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Portuguese · Exclamations & Reactions

Credo!

KREH-doo · /ˈkɾɛ.du/

Ew! / Yuck! / Heaven forbid!

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"Creed (as in the Apostles' Creed)"

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

How to use it

Recoil in one word — disgust at something gross, or superstitious "God forbid" at a grim thought. Often stretched or doubled: "credo, que nojo!" ("ugh, how gross!"). Combined "credo-cruz" wards off bad luck, aunt-style. Clean and very common, slightly old-fashioned in a charming way.

Heard in the wild

Credo, tem uma barata na pia!

Ew, there's a cockroach in the sink!

Where it lands

Brazil (universal).

Quick answers

What does "Credo!" mean?
In Portuguese, "Credo!" means "Ew! / Yuck! / Heaven forbid!". Literally it's "Creed (as in the Apostles' Creed)". Recoil in one word — disgust at something gross, or superstitious "God forbid" at a grim thought. Often stretched or doubled: "credo, que nojo!" ("ugh, how gross!"). Combined "credo-cruz" wards off bad luck, aunt-style. Clean and very common, slightly old-fashioned in a charming way.
Is "Credo!" 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 "Credo!"?
Say it "KREH-doo" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈkɾɛ.du.

Related in Portuguese

Merda! MEHR-dah Shit! / Crap! Meu Deus! meh-oo DEH-oos Oh my God! / Good Lord! Vixe! VEE-shee Uh-oh! / Yikes! / Oh dear! Porra! POH-hah Damn! / Fuck! — but mostly used as pure punctuation Caralho! kah-RAH-lyoo Fuck! / Hell! — exclamation and all-purpose intensifier Droga! DROH-gah Darn! / Damn it!

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "Disgusting".

how to say "Disgusting" →

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