What does “gambá” mean in Brazilian Portuguese?

Gambá is the Brazilian Portuguese word for the opossum, a small marsupial that famously sprays a strong-smelling fluid when threatened. From there, gambá slid into slang and now also means a person who reeks (a “stinker”) or someone who is very drunk. Bêbado como um gambá translates roughly as “drunk as a skunk.”

In this clip, a man tells his girlfriend he has a surprise. She walks in expecting a romantic gesture. Instead, she finds a small live opossum (gambá) on the couch with his friend. The prank only works because the literal animal and the everyday insult sit close together in the Brazilian listener’s head.