Expreses idiomticas com

Traduo

Exemplo

depois de tudo, ao fim

I knew it! After all, I was right!

seus sinnimos
after all despite, nevertheless

e ao cabo
all along all the time

todo o tempo

I knew about his little secret all

along.

all ears eager to listen

sou todo ouvidos

I am all ears.

all of a sudden suddenly

de repente

All of a sudden, he refused to pay.

all the same no difference

tanto faz, a mesma coisa

If its all the same to you, lets start

at two.

all thumbs clumsy

desastrado

He cant fix anything, hes all

thumbs.

apple of discord subject

ma da discrdia, o ponto This question is an apple of discord

of envy or quarrel

da discrdia

in our family.

as a rule usually

em geral

As a rule, we offer a 5% discount.

as far as I am concerned

at onde eu sei

As far as I am concerned, both the

in my opinion
as for me/as to me

book and the movie are good.

na minha opinio

in my opinion

As for me, you can rely on his

support.

as well also, too

tambm

He knows math, and physics as well.

at all (not) in the smallest

(absolutamente) nada

He doesnt know French at all.

degree

I dont like it at all.

at random without order

na sorte

He chose those places at random.

at this point at this time

a essas horas

At this point, we cant turn back.

be about to ready (to do)

estar prestes a

I was about to leave when you

called.

be after someone insist,

estar atrs de algum; insistir,

His mother is always after him

press

pressionar

to study.

be all in be extremely tired

estar acabado

Im all in, Id better go to bed now.

be back on ones feet

se recuperar depois

Hes back on his feet after a long

healthy again or better financially

de um tempo difcil,

period of debt and unemployment.

se levantar
beat around the bush avoid
giving a clear/definite answer

se esquivar

Stop beating around the bush! Get

to the point!

be beside oneself be very estar descontrolado, fora de si She was beside herself with worry /
upset, nervous, worried, etc.

with grief.

be better of be in a better estar em uma situao melhor

Hell be better off with a new job.

situation
be broke have no money

estar falido

I spent all my money, Im broke.

ser duro com algo/algum

My son is hard on shoes, they dont

at all
be hard on something
/someone treat roughly

last long with him. Life was pretty

hard on Tom.

be high on ones list be one

a primeira coisa da lista

of the most important things

A new car is high on my list

of priorities. A new TV is not high
on my list.

be in charge of

ser o responsvel por

He is in charge of marketing.

estar quebrado, cheio

Our sales were in the red last year.

be responsible for
be in the red be in debt

de dvidas
be into smth. be interested in estar interessado/apaixonado

He is into computers. She is into

por algo

sports.

fazer todo o possvel

I bent over backwards to help her.

be on ones way

estar no caminho

Im on my way.

be on the safe side not

para maior segurana

Take an extra key, just to be on the

bend over backwards try

hard

to take any chances

be out of be without

safe side.
estar sem, no ter

We are out of bread, cheese, and

sugar.

be out of shape be physically

estar fora de forma

unfit
be out of sorts in bad humor

He needs to exercise, he is out

of shape.

estar de mau humor

Leave him alone, hes out of sorts

today

be pressed for time / money

estar pressionado por

Im pressed for time now. We are

be short of; not have enough

tempo/dinheiro (no ter

pressed for money at the moment.

suficiente tempo/dinheiro)
beside the point off the point

no vem ao caso

What I said to him privately is beside

the point.

be to blame be responsible

ser culpado

for a mistake / something wrong

Who is to blame for this awful

mistake? Tom is to blame for this
mix-up.

be touch and go be uncertain

of the result

estar por um fio

He was very sick, and for some time

it was touch and go, but he is better

now.
be up against be opposed by,

enfrentar (algo/algum)

have problems, be in danger

Our company is up against serious

attempts of hostile takeover.

be up and around/about able voltar a andar/recuperar-se

He was sick for a month, but now

to be out of bed after an illness

(depois de uma doena)

he is up and around.

be up to ones ears very

estar muito ocupado

Im up to my ears in work.

estar tramando algo

I have to check what the kids are

busy
be up to something
do mischief

up to.

be up to someone be ones

depende de algum,

Its up to you to decide. Its up to you

own decision or responsibility

a deciso de algum

to close the office every day

at 8 oclock.

be used to be accustomed to

estar acostumado a

Im used to hard work. Hes used

to heat.

big shot important person

pessoa importante

He is a big shot around here.

bite of more than one can

valorizar-se demais (ter

I couldnt handle two jobs and family.

chew try to do more than one o olho maior que a barriga)

can

I really bit off more than I could

chew.

bite ones tongue stop talking morder a lngua/se segurar

I almost told her, but bit my tongue.

e no falar
bite the dust die, be defeated

morrer/ser derrotado

Many of them bit the dust in that war.

