Re:Etymology of tea
by felipelemos on Saturday March 14, 2020 @06:46AM
(#22574403)
I am from Brazil and while I never heard of Coco with that meaning, "Cuca" is a very known evil character from a very popular series of children's books called "Sítio do Picapau Amarelo"[1], and I would assume that its heavily influenced by the same legend, while in case of the books she is a witch and based more based on a dragon or an alligator than a bugbear. You can see it here from one of the several TV adaptation. [2]
Also, based on the series there is this popular music "A Cuca te pega", or in a free English translation: "The Cuca catch you". [3]
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C3%ADtio_do_Picapau_Amarel...
Slightly connected: I Just recently learned frkm Wikipedia that the word coco/côco from the coconut fruit comes from a portuguese folklore figure that i never heard of. Which is weird because I am portuguese and my parents also never heard of any similar folklore. We have a an expression which translates to "break the coco laughing" which i always took to be related to the fruit and now I think it may be a remnant of the folklore figure that gave the name to the coconut fruit.
[1] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coco_(folklore)