To eat the bread that the Devil kneaded is such a vivid image that I couldn’t find a good cover image for this post. Still, it’s a fascinating expression, and you can probably guess what it means: to be in an exceptionally difficult situation. As I explained in What is the Difference Between “Férias” and “Feriado”?, Brazil is a mostly Catholic country, so every now and then we come across expressions and idioms rooted in Catholic beliefs.
Comer o pão que o Diabo amassou is not something a Catholic person would want to do, and over time the expression became synonymous with suffering and hardship, especially when talking about experiences that were extremely painful or difficult.
We mostly use this expression in the past tense, and sometimes in the future, because it is usually said when talking about hardships someone has gone through.
For the English translations, I decided to go with to catch hell and to go through hell, depending on the context. Let’s get to the examples.
To catch hell
Os alunos comeram o pão que o diabo amassou nas mãos do professor de matemática.
The students caught hell at the hands of the math teacher.
Ela comeu o pão que o diabo amassou durante seu divórcio, mas saiu mais forte.
She caught hell during her divorce, but came out stronger.
Se a gente não atingir a meta de vendas, a gente vai comer o pão que o diabo amassou com a gerência.
If we don’t meet the sales target, we’ll catch hell from management.
To go through hell
Como mãe solteira, ela comeu o pão que o diabo amassou criando três filhos sozinha.
As a single mom, she went through hell raising three kids alone.
Ela comeu o pão que o diabo amassou pra terminar o curso, trabalhando em tempo integral e criando filhos.
She went through hell to finish her degree while working full-time and raising kids.
Depois do acidente, Pedro comeu o pão que o diabo amassou tentando se recuperar e andar novamente.
After the accident, Pedro went through hell trying to recover and walk again.
A gente comeu o pão que o diabo amassou quando nos mudamos pra a cidade sem conhecer ninguém.
We went through hell when we moved to the city without knowing anyone.
Durante a pandemia, muitas famílias comeram o pão que o diabo amassou pra sobreviver.
During the pandemic, many families went through hell just to survive.
Eu comi o pão que o diabo amassou pra chegar onde eu tô.
I’ve been through hell to get where I am.
Minha avó comeu o pão que o Diabo amassou criando seis filhos sozinha.
My grandmother went through hell raising six kids alone.
A gente comeu o pão que o diabo amassou por anos antes que nosso negócio finalmente decolasse.
We went through hell for years before our business finally took off.
That’s it! My advice is that you use this expression right away, and maybe you will now start noticing everywhere. Now it’s the time to practice, so review the flashcards below and I will te ver no próximo post!