Viajar na maionese
Meaning: To talk nonsense or drift off into your own dream world.
Language: Portuguese
Literally: To travel in the mayonnaise
Category: The Absurd
Origin: Brazilian street slang of the 1980s — mayonnaise as the thick, dreamy substance a distracted mind swims through.
More idioms — The Absurd
- Skägget i brevlådan — Caught red-handed in an awkward, embarrassing position.
- يعمل من الحبة قبة (Ya'mal min al-ḥabba qubba) — To blow something tiny completely out of proportion.
- Helt texas — Utterly wild, chaotic or out of control.
- Det blæser en halv pelikan — It is extremely windy.
- Ei ole kaikki muumit laaksossa — Someone isn't quite all there.
- לאכול סרטים (Le'ekhol sratim) — To overthink and imagine dramatic worst-case scenarios.
More Portuguese idioms
- Chutar o balde — To stop caring and let everything go — unlike the English, nobody dies.
- Enfiar o pé na jaca — To overdo it wildly, especially with food or drink.
- Pisar na bola — To mess up or let someone down.
- Encher linguiça — To pad something out with filler to take up space or time.
- Nem que a vaca tussa — No way; under no circumstances.
- Tirar o cavalo da chuva — To give up on an expectation.
From our proverbs
- He laughs best that laughs last — Final triumph matters more than immediate advantage or temporary mockery.
- History is written by the victors — The defeated's perspective vanishes from records because power, not truth, determines whi…
- Horses, not zebras — When diagnosing problems, assume common causes before exotic ones; simplicity usually pre…