Animal-Related Idioms | Portuguese (Portugal) Grammar

Every language uses animals to do its dirty metaphorical work. English has sheep (black ones), foxes (sly ones), and wolves (lone ones). Portuguese has ducks who take the blame, frogs that must be swallowed, and monkeys that live in your attic. The animals are different and so are the images, and picking up the Portuguese bestiary is one of the most satisfying milestones in learning the language.

This page organises the most common PT-PT animal idioms by animal, explains the image behind each one, and flags where European Portuguese differs from Brazilian Portuguese. The differences matter — pagar o pato is current in both varieties; descascar o abacaxi is primarily Brazilian and sounds foreign in Lisbon. We will stick to what you will actually hear in Portugal.

Pato — the duck

The duck is Portugal's scapegoat. If someone takes the blame for something they did not do, they pagar o pato — literally "pay for the duck". The expression is thought to come from an old folk tale about a man cheated into paying for a duck he never got.

Fui eu que paguei o pato pela confusão que eles fizeram.

I was the one who took the blame for the mess they made.

Nunca te metas em coisas alheias, acabas sempre a pagar o pato.

Never get involved in other people's business — you always end up carrying the can.

Fiquei como um pato na reunião quando disse o nome errado.

I looked like a fool at the meeting when I said the wrong name. (lit. I stayed like a duck — a stand-alone image of someone caught out)

Idiom	Literal	Meaning
pagar o pato	pay for the duck	take the blame for someone else's mess
ficar como um pato	stay like a duck	be left looking foolish, caught out

Sapo — the frog

The frog is the animal you have to eat when life is unfair. Engolir sapos — "to swallow frogs" — is the standard Portuguese image for putting up with indignities in silence. It is a favourite of office conversation and family dinners.

Tive de engolir muitos sapos para chegar onde cheguei.

I had to put up with a lot of nonsense to get where I am.

Engoliu o sapo e pediu desculpa ao chefe.

He swallowed his pride and apologized to the boss.

Ela passa o dia a engolir sapos naquele escritório.

She spends the day putting up with rubbish in that office.

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Engolir sapos is about swallowing what you wish you could spit out: criticism, insults, unfair decisions. It differs subtly from English "bite your tongue" (stop yourself from speaking) — engolir sapos means you have already had to take something bad in. It is about absorption, not restraint.

Macaco — the monkey

Monkeys stand for three things in Portuguese: craziness, experience, and territoriality. Ter macaquinhos no sótão ("to have little monkeys in the attic") is the archetypal idiom for someone losing their mind — a beautifully vivid image of a head full of chaotic, uncontrollable activity.

Tu tens macaquinhos no sótão? Não podes dizer isso ao patrão.

Are you out of your mind? You can't say that to the boss.

Não o enganas, é um macaco velho neste ramo.

You won't fool him, he's an old hand in this trade.

Cada macaco no seu galho — não te metas no trabalho dela.

Each to their own — don't interfere with her work. (lit. each monkey on its branch)

Idiom	Literal	Meaning
ter macaquinhos no sótão	have little monkeys in the attic	be crazy, have lost it
macaco velho	old monkey	old hand, experienced person
cada macaco no seu galho	each monkey on its branch	stay in your lane, mind your own

Cão e gato — dog and cat

Dogs and cats appear in dozens of idioms, often together. Portuguese cat idioms lean suspicious and feline; dog idioms lean loyal, stubborn, or unlucky. Aqui há gato ("there's a cat here") — meaning something fishy is going on — is one of the most common colloquial expressions in Portuguese.

Aqui há gato, a conta não bate certo.

There's something fishy here, the bill doesn't add up.

Gato escaldado de água fria tem medo.

Once bitten, twice shy. (lit. a scalded cat is afraid of cold water)

Os dois irmãos vivem como cão e gato, brigam por tudo.

The two brothers fight like cats and dogs, they argue over everything.

Cão que ladra não morde — ele fala muito, mas não faz nada.

A barking dog doesn't bite — he talks a lot but does nothing. (the standard PT proverb)

Este trabalho é uma vida de cão, nunca para.

This job is a dog's life, it never stops.

Está um dia de cão, não saio de casa.

It's a miserable day out, I'm not leaving the house.

