Miękko na Andrzeja, oj! niedobra nadzieja
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What it means
“Mild weather on St Andrew’s Day — oh, that’s a bad omen.” If the weather is warm and soft around St Andrew’s Day (30 November), it foretells a harsh winter ahead. A folk weather proverb from the Polish calendar.
Vocabulary
- miękko — softly, mildly (of weather)
- Andrzej — Andrew (St Andrew's Day, 30 November)
- nadzieja — hope, prospect
- niedobry — bad, not good
Grammar note
'Na Andrzeja' uses the genitive of the name 'Andrzej' after 'na' in a temporal construction meaning 'on St Andrew's Day'.
Cultural context
St Andrew's Day (Andrzejki) is a major folk holiday in Poland associated with fortune-telling and weather omens.
Intermediate
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