Further on in Como é Linda a Puta da Vida and I’ve come across another thing that made me smile: the Portuguese call foreplay Marmalade.
Or rather Mermelada. As you might know, we get the word from the Portuguese. There’s a folk-etymology about the word, involving Mary Queen of Scots but don’t believe the hype – it’s Portuguese, even though their marmalade is a gelatinous substance made from quince, and ours is a delicious orange-based sticky goo.
Anyway, Miguel Esteves Cardoso bemoans the fact that Marmalade (literal and figurative) is less used these days. The modern word is “preliminares” which is drab to the point of sounding like a bureaucratic procedure, so I can see his point. The double-entendre potential alone of Marmalade should make it an invaluable word. Keep it, you fools!
Luso 