• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to catch God by the legs,” this idiom describes experiencing a stroke of incredible luck or reaching a state of great happiness and success. It suggests that someone has secured a rare opportunity that makes them feel untouchable or extremely privileged. Poles use it when someone lands a dream job, wins a prize, or finds perfect love.

  Vocabulary

  • złapać — to catch / grab
  • Pan Bóg — Lord God
  • nogi — legs
  • szczęście — luck / happiness

  Grammar note

  The preposition 'za' (by/for) here requires the accusative case because it indicates the specific part of the object being grabbed. 'Nogi' is the accusative plural of the feminine 'noga.'

  Cultural context

  The imagery stems from the idea of literally pulling a blessing down from heaven. It is a very strong expression, much more emphatic than just saying someone is "lucky."

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!