testa de ferro

Portuguese

Alternative forms

• testa-de-ferro (pre-1990 spelling)

Etymology

Pseudo-Italianism, derived from testa +‎ Portuguese de +‎ ferro, literally “iron head”.

Pronunciation

 

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛs.tɐ d͡ʒi ˈfɛ.ʁu/ [ˈtɛs.tɐ d͡ʒi ˈfɛ.hu]

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛs.tɐ d͡ʒi ˈfɛ.ʁu/ [ˈtɛs.tɐ d͡ʒi ˈfɛ.hu]
  • (Rio de Janeiro) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛʃ.tɐ d͡ʒi ˈfɛ.ʁu/ [ˈtɛʃ.tɐ d͡ʒi ˈfɛ.χu]
  • (Southern Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛs.ta de ˈfɛ.ʁo/ [ˈtɛs.ta de ˈfɛ.ho]

• (Portugal) IPA^(key): /ˈtɛʃ.tɐ dɨ ˈfɛ.ʁu/ [ˈtɛʃ.tɐ ðɨ ˈfɛ.ʁu]

• Hyphenation: tes‧ta‧de‧fe‧rro

Noun

testa de ferro m or f by sense (plural testas de ferro)

1. front man, straw man

   Synonyms: títere, homem de palha, (Brazil) laranja

Further reading

• “testa de ferro”, in Dicionário infopédia da Língua Portuguesa (in Portuguese), Porto: Porto Editora, 2003–2024
• “testa de ferro”, in iDicionário Aulete (in Portuguese), Rio de Janeiro: Lexikon Editora Digital, 2008–2024