Indyk myślał o niedzieli, a w sobotę łeb mu ścięto
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What it means
Someone was making plans for the future without seeing the danger right in front of them. Plans mean little if you ignore threats in the present.
English equivalent
Don't count your chickens before they hatch.
Vocabulary
- indyk — turkey
- niedziela — Sunday
- łeb — head (colloquial)
- ściąć — to cut off, to behead
Grammar note
'Mu' is the dative form of 'on', meaning "to him." 'Ścięto' is an impersonal past passive form.
Cultural context
Sunday was traditionally a feast day. The turkey imagines Sunday while it is slaughtered on Saturday, giving the proverb a dark comic tone.
Intermediate
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