black sheep a good-for-

ovelha negra

Their second son is the black sheep

nothing member of the family

blind date a meeting of a man

of the family, he is good for nothing.

encontro a escuras

and woman arranged by friends

She refuses to go on a blind date

again because she had bad
experience.

blow it lose the chance

perder a oportunidade

He understood that he blew it.

blow over pass, end

vai passar/acabar

Wait here till his anger blows over.

bottom line main result/factor

resultado

The bottom line is, I dont have

enough money.

break into enter by force

entrar fora

The police broke into the robbers

house.

break ones heart hurt deeply partir o corao de algum

The news of her death broke his

heart.

break the ice overcome

quebrar o gelo (superar

The party was dull until someone

shyness in making the first step

a timidez e dar o primeiro

broke the ice with a joke and we all

passo)

laughed.

break the news tell new facts

espalhar informao

CNN is breaking the news right now.

bring home the bacon earn

sustentar a famlia

He works very hard at several

the living for the family

brush of give no attention to

places to bring home the bacon.

no dar bola

The boss brushed off my project

again.

brush up on review

repassar as informaes

You need to brush up on the tenses.

by all means -definitely,

definitivamente, certamente

Do you need my help? By all

certainly
by heart by memorizing

means.
de cor (e salteado)

Learn this poem by heart for

tomorrow.

by hook or by crook by any

do jeito que der

means possible
by the way incidentally

She will get what she wants by hook

or by crook.

inclusive, por falar nisso

By the way, Ann is coming back

today.

call a spade a spade use

dar nome aos bois

plain, direct words

call it a day consider work

He always tells the truth and calls

a spade a spade.

dar por terminado (o trabalho) Weve been working for 10 straight

finished for the day

hours. Lets call it a day.

call of cancel

cancelar

The police called off the search.

carry out fulfill

realizar, cumprir

She never carries out her plans.

carry weight be important

ter influncia/importncia

His advice always carries weight

here.

cast down depressed, sad

castles in the air

desanimar

He was cast down by the bad news.

sonhar com o resultado (estar Instead of working hard, he spends

daydreaming about success

viajando)

time building castles in the air.

catch ones eye attract

chamar a ateno

This picture caught my eye.

recuperar o flego

I cant run, I need to catch

attention
catch ones breath stop and
rest
catch someone of guard

my breath.
pegar de surpresa

catch someone unprepared

He caught me off guard with his

question.

catch someone red-handed

pegar algum no flagra

The manager caught the boy red-

find smb. in the act of doing

(fazendo algo errado)

handed when he was stealing

wrong
catch up become not behind

cigarettes.
atualizar

He needs to catch up with the

others.

close call a narrow escape,

foi por pouco

a bad thing that almost happened

The speeding car almost hit the

man. That was really a close call.

come across meet by chance

encontrar

I came across that article yesterday.

come down with become ill

ficar doente, gripar

Im coming down with a cold.

come to ones senses start

voltar razo, cair na real

He finally came to his senses,

acting reasonably, intelligently

started to work hard, and passed his

exams.

come true become reality

virar realidade

My dream came true when I met

Pat.

come up with suggest

propor, sugerir

Mike came up with a brilliant idea.

count on depend on

contar com

You can always count on me for

help.

cut corners to take a short-

buscar atalhos, esquivar-se

cut; to limit ones spending

He ran fast, cutting corners where

he could. I have to cut corners this
week.

cut down on reduce

diminuir (o consumo)

You have to cut down on chocolate.

cut out to be /cut out for it

estar feito para (um trabalho)

She isnt cut out to be a surgeon.

have the ability to do something

Hes cut out to be a leader.

do ones best try very hard

dar o melhor de si

I did my best to help him in his work.

do ones bit do whats

fazer o necessrio

Ill do my bit, you can count on me.

do over do again

refazer

This work is not good, do it over.

do someone good be good

beneficiar, fazer o bem

Fresh air and exercise will do you

needed

for

good.

do something behind ones

fazer algo pelas costas

I hate people who do things behind

back do (harmful) things

de algum

my back. He did it behind my back

secretively
do without live without

again.
viver sem, prescindir

Ill have to do without a car for

a while.

down to earth practical

ser prtico, realista

Hes quiet, sensible and down

to earth.

draw the line fix a limit

colocar um limite

He drew the line for her at $100 a

day.

dress up put on the best

vestir a melhor roupa

What are you dressed up for?

levar/deixar uma pessoa

Can you drop me off at the bank?

clothes
drop of deliver somewhere

em algum lugar

drop out quit (school)

abandonar

He dropped out of school last year.

duty calls must fulfill

o dever chama

He said, Duty calls and left for

obligations
easier said than done

work.
falar fcil, difcil fazer

Its easier said than done, but Ill try

to do it.

eat ones words take back

morder a lngua

words

He had to eat his words after her

report.

even so nevertheless, but

ainda assim

I work hard. Even so, I like my job.

every now and then

de vez em quando

Every now and then I visit my old

-occasionally
every other day every second

aunt.
dia sim dia no

one
fall behind lag behind

She washes her hair every other

day.

ficar para trs

The little boy fell behind the older

boys.

fall in love begin to love

apaixonar-se

Tom fell in love with Sue at first

sight.

fall out of love stop loving

deixar de amar

They fell out of love and divorced

soon.

false alarm untrue rumor

alarme falso

I heard he quit but it was a false

alarm.

a far cry from something

longe de ser o que parecia

very different, almost opposite

His second book wasnt bad, but

it was a far cry from his first book.

