Ficar a ver navios

Meaning: To be left disappointed and empty-handed.

Language: Portuguese

Literally: To be left watching ships

Category: Nature

Origin: From Portugal's seafaring past, of those who waited in vain at the harbour for ships that never brought what they hoped.

More idioms — Nature

• Att kasta yxan i sjön — To give up completely.
• At save den gren over man selv sidder på — To undermine your own position.
• At gå over åen efter vand — To do something in a needlessly roundabout way.
• Mennä metsään — To go completely wrong.
• Házet flintu do žita — To give up prematurely.
• Havadan sudan konuşmak — To make idle small talk.

More Portuguese idioms

• Onde Judas perdeu as botas — In the middle of nowhere; the back of beyond.
• Acertar na mosca — To be exactly right; to hit the bullseye.
• Dar com os burros n'água — To fail despite all your effort.
• 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.

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