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  3. General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters

do pé para a mão

English translation: off the top of my head

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
Portuguese term or phrase:do pé para a mão
English translation:off the top of my head
Entered by: Barbara Cochran, MFA

15:52 Feb 17, 2014
Portuguese to English translations [PRO]
Art/Literary - General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters / Fiction Novel
Portuguese term or phrase: do pé para a mão
Context:

-Sabe-me dizer onde fica a guest-house Li? perguntou, a determinada altura, a uma rapariga com que se cruzou.

Ela mostrou-se um tanto ou quanto atrapalhada:

-Assim, do pé para a mão, e difícil! Há tantas guest-houses por aqui...

Obrigada,

Barbara
Barbara Cochran, MFA
United States
Local time: 01:04
off the top of my head
Explanation:
forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk › ... › Chit chat‎ : Practical Fishkeeping. "I'll have a think about stocking options, off the top of my head it's not easy, as I'm trying to think what the fish will look like from above."
Selected response from:

Pablo Julián Davis
Local time: 00:04
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +9off the top of my head
Pablo Julián Davis
4 +4at the drop of a hat
Marlene Curtis
4 +1It's hard to say
Muriel Vasconcellos
3Out of the blue
Silvia Reis


Discussion entries: 2





  

Answers


8 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +9
off the top of my head


Explanation:
forum.practicalfishkeeping.co.uk › ... › Chit chat‎ : Practical Fishkeeping. "I'll have a think about stocking options, off the top of my head it's not easy, as I'm trying to think what the fish will look like from above."

Pablo Julián Davis
Local time: 00:04
Native speaker of: Native in SpanishSpanish, Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 4

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Catarina Aleixo
39 mins
agree  Adriana Maciel
1 hr
agree  John Copestake (X)
1 hr
agree  Nick Taylor
1 hr
agree  Richard Purdom
1 hr
agree  T o b i a s
3 hrs
agree  Paulinho Fonseca
4 hrs
agree  Geoffrey Chan
13 hrs
agree  Lucy Phillips
15 hrs
Login to enter a peer comment (or grade)

10 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Out of the blue


Explanation:
do pé para a mão significa assim de repente - out of the blue


    Reference: http://www.flirt.net.novis.pt/arquivo/f_novembro/editorial.h...
Silvia Reis
Portugal
Local time: 06:04
Specializes in field
Native speaker of: Portuguese
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6 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +4
at the drop of a hat


Explanation:

Assim, de repente, é difícil...

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 18 mins (2014-02-17 16:11:29 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

at the drop of a hat
(idiomatic) without any hesitation; instantly
We're expected to just do it at the drop of a hat - no notice or anything. It's disgraceful.
Synonyms[edit]
(instantly): at a moment's notice

http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/at_the_drop_of_a_hat

Marlene Curtis
United States
Local time: 01:04
Native speaker of: Native in PortuguesePortuguese
PRO pts in category: 254

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Jessica Guimaraes
7 mins
  -> Grata!
agree  Verginia Ophof
21 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Catarina Lopes
46 mins
  -> Thanks!
agree  Mario Freitas:
50 mins
  -> Thanks!
neutral  T o b i a s: Doesn't fit - precisely because 'at the drop of a hat' means, as noted above, 'without any hesitation'.
3 hrs
  -> In the Phillipines?
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +1
Do pé para a mão, é difícil
It's hard to say


Explanation:
In this context, I would include the next phrase and turn it into a single statement. I don't think it's as important to understand the idiom as it is to give the dynamic equivalent of what a native speaker would say in the circumstances.

Muriel Vasconcellos
United States
Local time: 22:04
Native speaker of: Native in EnglishEnglish
PRO pts in category: 100

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  T o b i a s: Ante duly upped :)
53 mins
  -> Thanks, Tobias!
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