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  What it means

  Literally “to pelt with mud.” This expression means to slander, defame, or speak ill of someone in order to ruin their reputation. It suggests a deliberate attempt to “stain” a person’s character with lies or exaggerated accusations.

  Vocabulary

  • błoto — mud
  • obrzucać — to pelt / to throw repeatedly
  • reputacja — reputation
  • kłamstwo — lie

  Grammar note

  The verb 'obrzucać' is the imperfective form, suggesting a continuous or repeated action of throwing. It takes the instrumental case ('błotem') to indicate the material being used for the "pelting."

  Cultural context

  This idiom is extremely common in Polish political commentary, where "mud-slinging" (obrzucanie się błotem) is a frequent metaphor for negative campaigning.

  Beginner

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