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  What it means

  Literally “The devils don’t take the wicked.” The joke is that the devil leaves a very bad person on Earth. It describes someone who seems hard to kill or who escapes harm and punishment despite bad behaviour. It is often said of someone who recovers from illness or survives an accident.

  English equivalent

  The devil looks after his own.

  Vocabulary

  • złego — the wicked one, the evil one (genitive singular of 'zły')
  • diabli — devils (nominative plural of 'diabeł')
  • nie biorą — do not take (third-person plural present of 'brać')

  Grammar note

  'Złego' is genitive singular of the adjective 'zły' used as a noun (substantivised adjective) meaning 'the evil/wicked one'. 'Biorą' is the third-person plural present of 'brać' (to take), an irregular verb ; infinitive 'brać', stem changes: 'biorę, bierzesz, bierze, bierzemy, bierzecie, biorą'. The verb is negated by 'nie' placed directly before it.

  Cultural context

  Used with light-hearted irony, this proverb is most often applied to someone who just recovered from a serious illness or survived a dangerous situation. It is colloquial and informal in register. Despite its religious framing, modern Poles use it in completely secular contexts ; it is closer to dark humour than to theology.

  Intermediate

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