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  What it means

  Literally “to have in one’s fist,” this idiom means to have someone or something completely under your control. It is the Polish equivalent of the English “to have in the palm of one’s hand.” It suggests a position of power or leverage, where the outcome depends entirely on your decision. You might use this when discussing a business deal, a competition, or even a romantic situation where one person has significant influence over the other.

  Vocabulary

  • mieć — to have
  • garść — handful / fist / palm
  • kontrola — control
  • sytuacja — situation

  Grammar note

  'W garści' uses the locative case because the preposition 'w' (in) describes a static location. The word 'garść' is a feminine noun; notice that in the locative case, the ending changes from a consonant to '-ci'.

  Cultural context

  The imagery is very tactile—holding something tightly in a fist—symbolizing that the object of control has no way to escape. It is a neutral-to-informal expression commonly used in movies and thrillers.

  Beginner

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