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  What it means

  Literally “deaf as a tree stump,” this simile describes someone who is completely deaf or who refuses to hear — they ignore everything said to them as thoroughly as a wooden stump would. It is used both for genuine hearing loss and, more often, for someone who willfully ignores what is being said to them. For example: “Mów, co chcesz — on jest głuchy jak pień” — “Say what you like — he’s deaf as a post.” The image emphasizes total, unyielding unresponsiveness.

  Vocabulary

  • głuchy — deaf; also: unresponsive, dull (adjective)
  • jak — as, like (comparison particle)
  • pień — tree stump, tree trunk

  Grammar note

  This is a classic Polish comparative simile using 'jak' (as/like). The adjective 'głuchy' functions as a predicate here and does not change form in this fixed expression. Polish has many similar 'adjective + jak + noun' similes: śpiący jak świstak (sleeping like a dormouse), zdrowy jak ryba (healthy as a fish).

  Cultural context

  The phrase is neutral in register and broadly understood across generations. It has a slight humorous or exasperated tone when applied to a stubborn person rather than a medically deaf one. The closest English equivalents are 'deaf as a post' or 'deaf as a doorknob.'

  Beginner

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