Nie taki diabeł straszny, jak go malują
Listen
What it means
“The devil isn’t as frightening as he’s painted.” Things are rarely as bad as they seem or as others make them out to be. Don’t be put off by exaggerated warnings.
English equivalent
His bark is worse than his bite.
Vocabulary
- diabeł — devil
- straszny — frightening, scary, terrible
- malować — to paint, to depict
Grammar note
'Jak go malują' — 'as they paint him' — uses an impersonal third-person plural. 'Taki… jak' is a comparative construction: 'as… as'.
Cultural context
The image of a painted devil refers to medieval church frescoes and folk art depicting terrifying demons — a vivid cultural reference.
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 …