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  What it means

  This phrase is the direct Polish translation of “the domino effect” — a chain reaction in which one event triggers a series of similar subsequent events, just as a falling domino tile knocks down the next. It is used in politics, economics, sociology, and everyday conversation to describe cascading consequences. The image is universally understood and the phrase is borrowed directly from English via the metaphor, not from any Polish folk tradition.

  Vocabulary

  • efekt — effect (noun, masculine; loanword)
  • domino — domino (noun, neuter; indeclinable loanword)
  • efekt domina — domino effect (genitive: domino modifies efekt)

  Grammar note

  *Domina* here is the genitive singular of *domino* used as a modifier — 'the effect of domino' in the Polish genitive-of-specification pattern. However, *domino* is an indeclinable neuter loanword, so its genitive form *domina* is a borrowing convention rather than a regular inflection. The phrase is treated as a fixed compound noun and used unchanged across contexts.

  Cultural context

  The phrase entered Polish through journalism and political commentary, especially during coverage of the Cold War era — the 'domino theory' of communist expansion was widely discussed in Polish media. Today it is a staple of economic and political reporting. It is neutral in register, equally at home in academic writing, broadsheet journalism, and casual conversation about why one thing led to another.

  Beginner

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