Pagar mico

Meaning: To embarrass yourself publicly.

Language: Portuguese

Literally: To pay monkey

Category: Animals

Origin: 'Mico', a small monkey, was the booby prize in old Brazilian card games; getting stuck with it meant public humiliation.

More idioms — Animals

• Как сельдь в бочке — Packed together very tightly.
• Вешать всех собак — To blame someone for everything.
• 井底之蛙 — Someone with a narrow, limited worldview.
• 守株待兔 — Vainly hoping a lucky fluke will repeat itself.
• 塞翁失马 — A blessing in disguise; fortune is unpredictable.
• 狐假虎威 — To bully others using borrowed power.

More Portuguese idioms

• Procurar pelo em ovo — To nitpick over nothing.
• Ficar a ver navios — To be left disappointed and empty-handed.
• 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.

← Back to Idioms

Loading the full interactive collection…