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  What it means

  Literally “to pull someone by the tongue.” This idiom means to coax, prompt, or draw out information from someone who is reluctant to speak — to get them talking, to extract a secret or an admission they were holding back. It implies a deliberate effort to make someone say more than they intended. For example: “Nie powiedziałby nic, gdyby go nie pociągnięto za język” (He would have said nothing if they hadn’t drawn him out). It is often used reflexively: “Dałem się pociągnąć za język” (I let myself be drawn out / I ended up saying too much).

  Vocabulary

  • pociągnąć — to pull, to tug (perfective)
  • ciągnąć — to pull, to drag (imperfective)
  • język — tongue; language
  • za — by, behind (preposition governing accusative in this phrase)
  • dać się — to let oneself be (reflexive construction)

  Grammar note

  "Za język" uses the accusative case after "za" (which takes accusative when indicating direction or contact — here, grabbing someone *by* the tongue). The perfective verb "pociągnąć" is appropriate because the action is a single, targeted attempt. The imperfective "ciągnąć za język" would suggest a repeated or ongoing effort. In practice, the reflexive "dać się pociągnąć za język" (to let oneself be drawn out) is extremely common.

  Cultural context

  This idiom is used in informal to neutral registers and is well understood across Poland. The physical image of grabbing someone's tongue to make them speak reflects an old folk notion that the tongue is the seat of speech and secrets. The phrase often appears in political journalism — journalists or politicians who reveal more than they should are said to have been "pociągnięci za język." The closest English equivalents are "to draw someone out," "to get someone to spill the beans," or "to loosen someone's tongue."

  Intermediate

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