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  What it means

  Literally “an elephant stepped on [someone’s] ear.” This is the standard Polish way to say that someone is tone-deaf or has absolutely no musical talent. The heavy “step” of the elephant supposedly crushed the person’s ability to hear or produce music correctly.

  Vocabulary

  • słoń — elephant
  • ucho — ear
  • muzyka — music

  Grammar note

  This idiom requires the dative case for the person who is tone-deaf (e.g., "Słoń **mu** nadepnął na ucho" — An elephant stepped on **his** ear). 'Na ucho' is in the accusative.

  Cultural context

  This is a very common, slightly teasing idiom. You’ll hear it at karaoke or when someone is trying to whistle a tune and failing miserably.

  Beginner

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