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  What it means

  Dogs bite those at the back. People who lag behind or come last suffer most. The saying urges people to be quick and stay with the group.

  English equivalent

  The hindmost gets the worst of it. / The last one is a rotten egg.

  Vocabulary

  • ostatni — last, the one at the back
  • gryźć — to bite
  • pies — dog

  Grammar note

  'Ostatnich' is the genitive plural of 'ostatni', used as the object of 'gryzą' under negation-like logic (actually accusative here, but the genitive form is used in this fixed expression). 'Psy' is the nominative plural subject.

  Cultural context

  It may come from group travel, when stragglers could be vulnerable to stray dogs.

  Beginner

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