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pull up short

[/pʊl ʌp ʃɔːrt/]
verb phrase
parar abruptamente; frear de repente
1. To stop suddenly or abruptly, either physically or metaphorically
The car pulled up short when the traffic light turned red.
O carro parou abruptamente quando o semáforo ficou vermelho.
2. To stop oneself before completing an action; to restrain or check oneself
He was about to say something rude but pulled up short and apologized instead.
Ele estava prestes a dizer algo rude, mas se conteve e pediu desculpas.
3. To fall short of a goal or expectation
The team pulled up short in their attempt to win the championship.
O time ficou aquém de suas expectativas na tentativa de ganhar o campeonato.
NYC Slang
pump the brakes; dead stop
Synonyms
stop abruptlyhalt suddenlycome to a haltbrake sharplycheck oneselfpull back
Antonyms
continueproceedaccelerateforge ahead

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
parar de repente; frear bruscamente
Common usage in everyday speech
São Paulo
dar uma freada
More colloquial, commonly used in traffic contexts
Portugal
parar abruptamente; travar de repente
Similar to Brazilian but with Portuguese vocabulary preferences

Related Idioms & Phrases

come to a stop
stop dead
stop in one's tracks
hold back
restrain oneself
fall short of
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