idiomatic expressions

[Chaine]

I have some other proverbs that I would like some help. I need to know what it is in English , I know them in Portuguese. I have only the pictures. I send you , so you can help me. Thank you.

[Tdol]

The third is nearly English:
A storm in a teacup- make something seem more serious or worse than it really is.

[Ouisch]

I'm guessing the first one is "a frog in your throat," which means your voice is getting hoarse and you need to clear your throat.


The one with the leg is "water on the knee," which is a generic term for any medical condition that causes pain, swelling and excess fluid collection in the knee joint.

[Eway]

Hi, Chaine,

Perhaps you can explain their Protuguese meanings?
I'm just curious...

[ksequen]

Hi! I don't know portuguese, but my Brazilian friends told me this:

1. fazer tempestado num copo d'agua = make a mountain out of a molehill.
(or make a storm in a cup of tea.)

2. segura a vela = to be the third wheel (literal, ser a terceira roda)

3. tirar agua do joelho = to pee

I hope it helps. :)

[boothling]

The only thing I can find related to the pineapple slicing picture is this:

"Propose to any Englishman any principle, or any instrument, however admirable, and you will observe that the whole effort of the English mind is directed to find a difficulty, a defect, or an impossibility in it. If you speak to him of a machine for peeling a potato, he will pronounce it impossible: if you peel a potato with it before his eyes, he will declare it useless, because it will not slice a pineapple."

Charles Babbage, 1852.

I've never heard that before. It is quite a good description of the English tendency towards negativity.

[Coffa]

I have some other proverbs that I would like some help. I need to know what it is in English , I know them in Portuguese. I have only the pictures. I send you , so you can help me. Thank you.

I guess 5) is probably "I hold a candle for you" - meaning I like you romantically. There is also the idiom "Nothing can hold a candle to you" - you are so wonderful that your light extinguishes the virtues of anyone who stands next to you.

I know of no English idioms related to pineapples, but maybe it is related to 'there is more than one way to skin a cat' - a problem often has many solutions.

[ksequen]

Another comment from another Brazilian friend...

1. engolindo sapo >> having to accept humiliation without complaining and reacting, like when it comes from your boss .. (swallow a toad )

2. descascando abacaxi >> dealing with and solving a BIG problem (peeling a pineapple )

3. fazendo tempestade em copo dagua >> Make a fuss about nothing ( make a storm out of a glass of water )

4. tirar agua do joelho >> pee ( get water out of one´s knee )

5. segurar vela >> be a third wheel ( hold the candle )

[Manikmata]

are there someone could you help me to translate the meaning of an idiom on a sentence like this:
sufficient variety must be created if one wishes to solve problem, it is important to back a number of horses

[Ouisch]

This idiom makes reference to betting on horse races - it advises to make small bets on several different horses (to increase your chances of winning) instead of putting all your money on one horse. It's similar to the saying "don't put all your eggs in one basket."