Idiom	Literal	Meaning
aqui há gato	there's a cat here	something fishy is going on
gato escaldado tem medo de água fria	scalded cat fears cold water	once bitten, twice shy
estar como cão e gato	be like dog and cat	fight constantly
cão que ladra não morde	a dog that barks doesn't bite	empty threats, all bark no bite
vida de cão	dog's life	a hard, miserable life
estar um dia de cão	be a dog day	be a miserable day (usually weather)

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Note the difference between English "dog days" (hot summer days, from the Dog Star Sirius) and Portuguese dia de cão (a miserable day, usually because of weather or bad luck). The English phrase evokes heat; the Portuguese one evokes hardship. Do not mix them up.

Galinha e galo — hen and rooster

The hen in Portuguese is forgetful; the rooster is pompous. Both feature in everyday put-downs.

Ele tem cabeça de galinha, esqueceu-se do aniversário outra vez.

He's got a hen's brain, he forgot the birthday again.

Anda todo a cantar de galo desde que foi promovido.

He's been strutting around since he got promoted. (lit. crowing like a rooster — full of himself)

Deito-me com as galinhas e levanto-me com o galo.

I go to bed with the hens and get up with the rooster. (early to bed, early to rise)

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Cabeça de galinha ("hen's head") is one of several Portuguese idioms for forgetfulness. Others include memória de peixe ("fish memory") and, from the body idioms page, cabeça de vento ("head of wind"). Each has a slightly different flavour: galinha emphasizes scatteredness, peixe emphasizes short-term forgetting, vento emphasizes being generally empty-headed.

Coelho, lebre, ovelha — rabbit, hare, sheep

Rabbits in Portuguese do the magician's work; hares do the running; sheep do the conforming.

O ministro tirou coelhos da cartola na entrevista desta noite.

The minister pulled rabbits out of the hat in tonight's interview.

O miúdo corre como uma lebre, vai ganhar a corrida.

The kid runs like a hare, he'll win the race.

Sempre fui a ovelha negra da família, gosto assim.

I've always been the black sheep of the family, I like it that way.

Urso, leão, lobo — bear, lion, wolf

The bear brings affection despite its size; the lion brings danger; the wolf brings cunning and appetite.

Deu-me um abraço de urso quando me viu à porta.

He gave me a bear hug when he saw me at the door.

Na reunião, senti-me entre leões — todos contra mim.

At the meeting, I felt like I was among lions — everyone against me.

Cuidado com ele, é um lobo em pele de cordeiro.

Watch out for him, he's a wolf in sheep's clothing.

Chego a casa com uma fome de lobo.

I get home with a wolf's hunger — absolutely ravenous.

Idiom	Literal	Meaning
abraço de urso	bear hug	bear hug
estar entre leões	be among lions	be surrounded by hostile people
ser um lobo em pele de cordeiro	be a wolf in sheep's skin	be a wolf in sheep's clothing
com fome de lobo	with wolf's hunger	absolutely ravenous
ser o bicho-papão	be the bogeyman	be the feared villain

Mosca — the fly

The fly in Portuguese is small and symbolic — a fly behind the ear suggests suspicion; a fly in the mood suggests crankiness. Estar com a mosca is one of those colourful idioms you only pick up in conversation.

Fiquei com uma mosca atrás da orelha depois daquela resposta evasiva.

I got suspicious after that evasive answer.

Cuidado, a Joana está com a mosca hoje.

Watch out, Joana is in a bad mood today.

Não matarias uma mosca, quanto mais o que dizem de ti.

You wouldn't hurt a fly, let alone do what they say about you.

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Ter a mosca atrás da orelha ("have a fly behind the ear") — or the variant ter a pulga atrás da orelha ("have a flea behind the ear") — both mean the same thing: to be suspicious, to sense something is off. Both are current in Portugal; pulga is slightly more common in urban speech. Do not confuse with the Brazilian ficar com a pulga atrás da orelha, which is also current but slightly more colloquial in BR.

Pássaros e peixes — birds and fish

Birds and fish make their way into proverbs more than idioms. The most famous is a variation on English's bird in the hand.

Mais vale um pássaro na mão do que dois a voar.

A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush. (lit. than two flying)

Tens memória de peixe, já te disse isso três vezes.

