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  What it means

  Literally “it is darkest under the lamp-post,” this proverb suggests that the most obvious things are often the hardest to find. It implies that if you want to hide something, you should put it in plain sight, as people rarely look right in front of them. It is also used when a scandal happens right under the nose of the authorities who were supposed to prevent it.

  Vocabulary

  • najciemniej — darkest (superlative of 'ciemno')
  • latarnia — lantern / lamp-post / lighthouse
  • szukać — to look for

  Grammar note

  The word 'najciemniej' is a superlative adverb. The preposition 'pod' (under) here is followed by the instrumental case ('latarnią') because it describes a static location.

  Cultural context

  This is a very popular Polish saying used to explain why we can't find our keys when they are on the table, or why a criminal lived next door to the police station.

  Intermediate

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