With the World Cup coming up, you will surely come upon many inebriated Brazilians and foreigners on the streets. Whereas in English I can only think of two ways to describe them – Alcoholic, Drunkard – the descriptive Brazilians have a ton of ways to playfully insult their indulgent friends. Throw these words around at the next party and impress your new friends!
- Cachaceiro/a – Cachaça, a sugar cane distilled alcohol, is the national alcohol of Brazil. So, you can imagine that cachaçeiro (or cachaçeira for females) means a person who drinks a lot of cachaça, or alcohol in general
- Pinguço/a: Pinga is a type of cachaça, with a reputation of f**king you up. A pinguço (fem. pinguça) is someone who drinks a lot of pinga, or alcohol in general
- Bebum/beberrão: The verb beber means drink, so bebum pretty much translate to drunkard
- Pé de cana: Literally foot of the sugar cane, the word describes someone who drinks too much by equating him or her to the primary ingredient of cachaça
Fun fact: Mineiros (Folks from Minas Gerais state, where the city Belo Horizonte is located) are known to be the most cachaçeiros in Brazil … I thought it was a myth until I met a Mineiro walking around the famous tourist site Pão de Açucar Sugar Loaf mountain in Rio with a bottle of cachaça in his hand
