Co ma wisieć, nie utonie
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What it means
Literally “what is meant to hang won’t drown.” Means fate is fate — if you’re destined for one end, you won’t meet another. Used darkly or humorously about someone who keeps escaping danger.
Vocabulary
- wisieć — to hang
- utonąć — to drown
Grammar note
'Co ma wisieć' — 'co' as relative pronoun, 'ma' + infinitive expresses destiny/obligation. 'Nie utonie' is perfective future negative.
Cultural context
A fatalistic proverb with a gallows-humor edge — the implication being that the person is destined for the gallows, so drowning won't get them.
Intermediate
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