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  What it means

  “Kind Agnes lets a skylark out of her sleeve.” Around January 21, Saint Agnes’s feast day, skylarks were thought to begin singing again. The saying is a sign that spring is on its way.

  Vocabulary

  • łaskawa — gracious, kind (feminine)
  • puszczać — to release, to let go
  • skowronek — skylark (a bird)
  • rękaw — sleeve

  Grammar note

  'Z rękawa' uses the genitive form of 'rękaw' after 'z' (from). 'Skowronka' is the accusative form of 'skowronek'.

  Cultural context

  Saint Agnes's feast day is January 21. Polish seasonal sayings often link saints' name days with changes seen in nature.

  Intermediate

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