(neg.)
feel it in ones bones expect

ter um mau pressentimento

something bad to happen

Something bad is going to happen,

I feel it in my bones.

feel like doing something

sentir vontade de fazer

I feel like going for a walk. I dont feel

want to do, be inclined

alguma coisa

like working now, Im tired.

to do smth.
feel up to be able to do

ter nimo para fazer alguma I dont feel up to cleaning the house.
coisa

few and far between rare,

muito poucas vezes, raras

scarce

vezes

find fault with criticize

encontrar problemas, criticar

Her visits are few and far between.

He always finds faults with
everybody.

find out learn or discover

descobrir

I found out that Maria left town.

firsthand directly from the

em primeira mo

You can trust it, its firsthand

source

information.

first things first important

as primeiras coisas primeiro

things come before others

fly of the handle get angry

First things first: how much money

do we have to pay right away?

perder as estribeiras

He flew off the handle and yelled

at me.

follow in someones

seguir os passos de algum

footsteps do the same thing

Igor followed in his fathers

footsteps, he became a doctor, too.

foot in the door a special

meio caminho andado, ter

Nina got a foot in the door because

opportunity for a job

um p dentro (uma

her friend works in that company.

oportunidade)
foot the bill pay the bill

pagar

Her father footed the bill for the

party.

for good forever

para sempre

After her death, he left town for

good.

for the time being at this time

por enquanto

For the time being, this house is all

right for us.

frame of mind mental state

(nesse) estado de nimo

I cant do it in this frame of mind.

from A to Z completely

(conhecer) de cabo a rabo

He knows this town from A to Z.

from now on now and in the

a partir de agora

From now on, I forbid you

future
get a grip on oneself take

to go there.
controlar-se

Stop crying! Get a grip on yourself!

se dar bem com algum

Ann gets along with most coworkers,

control of ones feelings

get along with have good
relations
get away with not be caught

but doesnt get along with Laura.

escapar

after doing wrong

The police didnt find the thief.

He got away with his crime.

get carried away get too

deixar-se levar pelo

He got carried away with opening

excited and enthusiastic about

entusiasmo

a store and lost most of his money.

get cold feet be afraid to do

ficar com medo

I wanted to try it but got cold feet.

get even with have ones

nivelar/empatar a situao

Ill get even with him for everything!

something

revenge
get in touch with contact

entrar em contato com algum Get in touch with Mr. Smith for help.

get lost lose ones way

se perder

She got lost in the old part of town.

Get lost! Lay off!

Fora! V embora!

I dont want to see you again. Get

lost!

get mixed up get confused

confundir

I got mixed up, went the wrong way

and got lost.

get of ones back leave

deixar algum em paz

Stop bothering me! Get off my back!

alone
get on ones high horse

sentir-se superior aos demais Every time I ask her to help me with

behave haughtily towards

typing, she gets on her high horse.

someone
get on (the bus, train, plane)

subir (no meio de transporte)

I got on the bus on Oak Street.

get of (the bus, train, plane)

descer (do meio

I got off the bus at the bank.

de transporte)
get out of hand get out

sair do controle

of control

If he gets out of hand again, call

me right away.

get over recover after

superar uma m experincia

I cant get over how rude he was

an illness or bad experience

ou uma doena

to me. She got over her illness quite

quickly.

get rid of dispose of, discard

livrar-se de, desfazer-se de

He got rid of his old useless car.

get together meet with

reunir-se (com amigos)

My friends and I get together often.

get to the bottom know

chegar no fundo, em detalhes

He usually gets to the bottom

deeply
get to the point get to the

of things.
ir direto ao ponto

Get to the point!

matter
Give me a break! spare me
give someone a hand help

Me d um tempo! Me poupe! Come on, stop it! Give me a break!

dar uma mo, ajudar

Can you give me a hand with

cooking?

give someone a lift /a ride

dar carona

take to some place by car

Can you give me a lift to the bank?

