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foul

[/faʊl/]
adjective, verb, nounpl: fouls (noun)
sujo, imundo, falta (esportiva)
1. extremely dirty or unpleasant
The water smelled foul and was unsafe to drink.
A água cheirava a imundo e era perigoso beber.
2. morally offensive or wicked
He committed a foul deed that shocked the community.
Ele cometeu um ato abominável que chocou a comunidade.
3. violating the rules of a game or sport
The referee called a foul on the defensive player.
O árbitro marcou uma falta no jogador defensivo.
4. to violate rules in sports; to entangle or collide
The pitcher fouled the batter with an inside pitch.
O arremessador cometeu uma falta contra o rebatedor com um arremesso por dentro.
5. an infraction in sports
He committed five fouls and was removed from the game.
Ele cometeu cinco faltas e foi retirado do jogo.
NYC Slang
foul - used colloquially to mean 'gross' or 'disgusting' or in sports context
Synonyms
dirtyfilthyobscenevilewickedviolation
Antonyms
cleanpurefairhonestvirtuous

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
sujo, falta
Most common usage in Brazil for both meanings
São Paulo
falta (sports), imundo (general)
Sports terminology widely used
Rio de Janeiro
falta, sujo
Casual pronunciation often drops final consonant
Portugal
sujo, imundo, falta
Similar usage to Brazilian Portuguese with slight pronunciation differences

Related Idioms & Phrases

foul play - ato criminoso (criminal activity)
foul up - estragar tudo (to ruin or bungle something)
fall foul of - entrar em conflito com (to come into conflict with someone)
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