Po świętej Agacie wyschną na słońcu gacie
Listen
What it means
After Saint Agatha’s day, underpants will dry in the sun. A folk weather proverb: after February 5th (St. Agatha’s feast day), the sun grows strong enough to dry laundry outdoors — a sign that winter is loosening its grip.
Vocabulary
- święta Agata — Saint Agatha (feast day: February 5)
- wyschnąć — to dry out, to dry up
- gacie — underpants, drawers (colloquial/folk)
Grammar note
'Wyschną' is the future perfective of 'wyschnąć'. 'Na słońcu' — locative, meaning 'in the sun'.
Cultural context
Polish folk calendar proverbs often use saints' feast days as seasonal markers. St. Agatha (February 5) signals the approach of spring.
Intermediate
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 …