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  What it means

  Literally “to half-close one’s eye,” this idiom means to turn a blind eye, to look the other way, or to deliberately ignore a mistake or wrongdoing. It is often used when someone in authority chooses not to act on a minor infraction, or when someone tolerates something they could easily object to.

  Vocabulary

  • przymykać — to half-close, to partially close (imperfective)
  • oko — eye

  Grammar note

  The imperfective aspect 'przymykać' (rather than perfective 'przymknąć') implies a repeated or habitual action — turning a blind eye as an ongoing pattern of behavior.

  Beginner

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