it?

O professor explicou a matéria várias vezes em inglês, mas só caiu a minha ficha quando ele explicou em português.
The teacher explained the subject several times in English, but I just got it when he explained it in Portuguese.

Ele sempre me convida para sair e já dei várias desculpas. Será que a ficha dele não vai cair que eu não quero sair com ele?
He’s been asking me out and I’ve given several excuses. I wonder if he hasn’t taken a hint that I don’t want to go out with him.

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