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  What it means

  Literally “to sleep like a ground squirrel,” this is the Polish equivalent of the English “to sleep like a log” or “to sleep like a dormouse.” It refers to sleeping very deeply, soundly, and perhaps for a long time. It is a very common way to describe someone who is difficult to wake up or someone who enjoyed a very restful night.

  Vocabulary

  • spać — to sleep
  • suseł — ground squirrel / souslik
  • twardo — hard / soundly (as in sleep)
  • budzik — alarm clock

  Grammar note

  'Suseł' is a masculine animate noun. When used in a comparison with 'jak,' the noun remains in the nominative case to act as the standard for the action of the verb.

  Cultural context

  The ground squirrel is known in Central Europe for its long periods of hibernation, which is why it became the go-to animal for this metaphor in Polish, rather than the "log" used in English.

  Beginner

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