# caprichar em



## la jeremiada de Jeremías

Hello Friends,

What could *caprichar em* mean?  My guess is that it has the primary meaning of "to show something off", but in the some of the examples I see, I'm not satisfied with that.  I'm tempted to say, "to offer up (something)", "to display (something)"

I've found several intriguing examples (thanks to Google image search):

1.  At a site called info abril com br, the title of the review of an LG mobile phone reads, "Celular LG Secret *capricha nos* recursos multimídia."  

2.  The next example is from moda dos famosos abril com.  The title of a post about Sabrina Sato (oh heavenly beauty!) goes like this:  Sabrina Sato *capricha no* decote para o desfile da lódice."

3.  In the song "Pivete" by Chico Buarque, I'm puzzled by this usage:

No sinal fechado / Ele vende chiclete / *Capricha na flanela* / E se chama Pelé.

Does it simply mean he's wearing flannel, or that he's brandishing a piece of flannel that he might use to wash windshields?  

I would appreciate the help...thanks.

(Edit)  _I'm aware of the caprichar thread, but_ _I wonder if caprichar em is different enough to merit a new one.  I guess I'll find out soon._


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## Vanda

caprichar- make one's best.

You have caprichado in the examples you've given above about caprichar.


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

Vanda said:


> caprichar- make one's best.
> 
> You have caprichado in the examples you've given above about caprichar.



Thanks as always, Vanda, but I still don't know how to translate *capricha na flanela* in the above context.


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## Erick404

"Capricha na flanela", in this context, means that he tries to do a very good job of using a flannel - supposedly to wash windshields.
Maybe you could translate this particular case with "work hard", but have in mind that this isnt always a good translation for "caprichar".


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

Erick404 said:


> "Capricha na flanela", in this context, means that he tries to do a very good job of using a flannel - supposedly to wash windshields.
> Maybe you could translate this particular case with "work hard", but have in mind that this isnt always a good translation for "caprichar".



Thanks, Erick.  So he is trying to wash windshields!

Since caprichar is not in the Portuguese/English part of the dictionary, I had to follow a windy road to some Spanish equivalents to get an idea of what it means.

Google image search was helpful in that a phrase like, "Sabrina Sato capricha no decote" is easy to understand...and the accompanying photo is easy to look at.

How then do I rectify the two seemingly different meanings of caprichar em?  Perhaps I can translate them both with the slangy "to work (something)":

Sabrina Sato works her neckline...
He (Pelé) works his flannel...

Can someone give me another example more like the flannel one and unlike nos. 1 and 2 above?  Thanks.


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## caioguima

A good translation would be: ''caprichar em algo'' = '' to put a good effort into something"

_A comida está deliciosa. Você realmente caprichou no feijão_
_The food is delicious. You really put an effort into the preparation of the beans._


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## caioguima

Le Jeremíada,

No.. It doesn´t actually mean 'to work' something. I´d say it means 'to put an effort into doing something''

For example:
"Pelé caprichou na flanela''
"Pelé put a good effort in trying to wash the windshields (i.e. He did a good job!)

"Sabrina Sato caprichou no decote"
"Sabrina Sato really made an effort into showing her dress cleavage (yes, it does mean she went out with a really cut-out cleavage)"


Here´s another example. How about you try to translate it?
"Zico caprichou na cobrança de falta"


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

caioguima said:


> Le Jeremíada,
> 
> No.. It doesn´t actually mean 'to work' something. I´d say it means 'to put an effort into doing something''
> 
> For example:
> "Pelé caprichou na flanela''
> "Pelé put a good effort in trying to wash the windshields (i.e. He did a good job!)
> 
> "Sabrina Sato caprichou no decote"
> "Sabrina Sato really made an effort into showing her dress cleavage (yes, it does mean she went out with a really cut-out cleavage)"
> 
> 
> Here´s another example. How about you try to translate it?
> "Zico caprichou na cobrança de falta"



Thanks, caioguima.

Uh...I don't know..."Zico tried really hard to make the penalty kick"?

Caioguima, "to put an effort into doing something" seems like a nice, elegant translation, but in my mind, it doesn't work for all the examples I've given.  For 1 and 2 in the original post, doesn't it sound better to say, "LG Secret shows off its multimedia capabilities," and "Sabrina Sato shows off her low cut neckline"?

I guess I'm looking at caprichar+em followed by a noun, not a verb, in which case, couldn't there be a more succinct way of translating such phrases?  

I'm still dissatisfied with the translations of "capricha na flanela" and the excellent one you contributed, "caprichou no feijão".  I should say, your translation is right, but is there no better way to render both in English?

