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  What it means

  Literally “to play for delay,” this idiom means to stall, deliberately buy time, or drag something out without trying to settle it quickly. It describes a tactic in negotiations, sport, or personal conflicts where one side slows things down to gain an advantage or avoid a decision. A politician who keeps scheduling committees instead of voting is “grający na zwłokę.” It matches English “playing for time” in many cases.

  Vocabulary

  • grać — to play (also: to act, to perform)
  • zwłoka — delay, procrastination, stalling
  • na zwłokę — for delay (accusative, expressing purpose)

  Grammar note

  The preposition 'na' here takes the accusative case to express purpose or aim: 'grać na zwłokę' means to play with the aim of delay. Compare 'grać na czas' (to play for time), which works identically. This 'na + accusative = purpose' construction is productive in Polish: 'iść na spacer' (to go for a walk), 'czekać na odpowiedź' (to wait for an answer).

  Cultural context

  The phrase often appears in sports commentary, such as a team with a lead wasting time, as well as political reporting and business negotiations. It has a slightly negative meaning, suggesting bad faith or avoidance, and is used from journalistic writing to everyday speech.

  Intermediate

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