IdiomDaily Life
Portuguese
Portuguesecomprar briga
Meaning: to intentionally provoke a quarrel or confrontation with someone.
Literally: To buy a fight
Example: “Não quero comprar briga com o vizinho por causa de uma árvore.” — I don't want to pick a fight with the neighbor over a tree.
English equivalent: To pick a fight
Equivalents in other languages
French: Chercher des noises Literally: To look for noises
English: pick a fight
Origin: "To buy a fight": taking a quarrel on as if one had paid for it, often someone else's. In Brazil it is said of anyone who picks a fight, or who takes up a cause and is ready to defend it. The phrase is colloquial and no first use is documented.
More Portuguese idioms
- há algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca something is deeply wrong or suspicious, though the truth may be hidden.
- do dia para a noite Very suddenly or extremely quickly.
- vaca sagrada Something so valued or protected that it cannot be criticized, changed, or harmed.
- morrer de rir To laugh very hard or uproariously.
- forçar a barra to push beyond reasonable limits; to insist or persist too aggressively.
- a cereja do bolo the crowning touch; something wonderful that completes something already good.
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