Łaska pańska na pstrym koniu jeździ
Listen
What it means
Literally “a lord’s favour rides on a dappled horse.” Means that the goodwill of the powerful is unreliable and unpredictable — here today, gone tomorrow. “The favour of the great is fickle.”
Vocabulary
- łaska — favour, grace, mercy
- pański — lord's, master's (adjective)
- pstry — dappled, motley, unpredictable
- koń — horse
Grammar note
'Na pstrym koniu' uses the locative of 'pstry koń' after 'na'. 'Jeździ' — third person singular present of 'jeździć'.
Cultural context
A folk warning about the unreliability of patronage — deeply relevant in Polish history, where noble favour could make or break a career overnight.
Advanced
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!
More Polish idioms
- Literally "one's whole life flew past before the eyes," this phrase describes the vivid, involuntary …
- Literally "for an example," na przykład is the standard Polish phrase for "for example" or "for …
- Literally "in the last/recent times," ostatnimi czasy is a common temporal phrase meaning "lately," …
- Literally "in the manner of Judas," this adverb describes acting in a treacherous, backstabbing way …