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What is a colloquial/slang expression for a cigarette in Brazilian Portuguese?

I only know that the formal one is "cigarro m".

Thank you.

Jorge B.
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cornejo
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3 Answers3

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"Cigarro" is both formal and colloquial.

Some slang words and phrases are:

  • "pito", "crivo", "de branco" ([dressed] in white) - any cigarette

  • "mata-rato" (rat poison), "estoura-peito" (breast burster) - cheap, strong, bad cigarette

  • "guimba", "bituca", "bagana", "ponta" - a cigarette butt (or a joint).

Edited - also, "as vinte" (the twenty) - a cigarette butt.

(Edited because a cigarette butt is not a joint.)

ETA. Those words and expression are slang. And a good rule of thumb for any non-native speaker of any language is, "do not use slang"; the context for its use is complex and it is easy to make a fool of oneself by trying to use slang in a foreign language - even if you are quite fluent in its standard version.

Luís Henrique
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    Don't "guimba", "bituca", "bagana" mean "cigarette butt"? "ponta" sounds like the butt of a joint, also. Or is there another meaning of "joint" beside "marijuana cigarette" that I'm not aware of? – bfavaretto Oct 25 '16 at 16:14
  • I think those words mean both cigarette butt and marijuan cigarette, but I fear that I made a mistake here. To me "joint" meant the butt of a cigarette. Isn't it so? – Luís Henrique Oct 25 '16 at 16:25
  • I think joint means only "marijuana cigarette", but I'd like to hear a native speaker's take on this. – bfavaretto Oct 25 '16 at 16:58
  • @bfavaretto Edited it. – Luís Henrique Oct 25 '16 at 18:12
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"cigarro" is the most common way to refer to cigarettes in pt=BR, in both formal and informal environments. There are several other names but none of them are widely used throughout the country. Some are slang words restricted to a specific group, some are regional usage. The dictionaries mention quite a few of them but, to be honest, I never heard them.

p.s. I've heard, however, the words "guimba" (a joint) and "mata-rato" (very low-quality cigarette), as mentioned by Luis Henrique in his answer.

Centaurus
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2

In addition to the other answers, one may also use the word "pigas (m)" (despite the "s", this is the singular form), as in

Me vê um pigas? (May I have a cigarette?)

I believe this is specific to the portuguese as spoken in the city of São Paulo.

Also, my friends and I sometimes use the word "cigarette", but with a Portuguese pronunciation, something like "cigaréti", but I've never heard this outside this specific group of friends.

Both words, "pigas" and "cigarette", refer to tobacco cigarettes.

Hartigor
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