
IdiomDaily Life
Portuguese
pegar o jeito
Meaning: to learn how to do something; to acquire skill or proficiency.
Literally: To grab the knack
Example: “Demorei uma semana, mas peguei o jeito de fazer pão.” — It took me a week, but I got the hang of baking bread.
English equivalent: To get the hang of something
Equivalents in other languages
English: get the hang of something
Origin: Jeito is a knack, a way of doing something (the same word as in dar um jeito), and pegar o jeito is catching it: getting the feel of a task until it comes naturally. The phrase is everyday speech with no particular story behind it.
More Portuguese idioms
- a cereja do bolo the crowning touch; something wonderful that completes something already good.
- brincar com fogo to engage in a risky or dangerous behavior; to put oneself in harm's way.
- nu e cru To speak with brutal, unvarnished honesty, holding nothing back.
- nem carne nem peixe Something or someone that does not fit into any clear category and remains ambiguous or u…
- olho da tempestade The center of a crisis or controversy; the thick of it.
- matar cachorro a grito To be extremely poor or destitute.
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