cor de burro quando foge
See also: cor-de-burro-quando-foge and côr de burro quando foge
Portuguese
FWOTD – 10 November 2014
Alternative forms
- cor-de-burro-quando-foge (pre-1990 spelling)
- côr de burro quando foge (pre-reform spelling)
Etymology
Literally, “colour of a donkey when it flees”.
Pronunciation
- (Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈkoʁ d͡ʒi ˈbu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒi/ [ˈkoɦ d͡ʒi ˈbu.hu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒi]
- (São Paulo) IPA(key): /ˈkoɾ d͡ʒi ˈbu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒi/ [ˈkoɾ d͡ʒi ˈbu.hu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒi]
- (Rio de Janeiro) IPA(key): /ˈkoʁ d͡ʒi ˈbu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒi/ [ˈkoʁ d͡ʒi ˈbu.χu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒi]
- (Southern Brazil) IPA(key): /ˈkoɻ de ˈbu.ʁo ˈkwɐ̃.do ˈfɔ.ʒe/ [ˈkoɻ de ˈbu.ho ˈkwɐ̃.do ˈfɔ.ʒe]
- (Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈkoɾ dɨ ˈbu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒɨ/ [ˈkoɾ ðɨ ˈβu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒɨ]
- (Southern Portugal) IPA(key): /ˈko.ɾi dɨ ˈbu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒɨ/ [ˈko.ɾi ðɨ ˈβu.ʁu ˈkwɐ̃.du ˈfɔ.ʒɨ]
Noun
cor de burro quando foge f (uncountable)
- (humorous) an indistinct or nameless colour
- 1999, Fernando Jorge, A Academia do Fardão e da Confusão: a Academia Brasileira de Letras e os seus “imortais” mortais, Geração Editorial, page 144:
- Além disso, pelo fato de ser bem vaidoso, ele pintava os cabelos com uma tinta meio suspeita, a qual lhes deu uma cor estranha. Cor de burro quando foge.
- Besides, due to the fact that he was very vain, he dyed his hair with a somewhat suspicious dye, which gave it a strange colour. A nameless colour.
Adjective
cor de burro quando foge (invariable)
- (humorous) having an indistinct or nameless colour