Bom dia, meus caros! Good morning, my dears!

As we have come to learn this month, Brazilian Portuguese has countless expressions, proverbs and saying related to food. So many that we now heading into our third post and still haven’t been able to cover them all! Maybe our passion for eating is so great that it directly reflects on our language. Portuguese is just so rich (and yummy)! So get your stomachs ready and let’s learn some more!

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farinha do mesmo saco

Literal translation: flour from the same bag

Meaning: birds of a feather, to be tarred with the same brush, cut from the same cloth, people who have a lot in common

• Não confio nesses políticos, são todos farinha do mesmo saco | I do not trust these politicians, they are all tarred with the same brush
• Sempre somos enganados por taxistas quando viajamos, acho que eles são todos farinha do mesmo saco | We are always deceived by taxi drivers when we travel, I think they are all tarred with the same brush

com a faca e o queijo nas mãos

Literal translation: with the knife and cheese in your hands

Meaning: to have control of a situation, to have the upper hand, to hold the aces, to be in the catbird seat

• A atriz era tão querida pelo público que sabia que estava com a faca e queijo nas mãos na hora de renovar o contrato com a emissora | The actress was so beloved by the public that she knew she had the upper hand when it came to renewing the contract with the broadcaster
• A empresa de software está com a faca e o queijo nas mãos porque o comprador precisa da tecnologia que eles fornecem | The software company was in the catbird seat because the buyer needs the technology they provide

o apressado come cru

Literal translation: the impatient eats raw

Meaning: fools rush in, people who can’t wait often get disappointing results

• Ele avançou vários sinais de trânsito e acabou batendo o carro, é como dizem, o apressado come cru | He drove through several lights and ended up crashing his car, it’s like they say, fools rush in
• Você sabe que o apressado come cru, então não adianta tentar aprender francês um mês antes de viajar | You know fools rush in, so there is no use trying to learn French a month before traveling

cuspir no prato que comeu

Literal translation: to spit on the plate that you ate

Meaning: to bite the hand that feeds you, to disdain those who have helped you in the past

• Não fique falando mal do seu antigo emprego, isso é cuspir no prato que comeu | Don’t speak ill of your old job, this is biting the hand that fed you
• Eu sei que é errado cuspir no prato em que comi, mas às vezes meus pais podem ser controladores demais | I know it’s wrong to bite the hand that feeds, but sometimes my parents can be too controlling

ter o olho maior que a barriga

Literal translation: having an eye bigger than your stomach

Meaning: to bite off more than one can chew, to want more than you can handle, to eat larger amounts of food than you are able to

• Viu no que dá ter o olho maior que a barriga? Comeu demais no rodízio e agora está passando mal | You see what it’s like to bite off more than you can chew? You ate too much at the all-you-can-eat buffet and now you are feeling sick
• Não consigo terminar esse pedaço de torta. Acho que eu tenho o olho maior que a barriga | I can’t finish this slice of pie. I think I bit off more than I could chew.

Espero que estejam gostando! Hope you are enjoying these!