He gave her a ride in his new
Porsche.

give someone a piece of ones

criticar, dizer abertamente

She lost my umbrella again, so I

mind criticize frankly

uma opinio

gave her a piece of my mind about

her carelessness.

give up stop doing something,

render-se

stop trying to do something

go back on ones word break

I gave up smoking. I gave up trying

to fix my old car.

quebrar uma promessa

a promise

First he said he would help me, but

then he went back on his word.

go for it try to do a new thing

v com tudo

If I were you, I would go for it.

go from bad to worse

ir de mal a pior

His business went from bad

be worse
go out go to parties, movies

to worse.
sair (ir a uma festa,
ao cinema, etc)

Do he and his wife go out often?

go out of ones way -try very esforar-se muito, tentar muito

hard
go to ones head make too

He goes out of his way to please

her.

subir cabea (sucesso)

His acting success went to his head.

ficar arrasado

She went to pieces when she

proud
go to pieces get very upset,
fall apart
go with the flow lead quiet

heard it.
seguir o fluxo

She always goes with the flow.

gostar pouco a pouco

When she knew him more, he grew

life
grow on someone become
liked
had better should

on her.
melhor que voc...

You look ill, youd better see

a doctor.

have a ball have a good time

se divertir muito

Yesterday we had a ball at the party.

have a bone to pick complain ajustar contas com algum, Mr. Brown, I have a bone to pick with
or discuss something unpleasant resolver algum problema com
have a word with someone

you. My mail was lost because

algum

of you.

falar com algum

Can I have a word with you?

talk to
have words with someone

falar seriamente com algum I had words with my coworker today

argue with someone about

because he used my computer

something

again.

have it in him have the ability

ter habilidades

Laura has it in her to be a good

doctor.

have no business doing

something have no right to do

no assunto para voc, no You have no business staying here

te diz respeito

without my permission.

have ones back to the wall estar entre a cruz e a espada I had no choice, I had my back to the
be hard-pressed, on the

(em um dilema)

wall.

estar muito ocupado

He has his hands full with hard work.

querer muito alguma coisa

She has her heart set on going

defensive
have ones hands full very
busy
have ones heart set
on something want

to New York. He has his heart set

something very much

on Betty.

have pull have influence on

(not) have the heart (not)
have the courage to do smth.
unpleasant

influenciar

Does he have pull with the director?

(no) ter coragem de, (no) I dont have the heart to tell him that
se atrever a

he wasnt accepted, hell

be so unhappy.

high and low everywhere

hit the nail on the head say

em tudo que lugar (de cima I searched high and low for my lost
a baixo)

cat.

acertar

You hit the nail on the head when

exactly the right thing

you said our company needs a new

director.

hit upon something

pensar em algo, descobrir

They hit upon gold. I hit upon a plan.

hold it against someone

culpar algum por alguma

I lost his book, but he doesnt hold

blame somebody for doing

coisa

it against me.

Hold it! Stop! Wait!

Para!

Hold it! I forgot my key.

Hold on! Wait!

Espera!

Hold on! Ill be back in a minute.

hold ones own maintain

se manter firme

He can hold his own in any situation.

to discover

something

oneself in a situation, behave

We need men who can hold their

as needed

own.

hold up rob using a weapon

assaltar, atacar

This bank was held up twice last

year.

ill at ease uncomfortable

incmodo

She felt ill at ease because of her

cheap dress.

in advance well before

de antemo

He told her about his plan

in advance.

in a nutshell in a few words

em poucas palavras

In a nutshell, my plan is to buy land.

in care of someone write

aos cuidados de / escrever

Im staying at Toms house. Write

to one person at the address

para uma pessoa com

to me in care of Tom Gray, Chicago,

of another

o endereo de outra

Illinois.

in cold blood mercilessly

a sangue frio

He killed her in cold blood.

in fact actually, in reality

na verdade, na realidade

In fact, he works as a manager here.

in general generally,

em geral

In general, he likes to be alone.

generally speaking

He described the place only

in general.

in ones element what one

estar cmodo, saber do que

Hes in his element when hes

likes

est falando

arguing.

in other words using other

em outras palavras

In other words, you refused

words
in plain English in simple,
frank terms

to do it for her.
francamente falando

I didnt really like the concert.

In plain English, the concert was

terrible.
the ins and outs all info

(conhecer) os detalhes

about

He knows the ins and outs of this

business.

in someones shoes

se colocar na situao

Id hate to be in his shoes now.

in another persons position

de outra pessoa

He lost his job, and his wife is in the

hospital.

in the long run in the end

no fim das contas

In the long run, itll be better

to buy it.

in the same boat in the same no mesmo barco, na mesma

situation

situao

Stop arguing with me, were in the

same boat and should help each
other.

in the clear free from blame

estar fora de qualquer

Pay the bill and youll be in the clear.

suspeita
in time (to do something)

em tempo de (fazer algo)

before something begins

it goes without saying

I came in time to have a cup

of coffee before class.

no preciso falar

should be clear without words

It goes without saying that he must

pay what he owes right away.

