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  2. Portuguese to English
  3. Slang

tirar leite de pedra

English translation: to get blood out of a stone

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:tirar leite de pedra
English translation:to get blood out of a stone

01:48 Jan 9, 2010
    The asker opted for community grading. The question was closed on 2010-01-12 21:54:09 based on peer agreement (or, if there were too few peer comments, asker preference.)


Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Slang / saying
Portuguese term or phrase: tirar leite de pedra
How do you say this in English?
Fano
to get blood out of a stone
Explanation:
get blood out of a stone - Idioms - by the Free Dictionary ...
Definition of get blood out of a stone in the Idioms Dictionary. get blood out of a stone phrase. What does get blood out of a stone expression mean?
idioms.thefreedictionary.com/get+blood+out+of+a+stone

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Note added at 5 mins (2010-01-09 01:54:26 GMT)
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Link

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/blood out of a ...
Selected response from:

Marlene Curtis
United States
Local time: 03:31
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
5 +14to get blood out of a stone
Marlene Curtis
4like beating a dead horse . . .
David Drysdale (X)
4to draw blood out of a stone
Paul Dixon
3 -1(it's like) pulling teeth
Beta Cummins


  

Answers


3 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): -1
(it's like) pulling teeth


Explanation:
Suggestion. "Pulling teeth" is as difficult as "tirar leite de pedra"

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Note added at 4 mins (2010-01-09 01:53:56 GMT)
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See an example here:

http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/like pulling teeth

Beta Cummins
United States
Local time: 03:31
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 8

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
disagree  David Drysdale (X): "Pulling teeth" is tough, no question about iit, but it's still doable! However, "tirar leite de pedra" is more than just tough, it can't be done!
4 hrs
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4 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5 peer agreement (net): +14
to get blood out of a stone


Explanation:
get blood out of a stone - Idioms - by the Free Dictionary ...
Definition of get blood out of a stone in the Idioms Dictionary. get blood out of a stone phrase. What does get blood out of a stone expression mean?
idioms.thefreedictionary.com/get+blood+out+of+a+stone

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 5 mins (2010-01-09 01:54:26 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Link

http://www.usingenglish.com/reference/idioms/blood out of a ...

Marlene Curtis
United States
Local time: 03:31
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 32
Grading comment
Selected automatically based on peer agreement.

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  R. Alex Jenkins: sure
22 mins
agree  airmailrpl: or "get blood from a stone"
3 hrs
  -> http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&source=hp&q=to get blood ...
agree  suesimons
7 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  Salvador Scofano and Gry Midttun
7 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
7 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Isabel Maria Almeida
8 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  oxygen4u: :)
10 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Leniel Maccaferri: :)
11 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Paul Dixon: Yes, indeed.
11 hrs
  -> Thanks!
agree  Rachel Fell: or "You can't draw blood from a stone"
12 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Verginia Ophof: to squeeze blood from a stone
14 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Paula Vaz-Carreiro
16 hrs
  -> Grata!
agree  Marcella S.
1 day 47 mins
  -> Grata!
agree  Flavia Martins dos Santos
1 day 10 hrs
  -> Grata!
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4 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
like beating a dead horse . . .


Explanation:
Suggestion:

Like beating a dead horse . . Here's an example:

Do you think it's worth sending my manuscript to other publishers or I am just beating a dead horse?


David Drysdale (X)
United States
Local time: 01:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

11 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
to draw blood out of a stone


Explanation:
Another option.

Paul Dixon
Brazil
Local time: 04:31
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish, Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 19

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Paula Vaz-Carreiro: This isn't a different answer really - Marlene had already given this answer. You could have suggested the alternative phrasing in an 'agree' to her answer.
4 hrs
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