tampinha

[tam-pi-ˈɲa]
nounfemininepl: tampinhas
small cap, small lid, bottle cap
1. a small cap or lid, typically used to cover the opening of a bottle or container
She collected bottle caps from different sodas.
Ela colecionava tampinhas de diferentes refrigerantes.
2. a decorative or collectible small cap, often from beverages, used in children's games
Kids used to trade bottle caps as collectibles.
As crianças costumavam trocar tampinhas como colecionáveis.
3. colloquial: a small or insignificant thing
That's just a trifle, nothing important.
Isso é apenas uma tampinha, nada importante.
Tampinhas hold significant cultural importance in Brazil, particularly in nostalgic memories of childhood where children collected and traded bottle caps from sodas and beers. This practice was common in mid-to-late 20th century Brazil and remains an iconic symbol of Brazilian childhood culture. The word is an affectionate diminutive of 'tampa' and reflects the Brazilian linguistic tendency to use diminutives for everyday objects.
Synonyms / Sinônimos
tampatampa pequenatampãorolha
Antonyms / Antônimos
aberturaboca

Regional Variations

General Brazilian
tampinha
standard diminutive form of tampa, commonly used in everyday speech
Rio de Janeiro
tampinha
popular term in childhood games and bottle cap collecting culture
São Paulo
tampinha
standard usage, particularly in beverage industry context
Portugal
tampa pequena
diminutive form less commonly used; prefer full form 'tampa'

Related Words

garrafafrascorecipientevedaçãotamparefrigerante

Related Idioms & Phrases

não valer uma tampinha - to be worthless
tampar com tampinha - to barely cover or fix something superficially
Look up more words on Fala2Me
The free English-Portuguese dictionary with real Brazilian accents, NYC slang, conjugator and more
Open Fala2Me →