tio do pavê

Literally, “pavê uncle”. pavê is a type of cake made with biscuits, traditionally eaten during Christmas and New Year’s parties, and homophonous with a colloquial pronunciation of para ver (“[supposed] to be seen”). The term points to a stereotypical corny joke told by such uncles: when someone mentions pavê, the uncle asks mas é pa vê ou pa cumê? (“but is it supposed to be seen or to be eaten?”)

• (Brazil) IPA^(key): /ˈt͡ʃiw du paˈve/

tio do pavê m (plural tios do pavê)

1. (Brazil, colloquial) an uncle (loosely, any middle-aged man) who tells corny jokes or otherwise thinks that he is funnier than he really is

For quotations using this term, see Citations:tio do pavê.