Darowanemu koniowi w zęby się nie zagląda
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What it means
Don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. One should not find fault with something received as a gift.
Vocabulary
- darowany — gifted, given as a gift
- koń — horse
- ząb — tooth
- zaglądać — to look into, to peer
Grammar note
'Darowanemu koniowi' — dative of the recipient. 'Się nie zagląda' — impersonal reflexive construction: 'one does not look'.
Cultural context
A horse's teeth reveal its age and health; checking them on a gift was considered ungrateful. Equivalent to the English 'don't look a gift horse in the mouth'.
Intermediate
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