Only a Gingeira Can Call Another Ginjeira Ginjeira

Well, this is a bit worrying. I’ve just written a blog post about the expression “Conhecer de Ginjeira”. When I went to tag it, my WordPress site seemed to recognise the expression, so I looked it up and found I’d already written the same explanation just a few months ago, in July. I often feel like my memory is declining in my late middle age, which is a cause for concern in a lot of ways, and definitely makes learning a language an uphill struggle. But to have researched and written a blog post just 15 weeks ago and to have zero recollection of having done so… Oh lord, my braincells are an endangered species. Anyway, for what it’s worth, here’s the November version of July’s article.

I came across an expression I didn’t recognise today: Conhecer de ginjeira.

It seems like not very much is known about the origins. An answer on the always-reliable Ciberduvidas says that it’s usually mildly negative, maybe implying you know their tricks and won’t be taken in by the. It goes on to suggest it is probably a rural expression meaning you’ve known them since you were young enough to pick ginjas (sour cherries) together. Like a lot of -eira words – pereira, maceira, nogueira, bananeira – a ginjeira is the tree on which the fruit grows.

The origin doesn’t quite fit this case because the speaker is the mother of the person under discussion, but that’s fine, expressions often take on a life of their own.