You've got a fish's memory, I've told you that three times.

Sente-se como um peixe fora de água nesta festa.

He feels like a fish out of water at this party.

Boi e cavalo — ox and horse

Large working animals turn up in proverbs of patience and realism. Portugal is still agrarian in its imagination.

A cavalo dado não se olha o dente.

Don't look a gift horse in the mouth. (lit. one doesn't look at the tooth of a given horse)

Não se mete a carroça à frente dos bois.

Don't put the cart before the horse. (lit. in front of the oxen)

Raposa, burro, vaca — fox, donkey, cow

These less glamorous animals all have their place.

Ele é matreiro como uma raposa, não o apanhas.

He's as cunning as a fox, you won't catch him out.

Não sejas burro, pensa antes de falar.

Don't be an idiot, think before you speak. (lit. don't be a donkey)

Ele é sagrado como uma vaca na Índia, ninguém o critica.

He's sacred like a cow in India, no one criticises him. (untouchable, beyond reproach)

PT-PT versus BR

Portuguese from Portugal and Portuguese from Brazil share a huge animal-idiom vocabulary — most of the expressions above exist in both varieties. But there are differences worth flagging.

Idea	PT-PT	BR
take the blame	pagar o pato	pagar o pato (same)
put up with indignity	engolir sapos	engolir sapos (same)
be crazy	ter macaquinhos no sótão	ter macaquinhos no sótão (same)
something fishy	aqui há gato	tem gato na tubulação (also: aqui há gato)
destitute	não ter onde cair morto	não ter onde cair morto (same)
be suspicious	ter a pulga / mosca atrás da orelha	ficar com a pulga atrás da orelha

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The Brazilian idiom descascar o abacaxi ("peel the pineapple" = deal with a tough problem) has made some inroads into European Portuguese, particularly in business contexts, but it still sounds Brazilian in casual Portuguese speech. In PT-PT, the everyday equivalent is resolver o problema or, more idiomatic, arregaçar as mangas ("roll up the sleeves"). See the food idioms page for more on this.

Não ter onde cair morto

This idiom deserves a section to itself because it is both common and often misunderstood. Literally "not to have where to fall dead", it means to be completely destitute — so poor you don't even have a patch of ground to die on. It is always said about a person, never an animal, despite the general animal theme.

Ele fala muito mas não tem onde cair morto.

He talks a lot but he's completely broke.

Depois do divórcio, ficou sem onde cair morto.

After the divorce, he was left with nothing.

Common mistakes

❌ Paguei a pato.

Incorrect — the idiom uses *o* (definite article), not a reduced form.

✅ Paguei o pato.

I took the blame.

❌ Engoli as rãs.

Wrong animal — the idiom uses *sapo* (toad/frog in this sense), not *rã*.

✅ Engoli sapos.

I swallowed my pride / put up with it.

❌ Aqui tem gato.

The wrong verb — the fixed phrase is *aqui há gato* (impersonal *haver*).

✅ Aqui há gato.

Something fishy here.

❌ Cada macaco no seu ramo.

Wrong word — the idiom uses *galho* (branch), not *ramo*.

✅ Cada macaco no seu galho.

Each to their own.

❌ Estou como um peixe sem água.

Almost — the fixed expression is *fora de água* (out of water), not *sem água* (without water).

✅ Estou como um peixe fora de água.

I feel like a fish out of water.

❌ Não tenho onde cair morto.

Grammatically fine, but note this describes destitution, not a passing embarrassment. Use carefully.

✅ Não tem onde cair morto — está na rua da amargura.

He's completely destitute — he's down on his luck.

Key takeaways

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Animal idioms often encode old rural knowledge. Pagar o pato comes from a folk tale, cada macaco no seu galho from observing monkey territoriality, gato escaldado from domestic accidents. When you learn an idiom, pause on the image — understanding the picture makes it stick.

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Before translating an English animal idiom into Portuguese, check whether the animal stays the same. Wolf in sheep's clothing → lobo em pele de cordeiro (same animal). A bird in the hand → um pássaro na mão (same animal). But black sheep → ovelha negra (same), while English "chicken" for coward → Portuguese galinha is possible but cobarde or maricas is more common in PT-PT. Not every English animal has a Portuguese counterpart.