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  What it means

  Literally “a blue bird,” this idiom means a person who avoids work, drifts through life without duties, and lives at other people’s expense. It describes an idler or dreamer who will not settle into a serious job. The image is of a rare bird that wanders freely rather than staying on the ground or nesting in one place. Poles usually use it with disapproval, though sometimes with a little envy.

  Vocabulary

  • niebieski — blue, also: heavenly, sky-coloured
  • ptak — bird

  Grammar note

  Niebieski ptak is a noun phrase in the nominative. As a predicate, it takes the instrumental: On jest niebieskim ptakiem (He is a blue bird, instrumental after być). As a label, it stays in the nominative. The adjective niebieski agrees with the masculine noun ptak in gender, number, and case.

  Cultural context

  The expression has a long history in Polish poetry and prose. Today it can sound slightly elevated or ironic, rather than like everyday slang, but everyone understands it. It may describe a bohemian artist with fondness or an unreliable relative with criticism, depending on tone. English options include 'good-for-nothing,' 'layabout,' and 'free spirit,' each with a slightly different shade of meaning.

  Intermediate

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