• Listen

  What it means

  “The woman about the awl, the old man about the soap.” Each person talks only about their own concerns — they talk past each other without really communicating. A vivid picture of two people having entirely separate conversations at the same time.

  English equivalent

  Talking at cross purposes.

  Vocabulary

  • baba — woman (folk/colloquial)
  • szydło — awl (a pointed tool for piercing leather)
  • dziad — old man, beggar (folk term)
  • mydło — soap

  Grammar note

  'O + locative': szydło → o szydle, mydło → o mydle. The verb 'mówi' (speaks) is implied but omitted — a common ellipsis in proverbs.

  Beginner

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!