We’re going to continue our discussion of idiomatic expressions, using this humor site as a source. The idea is to show the dangers of translating word for word instead of understanding the actual meaning behind the expressions.

1. Ela é cheia de nove horas. She’s full of nine o’clock.
This expression means a person is always giving excuses for everything. For example:

Eu fico pedindo ela para sair comigo, mas ela sempre tem uma desculpa. Ela é cheia de nova horas.
I keep asking her out, but she always has an excuse. 

2. Tá pensando que isso é a casa da mãe Joana? Do you think this is mother Joann’s house?
This means, do you think you can do whatever you want? You ask this to a person who seems to think they can have their way with everything. For example:

Pai, vou jantar com meus amigos e depois vamos para o bar. Dad, I’m going to have dinner with my friends and after that we’re going to the bar.
Tá pensando que isso é a casa da mãe Joana?

The next two expressions have the same meaning.

3. A vaca foi para o brejo. The cow went to the swamp.

4. Já era. It already was.

These expressions mean “it’s over” or “it’s too late now.” For example:

Ele precisa falar com a professora, mas ela já saiu de férias. He needs to talk to the teacher, but she already went on vacation.
A vaca foi para o brejo.

Queria pular de asa-delta no Rio, mas vou embora amanhã. I wanted to go hang gliding in Rio, but I’m leaving tomorrow.
Já era.

Conquering idiomatic expressions is an important hurdle when learning a language. That’s because these expressions do not literally translate and you have to understand what they actually mean. There are dozens in Portuguese, and when translated directly to English they sound very silly, so let’s take a look at the real meanings. 

1. Chá comigo que eu livro sua cara.  Tea with me that I book your face.

This expression actually means leave it to me. It’s used to tell a person that you will help them with a problem or get them out of a sticky situation. For example, if your car was stolen and your friend offered to lend you his car, he could use this expression.

2. Tô careca de saber. I am completely bald of knowing it.

Note here that estou (I am) is written in the slang form as tô. This expression means I’ve already known about that for a long time. For example, if your sister told you a secret about your parents that you already knew, you could use this expression.

3. Vai enxugar gelo! Go dry some ice!

This means leave me alone! For example if you’re on the phone and your brother is banging on the door of your bedroom, you could use this expression.

DISCLAIMER: These expressions are taken from this humor website. The purpose of this series is to focus on idiomatic expressions in their oral form and to show the dangers of translating each word individually. Some may not be grammatically correct or have exact translations for this reason.