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lose one's bottle

[/luːz wʌnz ˈbɒtəl/]
verb phrase
perder a coragem
1. To lose one's nerve or courage; to become afraid or nervous and unable to do something one had planned to do
He was going to ask her out, but he lost his bottle at the last moment.
Ele ia convidá-la para sair, mas perdeu a coragem no último momento.
2. To lose confidence or determination in a challenging situation
The team lost their bottle in the second half of the match.
O time perdeu a coragem na segunda metade do jogo.
NYC Slang
chicken out / lose nerve
Synonyms
lose one's nervechicken outlose one's courageback downget cold feet
Antonyms
keep one's nervepluck up couragefind one's couragestand firm

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
perder a coragem / ficar com medo
Common in informal speech
Rio de Janeiro
perder a coragem / fraquear
Used colloquially in everyday conversation
São Paulo
perder a coragem / desistir na hora
More formal usage in urban areas
Portugal
perder a coragem / perder a pachorra
British English influence; used in European Portuguese

Related Idioms & Phrases

lose one's nerve
get cold feet
lose heart
back out
chicken out
lose the plot
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