Its on the tip of my tongue.

est na ponta da lngua

His name is on the tip of my tongue.

its time should do it right

est na hora

Hurry up, its time to go.

vale a pena, no vale a pena

Watch this film, its worth it. Dont

away
Its worth it. / Its not
worth it. Its (not) worth buying,

buy this coat, it is not worth it. This

visiting, watching, etc.

museum is worth visiting. This film

is not worth watching.

it will do its enough

suficiente, serve

Stop reading, it will do for now.

jump at the

aproveitar a oportunidade

His boss mentioned a job in Europe,

opportunity/chance accept

and Peter jumped at the opportunity.

the opportunity eagerly

just as soon prefer this one

preferiria

Id just as soon stay home, Im tired.

just in case to be on the safe

para garantir, por via das

Take an extra shirt, just in case.

side

dvidas

Just my luck! Bad / Hard

que sorte/azar!

luck!
keep an eye on take care of,

my luck!
ficar de olho, cuidar

watch, look after

keep a straight face not
to laugh

They lost my job application. Just

Betty keeps an eye on my sons
for me. Ill keep an eye on you!

ficar srio

I tried to keep a straight face, but

failed.

keep company accompany

fazer companhia

She keeps me company quite often.

keep ones word fulfill

manter a palavra

You promised, now keep your word.

keep someone posted inform

manter algum informado

Keep me posted about your plans.

keep your fingers crossed

cruzar os dedos

I have a job interview today. Keep

a promise

hope that nothing will go wrong

your fingers crossed for me, will

you?

kill time fill/spend empty time

matar o tempo

I went to the show to kill time.

(not) know the first thing

no saber absolutamente

I dont know the first thing about

about not to have any

nada

nuclear physics.

saber de tudo

He knows all the ropes in this

knowledge about
know the ropes be very
familiar with some business
last-minute notice little

company.
notcia de ltima hora

or no time to prepare for

His arrival was a last-minute notice,

we didnt have time to prepare for it.

something
lay ones cards on the table

pr as cartas sobre a mesa

be frank and open

Finally, we asked him to lay his

cards on the table and tell us about
his plans.

lay ones life on the line put

arriscar a vida

oneself in a dangerous situation

He laid his life on the line to fulfill this

task, but nobody appreciated his
efforts.

lead a dogs life live in misery

viver uma vida de co

He leads a dogs life.

lead someone on make

enganar, fazer algum

They suspect that you are leading

someone believe something that

acreditar em algo

them on. You led me on!

deixar as coisas como esto

Leave it at that, what else can

isnt true
leave it at that accept
reluctantly
leave word leave a message

you do?
deixar uma mensagem

He left word for you to meet him

at the airport at 6.

let bygones be bygones

esquecer o passado

Why dont you let bygones

forget and forgive bad things

be bygones and forget about what

in the past

he said?

let go of release the hold

deixar ir (embora)

Let go of my hand or Ill call the

guard.

let (it) go forget bad

esquecer, superar

Hes still in despair and cant let (it)

experience, return to normal life

um problema

go. You cant change anything, so let

it go.
let ones hair down

relaxar, ficar vontade

be relaxed and informal with

She is always so formal. She never

lets her hair down.

other people
let someone down

decepcionar algum

Dont let me down this time!

let someone know inform

avisar, informar

Let me know when you find a job.

like father, like son be like

tal pai, tal filho

Paul won a prize in a chess

disappoint, fail someone

ones parent in something

tournament. Great! Like father, like

son!

little by little step by step

pouco a pouco

Little by little, he got used to Tokyo.

look for search for

procurar

What are you looking for?

look forward to expect with

esperar ansiosamente

Im looking forward to your letter.

pleasure

Mary is looking forward to the party.

look out be careful, watch out

tomar cuidado

Look out! The bus is coming!

look up check with

procurar (informao

If you dont know this word, look

/in a dictionary or a reference

na Internet, no dicionrio, etc)

it up in the dictionary.

perder a pacincia

He loses his temper very often.

lose ones way get lost

se perder

I lost my way. Can you help me?

lose track of not to know

perder de vista, no ver

I lost track of him years ago.

where someone or something is

algum h muito tempo

lucky break a lucky chance

golpe de sorte

book
lose ones temper become
angry

He got his lucky break when he got

this job.

make a living earn money

ganhar a vida

to provide for life

make allowance for take into

He works hard. His family is big, and

he has to make a living somehow.

levar em conta

consideration when judging

Dont criticize him so hard, make

(an) allowance for his inexperience.

make a point of be sure

se empenhar em fazer algo,

Make a point of asking about his

to do something intentionally

ter certeza de fazer algo

wife. Make it a point to be here

intencionalmente

by 10.

chegar no final do ms

His doesnt get much money.

