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  What it means

  Literally “an unboiled tongue,” this idiom describes someone whose mouth works faster than their thoughts and who blurts out rude, unsuitable, or hurtful things without thinking first. The image suggests that scalding the tongue would make it behave better and more restrained. It criticizes someone who is brash, tactless, or offensive when speaking. You might hear: “On ma niewyparzony język” (He has an unboiled tongue), meaning that he says whatever comes to mind without caring about social rules or the people around him.

  Vocabulary

  • niewyparzony — unboiled, unscalded (figuratively: unfiltered, brash)
  • język — tongue; also: language
  • wyparzyć — to scald, to boil (source verb of the participle)

  Grammar note

  The adjective 'niewyparzony' is a negative past passive participle from 'wyparzyć' (to scald). The prefix 'nie-' gives the literal meaning 'not scalded.' It agrees with 'język' (masculine nominative singular) in gender, number, and case. In 'mieć niewyparzony język' (to have an unboiled tongue), the accusative 'niewyparzony język' is the direct object of 'mieć.'

  Cultural context

  This colloquial expression is mildly critical and used in everyday speech. It is less harsh than calling someone 'wulgarny' (vulgar), but it says the person speaks without tact or social awareness. The closest English expressions are 'has no filter' and 'has a sharp tongue.' It suits informal and semi-formal situations.

  Intermediate

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