• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to lay one’s head under the axe,” this idiom means to take a huge risk, to put everything on the line, or to stake one’s reputation or even life on something. It evokes the image of placing one’s head on the executioner’s block, and is used to describe total commitment or reckless daring.

  Vocabulary

  • kłaść — to lay, to place (imperfective)
  • głowę — head (accusative of 'głowa')
  • topór — axe

  Grammar note

  The verb 'kłaść' takes an accusative object: 'głowę.' The preposition 'pod' (under) also governs the accusative when indicating movement or placement toward a position.

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!