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  What it means

  Literally “a barrel without a bottom,” this idiom describes something or someone that uses resources endlessly and can never be filled or satisfied. It can mean an endless need for money, food, attention, or effort, with no natural stopping point. It may describe a renovation that keeps using funds, or a person who always wants more whatever they receive. The image is liquid poured into a barrel that can never hold it or keep what is poured inside.

  Vocabulary

  • beczka — barrel, cask (nominative feminine noun)
  • bez — without (preposition governing genitive)
  • dno — bottom (of a container, a river, etc.)
  • dna — genitive singular of 'dno'

  Grammar note

  'Bez' is a preposition that requires the genitive case, which is why 'dno' becomes 'dna.' The full phrase 'beczka bez dna' is a noun phrase in the nominative, often used as a predicate: 'To jest beczka bez dna' (It's a barrel without a bottom).

  Cultural context

  This neutral, widely-used expression appears in everyday speech across all social registers. It is often applied to chronic budgetary black holes — an expensive car, a demanding relative, or a company that absorbs investment without profit. The English equivalent is 'a bottomless pit.'

  Beginner

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