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  What it means

  “In February, the ox will drink from the thaw.” Although February is cold, melting snow and ice can already give an ox water to drink. The proverb points to the first small signs of spring in winter.

  Vocabulary

  • luty — February
  • napić się — to have a drink, to drink one's fill
  • wół — ox
  • płuty — thaw water, meltwater (archaic/dialectal)

  Grammar note

  'Napije się' is the perfective future form of 'napić się' (to drink one's fill). 'Płuty' is an old or dialect word form for meltwater.

  Cultural context

  This belongs to the Polish folk calendar of weather sayings for each month. An ox drinking meltwater signals that winter will soon begin to ease.

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