Bez owijania w bawełnę
Listen
What it means
Literally “without wrapping in cotton wool.” Means without beating around the bush — getting straight to the point without softening or padding the message.
Vocabulary
- owijanie — wrapping
- bawełna — cotton
Grammar note
'Bez owijania' uses the genitive of the verbal noun 'owijanie' after 'bez.' 'W bawełnę' uses the accusative after 'w' — wrapping something in cotton.
Cultural context
Cotton wool was historically used to wrap fragile or precious things. The idiom suggests that some people wrap their words so carefully in softness that the message gets lost.
Beginner
Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!
More Polish idioms
- Literally "one's whole life flew past before the eyes," this phrase describes the vivid, involuntary …
- Literally "for an example," na przykład is the standard Polish phrase for "for example" or "for …
- Literally "in the last/recent times," ostatnimi czasy is a common temporal phrase meaning "lately," …
- Literally "in the manner of Judas," this adverb describes acting in a treacherous, backstabbing way …