Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
ir à lã e sair de lá tosquiado
English translation:
went for wool and came back fleeced
Added to glossary by
Douglas Bissell
Nov 24, 2017 15:18
6 yrs ago
2 viewers *
Portuguese term
Portugal
Business Language Solutions Pt>Eng
Native in: English 
Works in: Portuguese to English, English to Portuguese
ir à lã e sair de lá tosquiado
Portuguese to English
Other
Idioms / Maxims / Sayings
“Sei que nunca se aproveita um ano de seca para renegociar caudais, chama-se a isso ir à lã e sair de lá tosquiado”, referiu, salientando, contudo, que gostaria de começar a abordar a gestão comum das águas no encontro.
please note carefully the different accents on lã and lá, which, for now, I will consider as being correct.
I presume it is something about getting fleased
please note carefully the different accents on lã and lá, which, for now, I will consider as being correct.
I presume it is something about getting fleased
Proposed translations
+1
17 hrs
Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
United States
Native in English
United States
Each translation a gem!
Native in: English (Variant: US)
Works in: Spanish to English, Portuguese to English
Related KudoZ points
:
66
Selected
went for wool and came back fleeced
This preserves the double-entendre.
www.dictionary.com/browse/fleeced1530s in the literal sense of "to strip a sheep of fleece;" 1570s in the figurative meaning "to cheat, swindle," from fleece (n.). Related: Fleeced; fleecing.
From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry:2fleece
Pronunciation:*
Function:transitive verb
Inflected Form:-ed/-ing/-s
1 a : to shear the fleece from (as a sheep) b : to remove (as wool) by shearing or plucking
2 a : to strip (as a person) of property by fraud or extortion : DESPOIL, PLUNDER *fleeced the church to build an estate for his sons*; sometimes : to charge excessively for service or goods *garish roadhouses where the customer knew he would be fleeced* b : to obtain by rapacious or improper means *never hesitated to fleece a fee from a poor widow*
www.dictionary.com/browse/fleeced1530s in the literal sense of "to strip a sheep of fleece;" 1570s in the figurative meaning "to cheat, swindle," from fleece (n.). Related: Fleeced; fleecing.
From Merriam-Webster:
Main Entry:2fleece
Pronunciation:*
Function:transitive verb
Inflected Form:-ed/-ing/-s
1 a : to shear the fleece from (as a sheep) b : to remove (as wool) by shearing or plucking
2 a : to strip (as a person) of property by fraud or extortion : DESPOIL, PLUNDER *fleeced the church to build an estate for his sons*; sometimes : to charge excessively for service or goods *garish roadhouses where the customer knew he would be fleeced* b : to obtain by rapacious or improper means *never hesitated to fleece a fee from a poor widow*
4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "An elegant solution, thank you so much"
8 mins
Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
Brazil
Brazil
Native in Portuguese
Works in field
Brazil
Passionate, reliable
Native in: Portuguese
Works in: English to Portuguese, German to Portuguese, Dutch to Portuguese, and 8 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
24
to get more than you bargained for
.
27 mins
Matheus Chaud
Brazil
Brazil
Native in Portuguese
Brazil
IT Specialist • M.A. in Linguistics
Native in: Portuguese (Variant: Brazilian)
Works in: English to Portuguese, Spanish to Portuguese, Portuguese to English, and 1 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
to jump out of the frying pan into the fire
Não é exatamente a mesma coisa, mas é idiomático e talvez sirva.
Se o ano já está ruim (ano de seca), tentar renegociações só tende a piorar ainda mais as coisas.
Estamos tentando sair de uma situação ruim (the frying pan) achando que a coisa vai melhorar, mas acaba piorando ("into the fire"), em vez de melhorar.
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Note added at 36 mins (2017-11-24 15:55:10 GMT)
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Uma solução não idiomática talvez seja
try to make a profit, but end up getting ripped off
Se o ano já está ruim (ano de seca), tentar renegociações só tende a piorar ainda mais as coisas.
Estamos tentando sair de uma situação ruim (the frying pan) achando que a coisa vai melhorar, mas acaba piorando ("into the fire"), em vez de melhorar.
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Note added at 36 mins (2017-11-24 15:55:10 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------
Uma solução não idiomática talvez seja
try to make a profit, but end up getting ripped off
+3
1 hr
Salvador Scofano and Gry Midttun
Norway
Norway
Native in Portuguese
Norway
Salvador Scofano and Gry Midttun
Engineer:Oil&Gas/Electron/Finan/Law/HSEQ
Native in: Norwegian 
, Portuguese
Works in: English to Portuguese, Norwegian to Portuguese, Portuguese to Norwegian, and 19 more.
Related KudoZ points
:
8
went for wool and came back shorn
Peer comment(s):
| agree |
Matheus Chaud
: Perfeito, aqui tem uma pequena variação: "go out for wool and come home shorn" - http://www.oxfordreference.com/view/10.1093/acref/9780199539...
3 mins
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Obrigado pelo agree e pelo comentário sempre benvindo!
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| agree |
Nick Taylor
3 hrs
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Obrigado!
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| agree |
Mario Freitas
:
4 hrs
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Obrigado!
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Discussion