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  What it means

  Literally “to go like blood from a nose.” This slightly gross but very common idiom describes something progressing with extreme difficulty and slowness. It implies that every inch of progress is a struggle.

  Vocabulary

  • krew — blood
  • nos — nose
  • powoli — slowly

  Grammar note

  'Z nosa' (from the nose) uses the genitive case. 'Jak' (like) sets up the comparison.

  Cultural context

  Poles use this when they are frustrated with bureaucracy, slow traffic, or a project that just won't finish.

  Intermediate

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