brincar com fogo

Meaning: to engage in a risky or dangerous behavior; to put oneself in harm's way.

Language: Portuguese

Literally: to play with fire

Category: The Absurd

Origin: Origin uncertain; the phrase pictures the literal danger of handling fire carelessly, extending to any reckless action.

More idioms — The Absurd

er met een jantje-van-leiden van afmaken — to perform a task carelessly, half-heartedly, or in a slipshod manner.
bij de duivel te biecht gaan — to seek counsel or confide in someone who is untrustworthy, dangerous, or morally corrupt.
van lotje getikt — To be crazy or eccentric; to be not quite sane.
in de wind slaan — To deliberately ignore or disregard something.
uit zijn plaat gaan — To lose control of oneself or go crazy.
en koloss på lerfötter — Something that appears powerful and impressive but rests on a fundamentally weak foundati…

de tempos em tempos — from time to time; occasionally or intermittently.
nu e cru — To speak with brutal, unvarnished honesty, holding nothing back.
à toa — To drift aimlessly or act without purpose or direction.
nem carne nem peixe — Something or someone that does not fit into any clear category and remains ambiguous or u…
homem dos sete ofícios — A person who can do many different jobs or possesses many different skills, though often…
olho da tempestade — A moment of unexpected calm or peace in the middle of chaos or crisis.

It is more painful to do nothing than something. — Inaction breeds regret and anxiety; taking action—even imperfect action—relieves the torm…
The nurse's tongue is privileged to talk. — Medical expertise grants authority to speak truth about patients' conditions without soci…
You may as well bid me lade the sea with a nutshell. — Attempting impossible tasks with inadequate tools wastes effort and invites ridicule.