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  What it means

  Literally “to drive a wooden peg into someone.” Historically, this might refer to a difficult physical task, but today it means to present someone with a riddle, a problem, or a situation that leaves them completely puzzled and thinking hard for a solution.

  Vocabulary

  • zabić — to kill / to drive (a nail/peg)
  • ćwiek — stud / wooden peg / tack
  • zagadka — riddle / puzzle

  Grammar note

  The person being stumped is in the dative case (komuś), while 'ćwieka' is the accusative object.

  Cultural context

  This is a slightly old-fashioned but still very popular idiom used when you've managed to outsmart someone or ask a question they can't answer.

  Intermediate

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