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  3. Slang

malhar com as costas

English translation: toiling away / breaking one's back

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:malhar com as costas
English translation:toiling away / breaking one's back
Entered by: Ana Vozone

11:24 Jan 13, 2022
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - Slang
Portuguese term or phrase: malhar com as costas
Esta merda desta guerra vai acabar
com a nossa juventude, pá! Que
alternativa é que um puto de 18
anos tem? Ou estuda ou vai malhar
com as costas em Angola! A malta
não quer morrer! E já se começaram
a pirar! E a culpa disto tudo,
sabes de quem é...
Douglas Bissell
Portugal
Local time: 22:56
toilin away / breaking one's back
Explanation:
What does it mean to toil away?
1 verb When people toil, they work very hard doing unpleasant or tiring tasks.


https://www.google.com/search?q="breaking their backs workin...

https://www.google.pt/search?q="toil away abroad"&sxsrf=AOae...


Selected response from:

Ana Vozone
Local time: 22:56
Grading comment
'breaking his back' fitted well, thanks Ana
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
3 +3toilin away / breaking one's back
Ana Vozone
4fight/be sent to war
Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
3(One either studies or is bound to) menial work in Angola
Mario Freitas
3fight their butt off
Oliver Simões
Summary of reference entries provided
malhar com as costas
Mark Robertson

Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


30 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5
fight/be sent to war


Explanation:
Não conheço a expressão, mas só pode ser isso.

Luciano Eduardo de Oliveira
Brazil
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 24
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1 hr   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
(One either studies or is bound to) menial work in Angola


Explanation:
Sugestão

Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 18:56
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 8
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2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +3
toilin away / breaking one's back


Explanation:
What does it mean to toil away?
1 verb When people toil, they work very hard doing unpleasant or tiring tasks.


https://www.google.com/search?q="breaking their backs workin...

https://www.google.pt/search?q="toil away abroad"&sxsrf=AOae...




Example sentence(s):
  • One of the common reasons that drive overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to toil away abroad is to be able to give
  • Having access to visual evidence is reassuring for mothers, who toil away abroad in order to offer a better life and education to their children
Ana Vozone
Local time: 22:56
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 8
Grading comment
'breaking his back' fitted well, thanks Ana

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Simone Taylor
29 mins
  -> Obrigada, Simone!
agree  Lucas Santos
1 hr
  -> Obrigada, Lucas!
agree  Antônio Souza
13 hrs
  -> Obrigada, Antônio!
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
fight their butt off


Explanation:
I've never heard this expression. My answer is based on some research and comparative analysis.

malhar: dar pancadas (Priberam)

The following excerpt is a reminiscence of 25 April (Revolução dos Cravos) in Portugal; on that day the author says he woke up feeling the air of "transformation" in their lives. He says he was determined to do whatever it takes to change his "way of life", then recalls the "big threats" on the part of some politicians:

"Lembro-me de um célebre Dr. Casal Ribeiro, de Castelo de Vide, a ameaçar todos os padres que abandonassem o seu múnus que iriam malhar com as costas na guerra de África..." https://animussemper.blogs.sapo.pt/25-de-abril-233239

In my understanding, he's saying that those priests who gave up their clerical functions would have to fight their butts off in the war(s) in Africa, perhaps as a sort of punishment (?). (At the time, Angola, Mozambique, and other lusophone countries in Africa were fighting for independence from Portugal.)

Another example sentence:

Não é de agora a ameaça que o autarca fez publicamente aos vereadores da oposição de que ainda irão “malhar com as costas na Justiça” coagindo a sua acção política para a qual foram, tal como ele, eleitos. (In this case, it means to fight their butt off in court.) http://gamvis.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-politica-da-rolha.html

Alternate translation: fight their arse off (EN-GB); fight their ass off (EN-US)

"Let his lawyers fight their arse off to prove in court that Team Palle has options for one more fight only and not three!!!" https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/palle-vs-kessler.12745...

I hope this helps.

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Note added at 2 hrs (2022-01-13 14:03:08 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

I suggest asking out Portuguese colleagues to get their opinion on this. Definitely, it's not a Brazilian idiom.

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 2 hrs (2022-01-13 14:11:03 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Correction:
... asking our...

Oliver Simões
United States
Local time: 14:56
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 4
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Reference comments


2 hrs
Reference: malhar com as costas

Reference information:
Está instalado um regime persecutório no Rossio, uma atitude intimidatória e lesiva da democracia que visa impedir o exercício da liberdade de expressão por parte dos viseenses e que ocupa hoje os gabinetes do executivo viseense a julgar pelos acontecimentos que correm pela cidade.

Não é de agora a ameaça que o autarca fez publicamente aos vereadores da oposição de que ainda irão “malhar com as costas na Justiça” coagindo a sua acção política para a qual foram, tal como ele, eleitos.

http://gamvis.blogspot.com/2020/10/a-politica-da-rolha.html

Num fim de semana entalado entre de Maio principio de Junho, nos idos de 1969,perdido em imensa multidão de malta nova, eu próprio, jovem recruta, ao tempo, prestando serviço militar, sabendo já, por ter sido primeiro melhor classificado da especialidade, estava ao abrigo de ir " malhar " com as costas a guerra do Ultramar, mesmo assim, permaneci nas fileiras, 40 meses.

https://tudodenovoaocidente.blogs.sapo.pt/corrida-na-pista-d...

Mark Robertson
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4
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