nem que a vaca tussa

Portuguese

FWOTD – 25 February 2013

Etymology

nem (not even) + que (that) + a (the) + vaca (cow) + tussa (cough). Literally: "not even if the cow coughs".

Pronunciation

  • (Brazil) IPA(key): /nẽj̃ ki a ˈvakɐ ˈtusɐ/

Adverb

nem que a vaca tussa (not comparable)

  1. (idiomatic) Definitely not; by no means; not in a million years.
    • 2004, Antonio Prata, Estive Pensando: Crônicas de Antonio Prata, Marco Zero, page 88:
      Deixo a leitora com um ósculo, um amplexo e à procura de um dicionário, pois o significado dessas duas palavras eu não conto nem que a vaca tussa!
      I leave the reader with a kiss, a hug and in search of a dictionary, because not in a million years I will tell the meaning of these words!

Synonyms

This article is issued from Wiktionary. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.