Portuguese · Football & the Terraces
Juiz ladrão!
zhoo-EES lah-DROWN · /ʒu.ˈis la.ˈdɾɐ̃w/
The ref's a crook! / You're robbing us, ref!
3/5 Watch your audience
genuinely rude; friends only, never at work
Literally
"Thief referee"
Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.
How to use it
The universal stadium howl at a bad call, often extended to the full chant "Ô juiz, vai tomar no cu!" The ref is always a "ladrão" (thief) rigging the game. Rude, but ambient and expected at any Brazilian match — nobody blinks. Save it for the terraces, not a five-a-side with strangers.
Heard in the wild
Isso não foi pênalti! Juiz ladrão!
That was never a penalty! The ref's a crook!
Where it lands
Brazil (universal); every stadium, every weekend.
Quick answers
- What does "Juiz ladrão!" mean?
- In Portuguese, "Juiz ladrão!" means "The ref's a crook! / You're robbing us, ref!". Literally it's "Thief referee". The universal stadium howl at a bad call, often extended to the full chant "Ô juiz, vai tomar no cu!" The ref is always a "ladrão" (thief) rigging the game. Rude, but ambient and expected at any Brazilian match — nobody blinks. Save it for the terraces, not a five-a-side with strangers.
- Is "Juiz ladrão!" offensive?
- It's genuinely rude — a 3/5 (Watch your audience) on the Punch-o-Meter. Fine among friends, never at work or with people you've just met.
- How do you pronounce "Juiz ladrão!"?
- Say it "zhoo-EES lah-DROWN" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ʒu.ˈis la.ˈdɾɐ̃w.
Related in Portuguese
Droga! DROH-gah Darn! / Damn it! Que sacanagem! sah-kah-NAH-zhang That's so unfair! / What a low blow! Pra caralho prah kah-RAH-lyoo As hell / a shitload / extremely Porra nenhuma! POH-hah neh-NYOO-mah Bullshit! / Like hell! / Not a damn thing Chato SHAH-too Annoying / boring / a pain Putz! POOTS Darn! / Ugh! / Oh no!
The same idea, elsewhere
Via concepts like "Screw you".
- French Enculé ! Motherf***er / bastard (one of the hardest personal insults)
- German Verpiss dich! Piss off! / Clear off (with force)!
- Greek άντε γαμήσου Go fuck yourself / get lost / piss off.
- Italian Vaffanculo! Fuck off! / Go to hell!
- Japanese クソ野郎 Piece of shit / shitty bastard
- Korean 개새끼 Son of a bitch / bastard — a real insult with no soft reading.
- Polish ty kurwo You whore / you bitch — the aimed kurwa, a different animal entirely.
- Russian Средний палец Screw you / the finger
Reviewed by native speakers. Rate it differently? Tell us what we got wrong.