IdiomAnimals
Portuguese
Portuguesevaca sagrada
Meaning: Something so valued or protected that it cannot be criticized, changed, or harmed.
Literally: Sacred cow
Example: “Naquela família, o almoço de domingo é uma vaca sagrada.” — In that family, Sunday lunch is a sacred cow.
English equivalent: Sacred cow
Equivalents in other languages
English: sacred cow
Origin: From Hinduism, in which the cow is sacred and may not be harmed. Western writers made the sacred cow a figure for anything treated as beyond criticism; the figurative English sacred cow dates from the early 20th century, and Portuguese vaca sagrada is a translation of it.
More Portuguese idioms
- morrer de rir To laugh very hard or uproariously.
- descer a lenha To harshly criticize or scold someone severely.
- a essa altura do campeonato At this late stage; now that things have gone this far.
- pegar o jeito to learn how to do something; to acquire skill or proficiency.
- botar defeito to criticize something excessively or find fault where none reasonably exists.
- forçar a barra to push beyond reasonable limits; to insist or persist too aggressively.
Explore another collection: Proverbs
Short sayings of timeless wisdom from more than 50 cultures, each with its meaning and origin.
- Cada macaco no seu galho Everyone should stick to their own place and business.
- Quem o feio ama, bonito lhe parece Love makes people see beauty where others don't.
- Santos da casa não fazem milagres People are rarely valued by those closest to them.
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