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na ponta da língua

Meaning: To have something in one's mind but be unable to recall or express it completely.

Language: Portuguese

Literally: on the tip of the tongue

Category: Body & Senses

Origin: The phrase pictures a word or memory sitting at the very edge of articulation, almost but not quite accessible.

More idioms — Body & Senses

  • dar um tiro no pé — To harm oneself through one's own actions; to undermine one's own interests.
  • uit de voeten maken — to flee or scram hastily.
  • met de nek aankijken — to regard someone with scorn or disdain; to look down on.
  • voor dovemansoren — Said or done in vain; unheeded by those it is meant for.
  • in zijn oren knopen — To make someone pay close attention to what you are saying, implying they should remember…
  • de nek omdraaien — To kill or destroy someone or something, or to bring an end to a project or endeavor.

More Portuguese idioms

  • ao fim e ao cabo — After everything is considered; ultimately; in the final analysis.
  • fazer uma tempestade num copo de água — To make an excessive fuss over something trivial.
  • sujo falando do mal lavado — Hypocritical criticism from someone guilty of the same fault being criticized.
  • pôr os pontos nos is — To clarify a matter by spelling out details explicitly.
  • Engolir sapos — To put up with unpleasant things without complaining.
  • Pagar o pato — To take the blame for something you didn't do.

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