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  What it means

  Literally “to get by with the taste.” This idiom is used when you were looking forward to something (like a treat, a promotion, or a victory), but you didn’t get it. You are left with only the “taste” (the thought or craving) of the thing, but not the thing itself.

  Vocabulary

  • smak — taste / flavor
  • pragnienie — desire / thirst
  • rozczarowanie — disappointment

  Grammar note

  The reflexive verb 'obejść się' means "to manage" or "to do without." It takes the instrumental case, which is why 'smak' becomes 'smakiem'.

  Cultural context

  This originally referred to food—smelling something delicious but not being allowed to eat it—but today it is used for any missed opportunity or unfulfilled desire.

  Intermediate

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