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  What it means

  Literally “a barrel without a bottom,” this idiom describes something or someone that consumes resources endlessly without ever being satisfied or filled. It is used for insatiable appetites — whether for money, food, attention, or effort — that never reach a natural stopping point. You might use it to describe a renovation project that keeps eating up funds, or a person who always wants more no matter what they receive. The image is of pouring liquid into a barrel that can never hold it.

  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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