Portuguese · At the Bar (Boteco)
Cachaça
kah-SHAH-sah · /ka.ˈʃa.sa/
Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit
mild, playful; fine on daytime TV
Literally
"Cane spirit"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The national spirit — the base of a caipirinha, sold plain as "pinga" or "51." Ordering it marks you as game. Slang extends it: "ele gosta da cachaça" means the guy likes to drink, and metaphorically "a cachaça dele é o futebol" means football is his addiction. Clean; a cultural must-know.
Heard in the wild
Vamos tomar uma cachaça pra esquentar?
Shall we have a shot of cachaça to warm up?
Where it lands
Brazil (universal); regional names — pinga, caninha, aguardente.
Quick answers
- What does "Cachaça" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Cachaça" means "Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit". Literally it's "Cane spirit". The national spirit — the base of a caipirinha, sold plain as "pinga" or "51." Ordering it marks you as game. Slang extends it: "ele gosta da cachaça" means the guy likes to drink, and metaphorically "a cachaça dele é o futebol" means football is his addiction. Clean; a cultural must-know.
- Is "Cachaça" offensive?
- It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
- How do you pronounce "Cachaça"?
- Say it "kah-SHAH-sah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ka.ˈʃa.sa.
Related in Portuguese
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "A rude toast".
- French Cul sec ! Bottoms up! / Down it in one!
- German Prost! Cheers!
- Greek γεια μας Cheers! — the standard toast.
- Italian Cin cin! Cheers!
- Japanese 一気 Chug! Chug! / down it in one!
- Korean 짠! Cheers! — the toast is the sound effect itself.
- Polish na zdrowie! Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze).
- Russian На посошок! One for the road!
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