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  What it means

  Literally “to beat the little drum,” this means to stir up interest or egg someone on to keep talking or acting in a certain way. It is often used when someone deliberately provokes a reaction or “fans the flames” of a discussion to see what happens. Poles use it to describe someone who adds more details to a rumor just to make it more exciting.

  Vocabulary

  • podbić — to beat / to conquer / to line (fabric)
  • bębenek — little drum (diminutive of 'bęben')
  • prowokować — to provoke

  Grammar note

  'Bębenka' is the genitive case of the masculine noun 'bębenek'. The genitive is used here because 'podbić' functions as the negation or a specific type of object handling that triggers the genitive in this idiomatic structure.

  Cultural context

  The idiom likely stems from old military traditions where drums were used to signal or incite troops. It is a common way to describe someone who is being a "pot-stirrer."

  Intermediate

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