IdiomNaturePortuguese

arrastar pela lama

Meaning: to publicly humiliate or damage someone's reputation.

Literally: To drag through the mud

Example: “Os jornais arrastaram o treinador pela lama depois da derrota.” — The papers dragged the coach's name through the mud after the defeat.

English equivalent: To drag someone's name through the mud

Equivalents in other languages

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Origin: Dragging someone through the mud soils them in front of everyone, and mud has long stood for disgrace. The phrase means ruining someone's reputation publicly, like English "drag someone's name through the mud." No particular story lies behind it.

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