"On Saint Dorothy's Day you'll walk through mud." Saint Dorothy's feast falls on 6 February, when winter thaw often turns paths to mud. A weather proverb …

"On Saint Catherine's Day, think about your feather duvet." Saint Catherine's feast is 25 November, a reminder that cold winter nights are coming and it's time …

"Promises are just sweet nothings, and only a fool rejoices at them." Empty promises may sound pleasant, but only a naive person takes them at face value. Don't …

"A sunny bridegroom's day means a fruitful year." If the weather is fair on a wedding day, the coming year will be abundant and fertile. A folk omen linking …

"A stuffed belly does not make for a sharp mind." Overeating dulls the intellect. Moderation at the table is a precondition for clear thinking.

"From Saint Gregory's Day, winter heads to the sea." Saint Gregory's feast is 12 March, traditionally seen as the turning point when winter begins its retreat. …

"From a little string to a strap, from a strap to a horse, and after the horse — the gallows." Small thefts lead to bigger ones, and bigger ones lead to ruin. A …

"Beer makes your head sway." Drinking beer makes you drowsy or unsteady. A light-hearted observation about the effects of alcohol.

"Having too much of something never gives you a headache." More is better — abundance doesn't hurt. Used ironically or sincerely when welcoming extra helpings, …

"From a strap to a horse." A shortened form of the longer proverb about escalating theft. Used on its own to warn that small misdeeds grow into large ones.

"From a strap to a little goat." A variant of the escalating-theft proverb where the stolen animal is a goat rather than a horse. The meaning is identical: …

"The apple doesn't fall far from the orchard." Children resemble their parents or family environment. A variant of the more common 'niedaleko pada jabłko od …

"The apple falls close to its own apple tree." Children take after their parents. A variant emphasising the possessive 'swej' (its own), stressing the natural …

"From Saint Anne's Day, cool evenings and mornings." Saint Anne's feast is 26 July. After this date, summer evenings and mornings start to feel noticeably …

"From Saint Anne's Day, cold mornings." A shorter variant of the same seasonal proverb: after 26 July, mornings turn cold. Summer is past its peak.

"From Saint Anne's Day, cold evenings and mornings." Another variant of the Saint Anne weather proverb, using 'ranki' (an older/dialectal form of 'poranki') and …

"After Saint Anne's Day, morning rain won't last until noon." From late July onwards, morning showers clear up quickly and don't persist through the day. A …

From Saint Anne's Day (26 July) onwards, the mornings start to feel cold. A seasonal weather proverb marking the end of summer warmth.

From Saint Anne's Day (26 July), both evenings and mornings turn cold. An expanded version of the same seasonal proverb, emphasising that the chill arrives at …

From Saint Catherine's Day (25 November) onwards, stop hunting game. A traditional reminder that the hunting season ends around this feast day and animals …

From Saint Catherine's Day (25 November), stop driving livestock out to pasture. A farming proverb signalling that animals should be kept indoors for winter …

From Saint Catherine's Day (25 November), start looking for your feather duvet. A humorous proverb warning that cold nights are coming and it is time to bring …

You cannot buy a father and mother for even a penny. No amount of money can replace or substitute real parents — their love and care are priceless and …

A father cannot raise children alone, and a mother cannot build a house alone. Each parent has their role, and neither can fully replace the other — both are …

A father's gentleness spoils his son. Too much leniency from a father leads to a badly raised child — discipline is necessary for good upbringing.

A father's flaw is inherited by his children: the apple falls close to its own apple tree. Children tend to repeat the faults of their parents — nature and …

Opportunity makes a thief. Even an honest person may be tempted to steal when the opportunity presents itself — circumstances can bring out dishonesty in …

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth. Retaliation in kind — punishment or revenge should match the original offence exactly.

Righteous oil always rises to the top. Truth and justice will always come to light in the end, no matter how hard someone tries to conceal them.

A donkey will not sire a horse. You cannot expect quality or excellence from inferior origins — like produces like, and mediocrity does not produce greatness.

Dogs bite those at the back. Those who lag behind or come last suffer the most — it pays to be quick and not fall behind the group.

Nations grow wealthy through thrift and work. Collective prosperity comes from saving and hard labour — not luck or inheritance.

People grow wealthy through thrift and work. The everyday variant of the same proverb — hard work and saving are the path to prosperity.

Marry off your son whenever you like, but marry off your daughter as soon as you can. A traditional proverb reflecting old attitudes: a son can wait, but a …