Oko za oko, ząb za ząb
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What it means
Literally “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” Expresses the principle of proportional revenge or retribution.
Vocabulary
- oko — eye
- ząb — tooth
- za — for / in exchange for
Grammar note
'Za' here means 'in exchange for' and takes the accusative. Both 'oko' and 'ząb' appear in nominative and accusative positions.
Cultural context
This phrase has biblical origins (Exodus 21:24) and appears across most European languages.
Beginner
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