Phrase · 🎶 Cultural references & allusions
Ao vencedor, as batatas!
To the victor, the potatoes! (to the winner go the spoils)
C2ironic comment on winnersliterarylearned as a wholeAudio · coming soon
Why every word is where it is
Aoprepositionto thea + o · masc. · sing. · definitevencedornounwinnermasc. · sing.,asdeterminertheo · fem. · pl. · definitebatatas1nounpotatoesbatata · fem. · pl.!
- Ao → batatas: verbless sentence: the potatoes go to the winner
- batatas → vencedor: the prize belongs to the winner
Why it's built this way
The notes match the numbers above.
- 1Allusion to Machado de Assis's «Quincas Borba» (1891): life as a struggle where the winner takes the spoils; used ironically.