Tecla SAP Dicas de inglês

Jack Scholes

TROTE
[trick, prank, hoax, practical joke]

• Jamais passe trote em serviços públicos de emergência como polícia e bombeiros!
• Never play a practical joke on emergency public services like the police or fire brigade (UK) / fire department (US)!

TIPS & NOTES

Trote estudantil or simply trote is the traditional initiation new students are subjected to, especially at university. These freshmen (US), calouros in Portuguese, are often given unpleasant things to do, or have unpleasant things done to them, as part of the initiation rites and ceremonies. This usually includes painting the body, or shaving all or only parts of the boys’ heads. Once painted and shaved the calouros then set up ‘tolls’ at the traffic lights, asking drivers for money which is then used for drinking and partying. This is called pedir pedágio – Lit. ask for a toll.

Nowadays, instead of the traditional tests and tasks, which may result in harassment, abuse or humiliation, many students prefer the trote solidário or trote cidadão which involve such things as donating blood, planting trees or charity and community work.

A practical joke involving fabricated, unusual situations in which people are the victims is called a pegadinha. The long-running television series Candid Camera and the more recent prank show Punk’d are based on this kind of practical joke and on Brazilian TV many programmes use pegadinhas. The victims are usually ordinary people and the silly tricks played on them often involve the opportunity to get close to a beautiful, young women or the chance to have something expensive for a very cheap price.

Cf. Falsos Cognatos: CANDID
Cf. Expressões Idiomáticas: TRICK OR TREAT

Referência: “Break the Branch? Quebrar o Galho – Common, Everyday Words and Phrases in Brazilian Portuguese” de Jack Scholes, Disal Editora, 2008. Leia a resenha. Compare os preços e adquira seu exemplar na Disal ou no Submarino.