Glossary entry (derived from question below)
Portuguese term or phrase:
Do mal, o menos!
English translation:
The lesser of two evils!
Added to glossary by
Douglas Bissell
Jan 19, 2019 14:42
5 yrs ago
1 viewer *
Portuguese term
Do mal, o menos!
Portuguese to English
Art/Literary
General / Conversation / Greetings / Letters
I understand the idea of this Portuguese proverb, but can't think of an English equivalent
Proposed translations
(English)
Proposed translations
+6
36 mins
Selected
The lesse of two evils!
According to Cambridge at https://dictionary.cambridge.org/pt/dicionario/ingles/lesser...
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Note added at 46 mins (2019-01-19 15:28:35 GMT)
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Corrigindo, "the lesser of two evils". Foi um typo meu.
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Note added at 46 mins (2019-01-19 15:28:35 GMT)
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Corrigindo, "the lesser of two evils". Foi um typo meu.
Example sentence:
"Every day you choose the best you can find among imperfect options, “the lesser of two evils” as the saying goes."
"Is the ‘lesser of two evils’ an ethical choice for voters?"
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Liliana Arcanjo
0 min
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Obrigado, Liliana!
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|
agree |
Katarina Peters
: ooops... I took too long to write it down and didn't see yours...
5 mins
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Obrigado, Katarina!
|
|
agree |
Margarida Ataide
47 mins
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Obrigado, Margarida!
|
|
agree |
Mario Freitas
:
4 hrs
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Obrigado, Mario!
|
|
agree |
Oliver Simões
: Yes, the lesser of two evils
5 hrs
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Obrigado, Simões!
|
|
agree |
Spiridon
: Yes Lesser...
1 day 16 hrs
|
Muito obrigado!
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4 KudoZ points awarded for this answer.
Comment: "Don't worry about the typo, I've corrected it for the glossary"
+1
40 mins
A lesser evil...
...comes to mind, as in "give me the lesser of two evils"
+2
44 mins
No harm done!
It was bad, but really, no harm done. It could have been worse.
Peer comment(s):
agree |
Verginia Ophof
: on a positive note
30 mins
|
Obrigada, Verginia!
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agree |
Margarida Ataide
38 mins
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Obrigada, Margarida!
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2 hrs
"Not so bad" or "It could have been worse"
The expression basically means "of all the bad that could have happened, this was the least bad". "Not so bad" would be an informal way to translate it and "It could have been worse" a more formal way.
3 hrs
+2
22 hrs
The lesser of two evils!
Douglas: Deve ser "Do mal, o menor! (e não menos). "Lesse" é nome de um rio. Deve ser "The lesser of two evils".
6 hrs
the least worst
Another option. Its's the title of a book and a film, which may be where the expression came from in Portuguese, although 'lesser of two evils' goes way back.
The Least Worst Place - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Least_Worst_Place
The Least Worst Place: How Guantanamo Became the World's Most Notorious Prison is a book about the first several months of the operation of the …
The Least Worst Man (2018) - IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5801704/
Directed by Orlando Javier Torres. With Sarah Arroyo, Georgina Borri, Felix Monclova, Delvis Ortiz. On the day of his best friend's wedding, Richard, a cynical ...
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Note added at 2 days 4 hrs (2019-01-21 19:25:10 GMT)
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Or maybe 'the least of the worst'
The Least Worst Place - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Least_Worst_Place
The Least Worst Place: How Guantanamo Became the World's Most Notorious Prison is a book about the first several months of the operation of the …
The Least Worst Man (2018) - IMDb
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5801704/
Directed by Orlando Javier Torres. With Sarah Arroyo, Georgina Borri, Felix Monclova, Delvis Ortiz. On the day of his best friend's wedding, Richard, a cynical ...
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Note added at 2 days 4 hrs (2019-01-21 19:25:10 GMT)
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Or maybe 'the least of the worst'
Discussion
https://rontour.wordpress.com/tag/ronda-del-cims/ -
Video for "Do mal, o menor "▶ 14:14
Jul 12, 2015 - Uploaded by João Mota
Do mal o menor. Não queria ficar sem luz em Alta M