Każdy sobie rzepkę skrobie
Listen
What it means
“Everyone scrapes their own turnip.” Everyone looks after their own interests and doesn’t worry about others. Often said with a slightly critical tone about selfishness or indifference.
English equivalent
Every man for himself.
Vocabulary
- rzepka — little turnip (diminutive of rzepa)
- skrobać — to scrape, to peel
- sobie — for oneself (dative reflexive)
Grammar note
'Sobie' is the dative of the reflexive pronoun, indicating the action is done for one's own benefit.
Cultural context
The turnip was a staple food in old Polish peasant culture, making this a very earthy, domestic image.
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!
More Polish proverbs
- "A stepmother, even if made of sugar, is always bitter." No matter how kind a stepmother tries to …
- "For a wise head, two words are enough." A clever person needs only a brief hint to understand; …
- "A Pole is wise after the damage is done." Poles (or people in general) tend to learn from mistakes …
- "The wise will accept advice; the fool will scorn it." Intelligent people are open to counsel, while …