Z polskiego na wasze

I'm a Polish native speaker and a linguist who really likes idioms!

What will You find on this blog? - examples of Polish sayings, idioms and proverbs with explanations of their meaning - direct and literary translations of various Polish idioms - additional trivia, synonyms, related phrases and context

If You'll tag me under a specific Polish idiom or expression, I'll try to explain it to the best of my ability.

I hope this blog will be a fun read, or a potential help for people wanting to know more about the culture or learning the language. I plan to post at least once a week (no strict schedule and organised posting system so far, though it may emerge with time).

Enjoy!

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Key and tagging:

optional parts of the idiom are written in parentheses: ()

additions necessary for translation, but only implied by the original form of the idiom are placed in brackets: []

topic tags are thematic categories that the idiom's meaning connects to.

register: general tone: humorous

direct translation: freshly baked

meaning: Someone who's recently took up some new role, function or identity.

Example:

register: general

direct translation: to be hurt down to the living [flesh] / to be touched on the living [flesh]

meaning: to be touched on the raw; to feel deeply hurt or offended by something.

trivia: a passive form of the verb to touch (to be touched), is a so-called translator's false friend - it has a secodary meaning not of being moved emotionally, but of being emotionally hurt.

example:

register: colloquial tone: derogatory, slight offense

Direct translation: a French doggy

Meaning: someone soft with a lofty standards, overly picky and somewhat ungrateful when it comes to food or accomodations.

Context: Probably refers to long history of French lapdog breeds and stereotypical association of all things French with refinement and snobbiness.

Example:

register: literary tone: antiquated

Direct translation: (antiquated) With all the hut's riches (it's glad [to greet you])

Free translation: the humble home's glad to greet you with all it has

Meaning: A greeting and invitation for someone to feel at home. It can also be used as a description of a cordial, warm welcome. Relatively rarely used.

Examples:

Miło was widzieć! Wchodźcie, czym chata bogata!

register: general tone: derogatory

direct translation: like an elephant in a china (porcelain) store

free translation: like a bull in a china shop

Meaning: To act clumsily. The meaning in Polish is usually restricted to physical clumsiness, and does not extend very often to inflicting damage as a result of poor decision-making.

register: colloquial tone: derogatory

direct translation: (to strive) to one's goal stepping on corpses

free translation: to pave one's path with corpses

Meaning: Used to criticise someone's "end justify the means" approach. Indirect equivalent to whatever it takes.

Synonym: Nie oglądać się na nic/nikogo

Example:

register: colloquial tone: neutral, sometimes humorous or dismissive

direct translation: all holds/moves [are] allowed

Meaning: In a given situation, end justifies the means and all solutions will be considered good. Close (but not direct) equivalent to whatever it takes.

Also: W miłości i na wojnie wszystkie chwyty dozwolone - All is fair in love and war.

Context: "holds" in this case refer to wrestling moves, where some moves are considered unfair.

register: colloquial tone: derogatory

direct translation: Pawn yourself off to show off

Meaning: Used to criticise the practice of maintaining a facade of wealth for other people's approval, even if it leads one into debts.

Context: Wealth was often seen as a sign of resourcefulness and wisdom and was directly related to the level of respect in the community. Due to this, the shame connected to being poor was (and sometimes still is) entrenched deep in people's consciousness.

Example:

register: colloquial tone: dismissive

direct translation: An elephant stepped on someone's ear

Meaning: Someone can't hold a tune.

Example:

register: general tone: dismissive

Direct translation: They're shoeing a horse, and a frog holds out its leg

Meaning: Someone tries to take credit off someone else's hard work.

Example:

register: colloquial, tone: proverb, quote

Direct translation: A donkey was given [food] in throughs (in one straw, in the other hay).

Free translation: Here's how donkey got its fodder: hay in one through, straw in another.

Meaning: Someone is unable to decide or is overly picky despite the abundance of choice.

register: colloquial

Direct translation: To be a beret throw (from something)

Free translation: To be in a beret throwing distance from something

Meaning: To be in a close (usually walking) distance from something.

Synonym: Być o rzut kamieniem (od czegoś) - to be a rock throw from something

Example:

register: colloquial

Direct translation: It's throwing frogs

Free translation: It's raining frogs

register: colloquial tone: complimentary

Direct translation: one could steal horses with somebody

Free translation: someone who You could steal horses with

Meaning: Someone who would help you bury a body; Somebody that can be trusted with a sensitive matter and is a loyal friend.

Context: Horse stealing used to be a crime that was very severely punished, so naturally, you'd have to trust an accomplice wouldn't sell you out.

Example:

register: general

Direct translation: The heat pours from the sky

Meaning: There's an upleasantly hot weather.

Context: The primary meaning of żar are embers, or something else that's heated enough to start a fire. The verb form, żarzyć się, means that something glows from heat (rozżarzone żelazo means red hot iron). Secondary meaning of żar, used in the idiom, means unpleasantly hot air. https://wsjp.pl/haslo/podglad/13771/zar

Example:

Register: colloquial

direct translation: it pours as if out of a bucket

Meaning: About a very heavy rain, a downpour.