Dobra psu mucha, a chłopowi rzepa
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What it means
A fly does for a dog, a turnip does for a peasant. Each creature makes do with what it has; humble food is still food.
Vocabulary
- chłop — peasant, man
- rzepa — turnip
Grammar note
Parallel dative constructions: 'dobra psu' (good for the dog) and 'dobra chłopowi' (good for the peasant), with 'a' as a contrastive conjunction.
Cultural context
The turnip was a staple of the Polish peasant diet. This variant grounds the proverb in rural social reality.
Intermediate
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