Świętej Agnieszki uschną pieluszki; świętej Agaty uschną i szmaty
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What it means
“On Saint Agnes’s Day the nappies will dry; on Saint Agatha’s Day even the rags will dry.” Agnes (21 January) brings enough warmth to dry fine laundry; Agatha (5 February) brings enough to dry even coarse rags — spring is advancing.
Vocabulary
- Agnieszka — Agnes
- pieluszka — nappy, diaper
- Agata — Agatha
- szmata — rag, cloth
- uschnąć — to dry out
Grammar note
'Uschną' is third-person plural future. Both 'Świętej Agnieszki' and 'świętej Agaty' are genitive forms. 'I' here means 'even'.
Cultural context
The proverb pairs two February saints (Agnes 21 Jan, Agatha 5 Feb) to trace the gradual warming of late winter in the Polish folk calendar.
Intermediate
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