Indyk myślał o niedzieli, a w sobotę łeb mu ścięli
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What it means
Literally “the turkey was thinking about Sunday, but on Saturday they cut off its head.” Means that making plans too far ahead is pointless — fate can intervene at any moment. Similar to “don’t count your chickens.”
Vocabulary
- indyk — turkey
- myślał — was thinking (masc. past)
- niedziela — Sunday
- sobota — Saturday
- łeb — head (colloquial)
- ściąć — to cut off
Grammar note
'Ścięli' is the 3rd person plural past of 'ściąć' — impersonal use (they cut), with 'mu' as dative of possession (his head).
Cultural context
The turkey fattened for Sunday dinner is a classic folk image. The dark humour is very characteristic of Polish proverbial wisdom.
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