• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “straw enthusiasm,” this idiom describes motivation that burns brightly but dies out almost at once, like straw that catches fire easily and is gone in seconds. If someone has “słomiany zapał,” they get excited about a new project, hobby, or plan but soon give up. It is often said with mild disapproval or resignation: “Znowu słomiany zapał” (Again, just a flash in the pan). The phrase describes starting strongly and quickly losing interest.

  Vocabulary

  • słomiany — made of straw, straw- (adjective from 'słoma')
  • słoma — straw
  • zapał — enthusiasm, zeal, passion

  Grammar note

  This is a noun phrase in the nominative: 'słomiany' (masculine adjective, nominative singular) + 'zapał' (masculine noun, nominative singular). The adjective agrees with the noun in gender, number, and case. In use it most often appears with 'mieć' (to have) in the accusative: 'mieć słomiany zapał.' It can also function as a predicate: 'To jest tylko słomiany zapał' (It's just a flash in the pan).

  Cultural context

  A well-known expression understood by Poles of every age. It describes someone who starts things with great fanfare but never finishes them properly at all. It is slightly more polite than calling someone lazy because it focuses on the pattern, not the person's character. The English equivalent 'flash in the pan' fits well; 'nine-day wonder' also works. It is used in informal and moderately formal contexts.

  Beginner

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!