make ends meet to have and

spend only what one earns

I wonder how he manages to make

ends meet.

make friends become friends

fazer amigos/amizade

Anton makes new friends easily.

make fun of laugh at, joke

tirar sarro de

He made fun of her German accent.

about
make no bones about it

no vou repetir

say/do openly, without hesitation

make room for allow space

like your attitude to work.

fazer espao para

for
make sense be logical
make the most of smth

Ill make no bones about it: I dont

We can make room for one more
dog.

ter sentido

What you say makes sense.

tirar o maior proveito de algo Lets make the most of our vacation.

do the best in the given situation

make up become friends

fazer as pazes

Im tired of fighting. Lets make up.

recompensar

Ill make up for the time you spent

again
make up for smth
compensate
make up ones mind decide

on it.
tomar uma deciso

When will you go? Make up your

mind.

make yourself at home

sinta-se em casa

be comfortable, feel at home

man of his word one who

at home.
um homem de palavra

keeps promises, is dependable

mean well have good

You can depend on his promise

to help. Hes a man of his word.

ter boas intenes

intentions
might as well a good idea

Come in please. Make yourself

He meant well, but it turned out that

he spoiled a couple of things for me.

podia aproveitar e... (boa

I might as well telephone him now.

ideia)
missing person someone

pessoa desaparecida

who is lost and cant be located

The little boy disappeared. The

police registered him as a missing
person.

meet someone halfway

achar o ponto mdio

compromise with others

Hes reasonable and tries to meet

his coworkers halfway, when
possible.

never mind it doesnt matter

esquea, no importa

Thank you. Never mind.

not to mention in addition to

sem falar em...

We have three dogs, not to mention

two cats.

no wonder not surprising

no uma surpresa

He ate three big fish. No wonder

hes sick.

now and again occasionally

de vez em quando

I meet them now and again at the

bank.

odds and ends a variety

restos, uma variedade

I needed to buy some odds and

of small unimportant things

de coisas pequenas e sem

or leftovers

importncia

of the cuf without

de maneira improvisada

preparation
of the point beside the point

ends for the kitchen.

Off the cuff, I can give you only
a rough estimate.

no vem ao caso

What I think about him is off the

point.

of the record not for the

extraoficialmente

public, unofficially
once and for all decidedly

Strictly off the record, I think the

director is going to get married soon.

de uma vez por todas

You must quit smoking once and for

all.

on credit not pay cash right

pagar no crdito

He bought a car on credit.

nervoso, irritado

Hes been on edge ever since she

away
on edge nervous, irritable

left.
on guard on the alert

alerta

Hes cautious and always on guard.

on hand available

ter mo

Do you have a calculator on hand?

on ones own alone,

sozinho

She likes to live and work on her

by oneself
on ones toes alert, attentive,

own.
alerta

prepared for difficulties

on purpose intentionally

He was on his toes and produced

a very good impression on them.

de propsito

I didnt do it on purpose, it just

happened so.

on second thought after

pensando bem

thinking again
on the alert on guard

Id like to sit on the aisle. On second

thought, Id like a window seat.

alerta

Hes cautious and always on the

alert.

on the carpet called in by the chamar a ateno, criticar (ser Yesterday the boss called her on the
boss for criticism

chamado sala do chefe)

carpet for being rude to the

coworkers.

on the go busy, on the move

em movimento

He is always on the go.

on the of chance unlikely

no caso de...

On the off chance that you dont find

to happen, but still

him at work, heres his home

address.

on the other hand

por outro lado

considering the other side of the

Id like to have a dog. On the other

hand, my wife likes cats better.

question
on the spot right there

no mesmo lugar

I decided to do it on the spot.

on the spur of the moment na empolgao do momento He bought this car on the spur of the
without previous thought / plan

moment, now he regrets it.

on time punctual

pontual, em tempo

Jim is always on time.

out of ones mind crazy

louco, fora de si

If you think so, youre out of your

mind.

out of ones way away from

fora do caminho

someones usual route

out of the question

I cant give you a lift to the bank, its

out of my way today.

fora de discusso

Paying him is out of the question!

acumulador compulsivo

Why does she keep all those things

impossible
pack rat a person who saves
lots of unnecessary things

she never uses? She is a pack

rat.

pay attention be attentive

prestar ateno

Pay attention to his words.

pick a fight start a quarrel

comear uma discusso

He often tries to pick a fight with me.

pick up take, get

escolher

Ill pick you up at 7.

play ones cards right

saber jogar, no errar a mo,

If you play your cards right, hell

choose the right steps in doing

no pisar em falso

agree to your plan.

potluck supper a surprise

jantar onde cada um traz

You know what happened at our last

meal, where nobody knows what

alguma coisa de comer

potluck supper? Everybody brought

something

dishes other guests will bring

macaroni and cheese, apples, and

beer!

