PortugueseTirar o pai da forca
Meaning: Said of something done in frantic urgency.
Literally: To take your father off the gallows
Example: “Por que essa pressa toda? Parece que vais tirar o pai da forca.” — Why the big rush? You're going like a bat out of hell.
English equivalent: Like a bat out of hell
Origin: From a legend of Saint Anthony, born Fernando de Bulhões in Lisbon, who died in Padua in 1231: while preaching in Padua, he learned in a vision that his father was about to be hanged in Lisbon for a crime he had not committed, and was carried there miraculously in an instant to save him. The church of São João da Praça in Lisbon is said to stand where the execution nearly took place. Someone in a great hurry is asked, ironically, whether they are off to take their father off the gallows.
Equivalents in other languages
Latvian: Kā pliks pa nātrēm Literally: Like a naked man through nettles
Welsh: Rhedeg fel cath i gythraul Literally: To run like a cat to the devil
French: Sur les chapeaux de roues Literally: On the wheel hubcaps- French: À tombeau ouvert Literally: With the tomb open
English: like a bat out of hell
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- Chorar de barriga cheia To complain when you have nothing to complain about.
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- morde e assopra To hurt someone and then soothe them; to alternate harshness and kindness.
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