Descascar o abacaxi
Meaning: To solve a very difficult, thorny problem.
Language: Portuguese
Literally: To peel the pineapple
Category: Food & Drink
Origin: "Abacaxi" itself comes from Tupi, combining ibá (fruit) and ká'ti (strongly, pleasantly fragrant) — a word describing the fruit's own intense sweetness rather than anything related to difficulty. The idiom's logic is entirely physical: a pineapple's tough, spiky exterior makes it genuinely awkward and even mildly painful to peel by hand compared to almost any other common fruit, without special tools or practiced technique. No specific date or documented first use survives for the figurative phrase, but it plausibly grew out of ordinary, everyday kitchen experience — anyone who has actually had to peel a pineapple understands immediately why the same word extended naturally to any thorny, effortful problem, especially one someone else has left behind for you to deal with.
More idioms — Food & Drink
- Helaas, pindakaas — Too bad, nothing can be done about it.
- Σιγά τα λάχανα — Big deal! (extreme sarcasm)
- Ayıkla pirincin taşını — Deal with it yourself; it's your mess.
- Armut piş, ağzıma düş — Wanting everything handed to you without effort.
- Avoir le beurre et l'argent du beurre — To want to have it both ways.
- Faire la fine bouche — To be overly picky or hard to please.
More Portuguese idioms
- Empurrar com a barriga — To procrastinate; to keep delaying something.
- Matar a cobra e mostrar o pau — To prove you actually did what you claim.
- dar um jeito — Find a creative solution or workaround, often bending rules pragmatically.
- estar com a corda no pescoço — Be in serious financial or personal trouble with no easy escape.
- meter os pés pelas mãos — Make a clumsy mistake or bungle something badly through carelessness.
- estar com água na boca — Feel eager anticipation or desire, especially for food or something pleasant.
From our proverbs
- The truth shall set you free — Honesty and truth lead to liberation.
- Nothing ventured, nothing gained — You must take risks to achieve rewards.
- United we stand, divided we fall — Strength comes from unity.