pull oneself together brace

controlar-se e/para sair

Stop crying and complaining! You

oneself, summon your strength

de um mau momento

have to pull yourself together now.

pull the wool over someones

enganar

Are you trying to pull the wool over

eyes deceive, mislead

my eyes? It wont do you any good.

someone
put a damper on discourage

colocar barreiras, estraga-

She always puts a damper

prazeres

on my plans.

put in a word for someone defender algum, falar coisas Id be very grateful if you could put
say positive things about

boas de algum para outra

in a word for me when you speak

someone

pessoa

to him.

put of postpone

adiar

Dont put it off till tomorrow.

put ones foot down object

se opor fortemente

Her father put his foot down when

strongly
put ones foot in it do the
wrong thing, make a fool

she said she wanted to marry Alan.

fazer besteira, falar algo fora He put his foot in it when he told the
de hora

boss his daughter wasnt pretty.

of oneself
put up with accept, tolerate

aguentar, tolerar

I cant put up with your bad work!

quite a bit of much, a lot of

muito

I had quite a bit of trouble with that

car.

quite a few many, a lot of

muitos

He wrote quite a few good stories.

rack ones brain try hard

esforar-se, quebrar a cabea

He racked his brain to solve the

to think
read between the lines find

puzzle.
ler nas entrelinhas

His books are not easy

or understand the implied

to understand; you have to read

meaning

between the lines.

remember me to say hello to

mandar lembranas

Please remember me to your family.

right away immediately

imediatamente

It very important to do it right away.

ring a bell remind someone

parecer familiar

Annabel Lee? Yeah, it rings a bell,

of something familiar /half-

but I cant place it right now.

forgotten
rock the boat make the

causar problemas, gerar

Peter always rocks the boat when

situation unstable

conflito

we discuss companys spending

policy.

rub shoulders with meet with

relacionar-se

He doesnt rub shoulders with the

rich.

rub someone the wrong way

irritar algum

irritate, annoy, make angry

run into meet by chance

His remarks rub many coworkers the

wrong way.

encontrar algum por

I ran into an old friend yesterday.

casualidade
save face try to change the

voltar atrs para salvar

He said a stupid thing and tried

negative impression produced

a reputao

to save face by saying

he misunderstood me.

save ones breath stop

no perder tempo explicando Theres no use talking to him about

useless talk

his spending habits, so save your

breath.

scratch the surface study analisar de maneira superficial He examines all the facts closely,
something superficially
see about make

he doesnt just scratch the surface.

ocupar-se de alguma coisa I have to see about our plane tickets.

arrangements for
see eye to eye agree
serve someone right get
what someone deserves

dividir o mesmo ponto de vista We dont see eye to eye any longer.
ter o que merece

It serves him right that he didnt get

this job, he despised all other

candidates.
serve ones purpose

servir ao propsito de algum I doubt that hiring this man will serve

be useful to someone for his

your purpose.

purpose
show promise be promising quando uma pessoa promete,

This young actor shows promise.

leva jeito
show up appear

aparecer

I waited for hours but he didnt

show up.

size up evaluate someone

avaliar

It took me 5 minutes to size up that

man.

sleep on it postpone

adiar algo para o dia seguinte

Dont decide now, sleep on it.

erro, equvoco, lapso

It was just a slip of the tongue!

esquecer

It slipped my mind what she

a decision till next morning

a slip of the tongue
a mistake
slip (from) ones mind forget

asked me.
smell a rat suspect something

suspeitar alguma coisa

Im not sure what it is, but I smell

a rat.

so far up to now

at agora

So far, I have read 3 books by King.

so much the better its even

melhor ainda

If he can pay cash, so much the

better
spill the beans tell a secret

better.
contar/revelar um segredo

Who spilled the beans about our

plan?

stand a chance have

ter uma oportunidade

a chance
stand out be noticeable

He doesnt stand a chance

of getting it.

destacar-se, sobressair

He stands out in any group

of people.

stand to reason be logical

ser lgico

It stands to reason that

he apologized.

straight from the shoulder

falar francamente

speak frankly

Dont try to spare my feelings, give

it to me straight from the shoulder.

take a dim view

ter uma opinio negativa

My sister takes a dim view of the

of something disapprove

sobre algo

way I raise my children.

take a break stop for rest

fazer uma pausa

Lets take a break, Im tired.

take advantage of use for

aproveitar-se de

We took advantage of the low prices

of something

ones own benefit, to profit from

and bought a computer and

a monitor.
take after be like one of the

parecer-se aos pais

parents

Tom takes after his father

in character, and after his mother
in appearance.

take a stand on something assumir uma posio/opinio People need to take a stand on the
make a firm opinion/decision

dura

issue of nuclear weapons.

