Polish Idioms Explained — U (11)
All Polish idioms starting with the letter U — explanations, vocabulary, grammar notes, and cultural context for learners.
- Literally: "to get away dry." The image is of crossing water without getting wet — escaping a dangerous or compromising situation without any consequences. …
- Literally: "to arrange one's life for oneself." This idiom means to settle down, get one's affairs in order, and establish a stable, fulfilling adult life — …
- Literally "at the feet." It is used to describe physical location (at the bottom of a mountain) or a metaphorical state of submission, admiration, or devotion. …
- Literally "to cut a mosquito." This is one of Poland's most popular slang terms for taking a short nap. It describes a quick sleep, often unexpected or taken …
- Literally "to pretend to be a Greek." This is a common way to describe someone who is "playing dumb." When someone "udaje Greka," they are pretending to be …
- Literally "strike the table, and the scissors will speak up." This proverb is used when a general comment is made about a fault or a crime, and the guilty …
- Literally "to bite one's tongue." Just like in English, this means to stop yourself from saying something you might regret. It’s that split-second decision to …
- Literally "to wash one's hands." This means to refuse any further involvement in a situation or to dodge responsibility for an outcome. It is a declaration that …
- Literally "to be born in a bonnet." This describes someone who is exceptionally lucky or seems to have everything go their way in life. While it shares some DNA …
- Literally "to have fallen off the Christmas tree." This humorous idiom is used to describe someone who is totally out of touch with reality, naive, or unaware …
- Literally "to drown someone in a spoonful of water." This describes a person who harbors such intense hostility or spite toward someone that they would destroy …