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  What it means

  Literally “to take one’s legs behind a belt,” this colorful idiom means to run away quickly — to flee, bolt, or make a swift exit, usually out of fear, urgency, or self-preservation. The image evokes someone tucking their legs up high as they sprint. Poles use it in narration and storytelling to describe a hasty escape: a child running from a barking dog, someone fleeing an awkward situation, or a soldier retreating. It is almost always used with humorous or narrative intent.

  Vocabulary

  • wziąć — to take (perfective verb; imperfective: brać)
  • nogi — legs (plural of noga, accusative plural: nogi)
  • za — behind, to behind (preposition, takes accusative for direction)
  • pas — belt, waist (masculine noun; accusative: pas)

  Grammar note

  "Wziąć nogi za pas" uses the accusative for both "nogi" (direct object of "wziąć") and "pas" (after "za" expressing direction — behind). This is a typical motion-phrase pattern in Polish: "za" + accusative signals movement to a position behind something. The perfective "wziąć" marks the decision as sudden and decisive.

  Cultural context

  This is a colloquial, informal, and humorous expression used across Poland in storytelling and everyday speech. It often appears in literature and film to add color to a chase or escape scene. The closest English equivalents are "to take to one's heels," "to leg it," or "to bolt." It is widely recognized and used by all age groups.

  Intermediate

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