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  What it means

  Literally “in the flower of one’s age,” this idiom means to be in the prime of life, at the height of youth, energy, and ability. It can admire someone at their best, or express sadness when someone died young or was struck down while still thriving.

  Vocabulary

  • kwiecie — flower, blossom (archaic locative of 'kwiat')
  • wieku — of age, of life (locative of 'wiek')

  Grammar note

  The old locative form 'kwiecie' survives as a fixed form in this phrase; modern Polish would usually use 'kwiecie' or 'kwiatku' in other contexts. The preposition 'w' takes the locative for states and places.

  Intermediate

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