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  What it means

  Literally: “to get away dry.” The image is of crossing water without getting wet — escaping a dangerous or compromising situation without any consequences. Figuratively, it means to get away with something, to escape punishment or blame despite having done something wrong. Poles use it to describe situations where someone avoids the natural consequences of their actions: Tym razem uszło mu na sucho — “He got away with it this time.”

  Vocabulary

  • ujść — to get away, to escape (perfective)
  • na sucho — dry, without getting wet (adverbial phrase)
  • suchy — dry (adjective)

  Grammar note

  Ujść is the perfective form of uchodzić. The phrase na sucho is a frozen adverbial expression (na + accusative of suchy used as a noun-like form) meaning 'in a dry state' or 'without cost.' The full construction is typically ujść komuś na sucho — with the dative komuś indicating who gets away with it, making the person benefiting from impunity the indirect object.

  Cultural context

  Ujść na sucho is a very common Polish idiom across all registers, from casual conversation to newspaper headlines. Its closest English equivalents are 'to get away with it,' 'to come out unscathed,' or 'to escape scot-free.' It often carries a tone of mild indignation — the speaker implies that the escape was unfair or undeserved.

  Intermediate

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