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  What it means

  Literally “a play of words,” this phrase means a pun or wordplay, a joke that uses more than one meaning or similar word sounds. Polish has rich inflection and many homophones, so it offers plenty of scope for gry słów. Comedians, journalists, and advertisers in Poland use them often. After a clever pun, you might hear Niezła gra słów! meaning “Nice wordplay!”

  Vocabulary

  • gra — game, play (feminine noun, nominative singular)
  • słów — of words (genitive plural of słowo)
  • słowo — word

  Grammar note

  The phrase uses the genitive plural słów after the noun gra, following the standard Polish pattern for noun-of-noun constructions (gra słów = play of words). The genitive plural of słowo is słów — an irregular short form worth memorizing. In context: To była świetna gra słów (That was a great piece of wordplay), where the noun phrase functions as the subject or object without any article.

  Cultural context

  Wordplay has a long history in Polish humor, literature, and advertising. Satirical magazines such as Szpilki built their names on sharp gry słów, and modern stand-up comedians use them a lot. In daily speech, a well-timed pun can earn respect even if it gets a groan. The term matches English 'pun' or 'play on words,' making it an easy label for this humor today.

  Beginner

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