Let me continune with an example of my own, from English.  Say there are a bunch of construction workers standing around talking, and one of them picks up a shovel and starts digging.  He digs and digs, and the shovel seems to be flying through the air.  In fact, he digs so well, he's getting the work done astonishingly fast, which prompts one of the other guys to say, "Man, you're really workin' that shovel!"  

What I'm trying to say is that I haven't given up on "to work (something)" as a possible translation for caprichar+em+thing.  Keep it mind, it's very slangy and has nothing to do with "to work a machine" or another standard dictionary entry.


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## caioguima

Believe me...

'Caprichar em algo' does not mean 'to work on something'

And, yes, it is quite difficult to translate 'caprichar' with just one word in english


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## Dom Casmurro

There's is not a single English word or phrase that encapsulates the different meanings of _caprichar em._ When Pelé _capricha na_ _flanela_, he tries to *impress* his patrons with his readiness to serve them. When the cellphone company _capricha nos recursos multimidia_, it *takes pride in* the multimedia features it offers to its customers. And when Sabrina Sato _capricha no decote_, she *makes the most of *her own beauty by wearing a dress with an amazing neckline.

In popular restaurants, waiters usually try to make an impression on customers by shouting to the cook: "Sai um filé com fritas _no capricho_!" ("Make a tenderloin with fries, and *make it good*!")


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

caioguima said:


> Believe me...
> 
> 'Caprichar em algo' does not mean 'to work on something'
> 
> And, yes, it is quite difficult to translate 'caprichar' with just one word in english



I'm not saying it means "to work on something".  "To work something" is very different, as I tried to show in the above example about the shovel.  A singer, for example, can "work the microphone" or "work the stage" during a performance.

Caio and Dom, yes I'm finding it's difficult to translate caprichar em.  I wish there was a dictionary entry of some kind here at wordreference.  Until then, I'll just keep my eye out for more examples.


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## moura

Hi Jeremías,

The more close that I found was "to be on one's mettle" translated by the dictionary to Portuguese as "meter-se em brios" - more or less the same sense of "caprichar".


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## coolbrowne

Caprichar em <algo> - To endeavor in <st>, to go to a lot of trouble for <st>


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## caioguima

Ok, I understood now what you meant with "work something" as in, for instance "she's really working that new hair style".. ok

But, it still does not mean the same thing as in "caprichar em''


"Aquela menina caprichou no decote"

would be best translated as

"That girl has got a really big cleavage with this dress" (She really made an effort to show her boobs with her dress)


To translate: "That girl is really working that neckline"
"Aquela menina esta arrasando com esse decote"


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

caioguima said:


> Ok, I understood now what you meant with "work something" as in, for instance "she's really working that new hair style".. ok
> 
> But, it still does not mean the same thing as in "caprichar em''
> 
> 
> "Aquela menina caprichou no decote"
> 
> would be best translated as
> 
> "That girl has got a really big cleavage with this dress" (She really made an effort to show her boobs with her dress)
> 
> 
> To translate: "That girl is really working that neckline"
> "Aquela menina esta arrasando com esse decote"



I appreciate those examples, Caio.  I guess caprichar em is one heck of an idiom.


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## Svefngenglar

Caprichar would mean to pull something off in style. I would say crapichar implies the end result is impressive AND one put some effort into it.


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## la jeremiada de Jeremías

Svefngenglar said:


> Caprichar would mean to pull something off in style. I would say crapichar implies the end result is impressive AND one put some effort into it.



Thanks.  That's a good one, too.


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## Erick404

la jeremiada de Jeremías said:


> I appreciate those examples, Caio.  I guess caprichar em is one heck of an idiom.



Yes, it's completely true. You have to get used with how it is employed.


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## Duver

To do with great care


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## alicenine

Oi,

Como vocês diriam "caprichar" em inglês? 

No sentido de "ele caprichou na pintura" ou "ela caprichou no molho"

Obrigada


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## Arrius

He became obsessed with painting.
He took up painting very serously.
He became very keen on/interested in painting. 
He was very much into painting (modern. colloquial)

*Sorry, thought this was the first page.*


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## Vanda

Temos uma longa discussão sobre caprichar acima.


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## Mr. Perussi

"LG Secret shows off its multimedia capabilities," 
Using "capricha em" you can understand as:
"LG is generous or full of multimedia capabilities"

in this case the same for Sabrina Sato´s neckline
"Sabrina Sato shows off her low cut neckline"?
Using "capricha no"
"Sabrina Sato was generous...

But most of the times you can understand as: "Do your best" in a popular way.


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## abovethelaws

O que é o significado de "caprichar". Ontem ouvi a minha amiga falando que alguem "caprichou" alguma coisa. 

Obrigado e sempre aprecio as suas ajudas. 
Ken


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