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Portuguese · At the Bar (Boteco)

Ressaca

heh-SAH-kah · /ʁe.ˈsa.ka/

Hangover

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"Undertow / rough sea"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

"Estou de ressaca" — the morning-after wreck, aptly named after a battering ocean undertow. Also used emotionally: "ressaca amorosa" is heartbreak's hangover after a breakup. Clean; the caipirinha's inevitable sequel.

Heard in the wild

Que ressaca... quantas caipirinhas eu tomei ontem?

What a hangover... how many caipirinhas did I have last night?

Where it lands

Brazil (universal).

Quick answers

What does "Ressaca" mean?
In Portuguese, "Ressaca" means "Hangover". Literally it's "Undertow / rough sea". "Estou de ressaca" — the morning-after wreck, aptly named after a battering ocean undertow. Also used emotionally: "ressaca amorosa" is heartbreak's hangover after a breakup. Clean; the caipirinha's inevitable sequel.
Is "Ressaca" 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 "Ressaca"?
Say it "heh-SAH-kah" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ʁe.ˈsa.ka.

Related in Portuguese

Tomar um porre toh-MAR oong POH-hee To get wasted / a drinking binge Bêbado BEH-bah-doo Drunk / a drunk person Mamado mah-MAH-doo Hammered / plastered Cachaça kah-SHAH-sah Cachaça — Brazilian sugarcane liquor; slang for booze/a drinking habit Saideira sye-DAY-rah One for the road / the last drink Putz! POOTS Darn! / Ugh! / Oh no!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Hungover".

how to say "Hungover" →

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