Lingua 5B wrote:
And what would be "time waisting" ? Is it when you wrap a time calendar around your waist ?
We have a Brazilian slang expression "empurrar com a barriga" - literally to push it with one's belly - meaning to procrastinate
http://www.watchingamerica.com/oglobo000035.shtml
gives a good explanation:
Bush spoke of arranging meetings with the 15 biggest carbon emitters - amongst them Brazil - over the next 18 months, until he leaves the White House. This is what is called in good Portuguese, pushing with your belly [to delay]. The American President’s proposal is seductive, especially for countries like India and China, who are amongst the top three polluters but remain free of obligations for establishing emission reduction targets.
[Editor's Note: The Brazilian expression empurrar com a barriga literally means pushing with your belly, and implies putting something off or delaying an action. The reason, which was given by way of example by a Brazilian individual, was: "when you are pushing a grocery cart with two hands, you are moving it along intentionally - you want it to move forward. But when you push with your belly, it goes forward without direction, it is not being steered. In other words, Bush is pushing the climate issue ahead [with his belly] without really intending to find a solution to it]."
Maybe that's grounds for launching a new term:
"Time waisting means belly-pushing the issue."
(... if the Brazilians haven't been using it in Miami already)
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