Cała para idzie w gwizdek
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What it means
Literally “all the steam goes into the whistle.” Means that all effort, energy, or resources are wasted on something trivial or showy — nothing useful gets done.
Vocabulary
- para — steam
- gwizdek — whistle
Grammar note
'W gwizdek' uses the accusative after 'w' expressing direction — the steam goes into the whistle.
Cultural context
A steam engine metaphor — a whistle is loud and attention-grabbing but does no useful work. Often used in political commentary.
Intermediate
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