cuidar de

Can you take care of my dog while

on smth.
take care of look after,
protect, see that smth. is done

Im away? Tom takes good care

properly

of his car.

take hold of something take,

segurar

Take hold of this rope and pull.

considerar

You must take into account her old

hold
take into account consider
smth.
take it easy relax, be calm

age.
no se preocupe, v com

Take it easy, everything will be OK.

calma
take (it) for granted accept

tomar algo como certo

as given
take ones breath away

Mothers love is always taken for

granted by children.

tirar o flego de algum

That great view took my breath

away.

take ones time do slowly

fazer as coisas com calma,

Dont hurry. Take your time.

sem pressa
take ones word for it believe
take pains try hard

acreditar na palavra

Take my word for it, he wont

de algum

go there.

esforar-se

He took pains to make his report

to do it well
take part in smth. participate

perfect.
participar

in
take place happen

Mary is going to take part in the

show.

acontecer

The accident took place on Oak

Street.

take someones mind of

distrair os pensamentos

things distract from fixed

Go to a concert or a movie to take

your mind off things.

ideas/thoughts
take steps take action

agir

We need to take steps against it.

take the words right out

tirar as palavras da boca

I was about to say the same! You

of ones mouth say the same

da outra pessoa

took the words right out

/measures

before somebody else says it

take time take a long time

of my mouth.
levar tempo

It takes time to get used to a new

place.

take time of be absent from

tirar um tempo/dia livre

work
take turns alternate doing

He took time off to attend the

wedding.

alternar, revezar

something one after another

We went to Minsk by car. We didnt

get tired because we took turns
driving

talk back answer rudely

responder (de um jeito rude)

Dont talk back to the teacher!

talk it over discuss

discutir

Ill talk it over with my family.

tell apart see the difference

distinguir

Can you tell the twins apart?

Thats just the point. Thats

Esse o ponto.

Thats just the point! I hate this job!

premonio (de algo ruim)

The plane crashed. Tim said he saw

it.
the writing on the wall a sign
of future events (usually, trouble)

the writing on the wall about this

flight.

not think much of think low

no achar to bom (algo

I dont think much of her cooking.

ou algum)
think over consider carefully

pensar com calma

Think over your answer. Think it over

carefully.

till one is blue in the face try

esforar-se muito

hard
to make a long story short

I repeated it till I was blue in the

face!

resumindo

To make a long story short, we won.

para falar o mnimo

The film was boring and long, to say

in short
to say the least to make the
minimum comment about smth.
try on put on new clothes

the least.
experimentar/provar (roupa)

to test them for size or look

Try on this leather coat, its very

good. She tried it on, but it didnt fit
her at all.

try ones hand at something

experimentar/tentar algo

I want to try my hand at painting.

turn on / of switch on / off

ligar/desligar

Turn on the radio. Turn off the water.

turn out to be result/end this

resultar

He turned out to be a very good

try

way
turn over a new leaf make

actor.
comear de novo

a fresh start in life, work, etc.

turn the tide reverse the

He promises to turn over a new leaf

and quit alcohol for good.

mudar o rumo das coisas

The new evidence turned the tide,

course of events

and the defendant was acquitted

of charges.

twist ones arm make

convencer algum

They twisted his arm to sell the

to agree

(inicialmente, contra

house.

a vontade)
under the weather feel ill

resfriado, gripado

Im a little under the weather today.

up-and-coming showing

algo promissor

He is an up-and-coming young

promise of future success

lawyer who might help you with your

case.

up in arms hostile to,

protestar, estar contra

in strong protest against

The employees are up in arms about

the new retirement rules.

something
up in the air undecided

estar no ar, indefinido

My vacation plans are still up in the

air.

up to par equal in standard

adequado/normal

His behavior isnt up to par.

used to did often in the past,

tinha o costume de

I used to play the piano when I was

but not now

walk on air be very happy

in school (but I dont play it now).

estar nas nuvens, muito feliz He got the job and is walking on air
now.

waste ones breath speak

esforo em vo

uselessly, to no purpose

Dont waste your breath trying

to make him do it, he wont change
his mind.

watch ones step be careful

ter cuidado, ir com calma

Watch your step!

watch out look out, be careful

ter cuidado

Watch out for that car! Watch out!

wet blanket a kill-joy, who

estraga-prazeres

Remember what a wet blanket

spoils everybodys fun

he was last time? Please dont invite

him again.

Whats the matter? What

o que est acontecendo?

Whats the matter? What happened?

which way the wind blows

em que direo sopra

He knows which way the wind blows

what the real situation is

o vento / qual a realidade

and always acts accordingly.

is it?

nisso tudo
white lie unimportant lie

mentira inocente

A white lie is told to spare your

feelings.

word for word in the same

literalmente

Tell me word for word what he said.

preferir

Id rather stay at home today.

words
would rather prefer