Co się odwlecze, to nie uciecze
Listen
What it means
Literally “what is delayed won’t escape.” Means what’s meant to happen will happen eventually — you can postpone it but not avoid it. Also used to justify procrastination.
Vocabulary
- odwlec — to delay / to postpone
- uciec — to escape / to run away
Grammar note
'Co się odwlecze' — reflexive passive construction. 'Nie uciecze' is perfective future negative.
Cultural context
Often used with a shrug to justify putting something off. The fatalistic flip side of 'co nagle, to po diable.'
Intermediate
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 …