vaca sagrada
Meaning: Something so valued or protected that it cannot be criticized, changed, or harmed.
Language: Portuguese
Literally: sacred cow
Category: Animals
Origin: In Hinduism, cattle are sacred and protected from harm. The phrase extends this religious reverence to any idea, institution, or person treated as beyond reproach.
More idioms — Animals
- matar cachorro a grito — To be extremely poor or destitute.
- met de kippen op stok gaan — to go to bed very early, at sunset.
- köra med — To tease, bully, or push someone around.
- kasta pärlor för svin — To offer something valuable to someone who cannot appreciate or will waste it.
- ingen ko på isen — There is no danger or immediate problem; the situation is safe.
- inte göra en fluga förnär — To be harmless and gentle, incapable of hurting even the smallest creature.
More Portuguese idioms
- morrer de rir — To laugh very hard or uproariously.
- descer a lenha — To harshly criticize or scold someone severely.
- altura do campeonato — at a critical or decisive moment in an event or competition.
- pegar o jeito — to learn how to do something; to acquire skill or proficiency.
- dar-se conta — to realize or come to understand something.
- botar defeito — to criticize something excessively or find fault where none reasonably exists.
From our proverbs
- You must ask your neighbour if you shall live in peace. — Living peacefully requires understanding and maintaining good relations with those closes…
- When thy neighbour's house is on fire, be careful of thine own. — Self-preservation requires vigilance when crisis spreads nearby; danger threatening other…
- All is fish that comes to his net. — A greedy person accepts anything available, indiscriminately treating all opportunities o…