Dar com os burros n'água
Meaning: To fail despite all your effort.
Language: Portuguese
Literally: To end up with the donkeys in the water
Category: Animals
Origin: From muleteers whose donkeys, fording a river, were swept away — their whole venture literally going under.
More idioms — Animals
- Считать ворон (Schitat' voron) — To idle and let chances slip by.
- 月とすっぽん (Tsuki to suppon) — Two things alike at a glance but worlds apart.
- 一箭双雕 (Yī jiàn shuāng diāo) — To achieve two things with a single act.
- Att ha en räv bakom örat — To be cunning and sly.
- Mieć węża w kieszeni — To be very stingy.
- تمخض الجبل فولد فأرا (tamakhaḍa al-jabalu fa-walada fa'ran) — A huge fuss producing a tiny result.
More Portuguese idioms
- Tirar o pai da forca — Said of something done in frantic urgency.
- Chorar de barriga cheia — To complain when you have nothing to complain about.
- volta e meia — Occasionally or now and then.
- fora do armário — To reveal a secret identity or hidden truth, especially regarding sexual orientation or p…
- nada a ver — Nonsense or absurdity; something that makes no sense.
- virar bicho — To become extremely angry or enraged.
From our tongue twisters
- A aranha arranha a rã. A rã arranha a aranha. — Contrasts the soft single r of aranha against the hard rolled rr of arranha — one letter…
- O rato roeu a roupa do rei de Roma; a rainha com raiva roeu o resto. — An unstoppable 'r' trill drill — every key word begins or ends with the Portuguese r.
- Um tigre, dois tigres, três tigres tristes triscam trigo num trigal. — A 'tr' cluster drill that adds a sad adjective to make the alliteration worse.