Portuguesehá algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca
Meaning: something is deeply wrong or suspicious, though the truth may be hidden.
Literally: There is something rotten in the kingdom of Denmark
Example: “Três diretores demitiram-se na mesma semana: há algo de podre no reino da Dinamarca.” — Three directors resigned in the same week: something is rotten in the state of Denmark.
English equivalent: Something is rotten in the state of Denmark
Equivalents in other languages
English: Origin: From Shakespeare's Hamlet (Act 1, Scene 4, around 1600), where the guard Marcellus says, after the ghost of the dead king appears, "Something is rotten in the state of Denmark." Portuguese translations render state as reino (kingdom), and the line is quoted whenever something seems corrupt at the top.
More Portuguese idioms
- nascer em berço de ouro to be born into wealth and privilege; to come from a rich family.
- colocar o carro à frente dos bois To have the wrong priorities or do things in the wrong order.
- 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.
- descer a lenha To harshly criticize or scold someone severely.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Cá se fazem, cá se pagam Wrongs are paid for in this life, not the next.
- Quem não tem cão caça com gato If you don't have the ideal means, you make do with what you have.
- Quando um não quer, dois não brigam A quarrel needs two willing sides; one person can always refuse it.
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