Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

ĆWIK: this word has a variety of meanings including: battle-scarred old trooper; big old carp; a partially castrated cock or one with a split comb; a card game.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

MOSTEK: diminutive of most (bridge), hence little bridge; could have been the nickname of a rural bridge-builder of yore or a topo tag from such places as Mostek, Mostki, Mostówka, Mostowo or similar.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

PACAN: fool, sucker, idiot, simpleton; possibly also toponymic from Pacanów (Paczanów).

Language / Polish baby talk [20]

I have heard am for eating.

Food / Today's Polish Sunday dinner? [30]

What about karkówka (neck pork), marinated overnight in Wishbone dressing with a splash of white wine and grilled over charcoal.

Language / Polish baby talk [20]

mle-mle - milk

kuku - injury (in US English boo-boo)

There is also a-kuku (peek-a-boo)

Genealogy / Last Name Information - Lewandowski [16]

LEWANDOWSKI: 7th most popular surname in Poland. The root is the Old Polish word lewanda (lavender) - lawenda in modern Polish. Most likely a toponymic tag from Lewandów (Lavenderville), now a section of the Warsaw right-bank suburb of Białołęka.

UK, Ireland / Hitler gagdets in Britain and Poland? [24]

And Stalin was criminally insane. May he and Hitler (and Mao and Pol Pot and a few otherrs) burn in hell... na wieki wieków. Amen!

UK, Ireland / Hitler gagdets in Britain and Poland? [24]

Didn't impropriety, disrespect, irreverence, poor tatse of low morals come into their own and start becoming 'cool' and 'trendy' amoing the airheads of that day during the royal jubilee 'F---- the Queen' nonsense which coinicded with all the cheap, publicity-seeking rock scandalmongering and Monty-Pythonesque crapola? The offspring of those airheads are probably the ones ready to glorify the desecration of relgious shrines by some two-bit punk-slut trio.

UK, Ireland / Hitler gagdets in Britain and Poland? [24]

In otherr words you're saying that Britain has no specirfic law penalising the propagation or glorificaton of totalitarian systems. The Polish one is phrased roughly that way, if I recall. Is not having such a ban a sign of true freedom or an indciation that society is too stupid, blasé or insensitive to react?

Food / Are there any Polish wines worth purchasing? [65]

This weekend the town of Jasło is hosting an International Wine Festival. The area is trying to revive local wine-making traditions that died out centuries ago because they coiuldn't meet the competition posed by Hungarian Tokay.

Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

Is there a Polish version? How does it differ? Is it imported in barrels and bottled in Poland?

Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

Wow! That would really knock the unsuspecting on their backside no doubt! Ever sample it? Being a speciality brew limtied to St Nicholas day (6th Dec.) and long aged to achieve a medley of sophisticated taste sensations, it probably couldn't possibly fit the cheap beer category.

Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

Aren't Czehc beers generally weaker in ABV? It seems Urquell is only 4.5%

Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

Sorrfy for not converting to USD. A sixpack of Donner Premium is $2.45 so each half-litre can (over 17 US fluid ounces) comes to 40¢.

Language / Your favourite Polish proverb? [16]

Polonius3

Pijak pije, pijak ma, pijakowi Pan Bóg da! - The drunakrd drinks, the drunkard has and God gives to the drunkard,

Jak trwoga to do Boga, jak bida to do Żyda! When in dangefr turn to God, When in financial straits turn to the Jew!

Mądry Polak po szkodzie. A Pole is wise only after incurring harm..

My fave PRL-era proverb is: Kto pod kim dołki kopie.....temu Pan Bóg daje.
The original says: Whoever digs pitholes beneath someone else ends up falling into them himself..
The skewed PRL version (a hbrid combining two different sayings) goes:God gives to him who digs pitholes beneath someone else.
(Loses somethign in translation, innit?)

Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

Apparently Jabłonowo Pilsner is not available in Wrocław, so you may have never sampled any. Believe me, it is really nasty and I have never heard anyone say a good word about it. It is unpalatable going down, has a bad aftertaste and causes gastric upset to boot.. Its only asset is its cheapness. Although the same brewery produces a dark beer called Belfast (supposedly according to an Irish recipe) which is passable but not great.

Food / Poland's best cheap beers? [72]

Tyskie, Lech, Żywiec, Okocim, etc. are regular priced beers, Żubrand Harnaś are slightly cheeper, and then there are the really cheap ones like the alredy mentioned Donner, Master (brewed by £omża for Żabka), Gold Kegel , Romper, Jabłonowo Pilsner and others for less than 2 zł a throw.

I do not see much beer in litre bottles in Poland (we have the 40-ouncers in the States) which are excellent for parties and picnics and the best value around.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

PAW£OWSKI: most likely a toponymic tag for someone from Pawłów or Pawłowo (Paulbury, Paulville, Paulton); less likely a patronymic equivalent of English Paulson or Pauls.

MISIUK: Probably a patronymic nick from Miś or Misio (short for Michał), hence the equivalent of Mike's boy or Michaelson. The -uk ending suggests Ruthenian influence.

Sorry. The lettering is very small and i and l look very similar esp. in foreign words or names..

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

KWIATKOWSKI: root-word kwiatek (little flower), but nearly all -owski names originated as topo nicks so it would have emerged to indetify an inhabituant of Kwiatków or Kwiatkowo (Floralton, Blossomville). Sorry but can't help you with your ancestal tracking. Maybe some other PF-er can. Good luck!

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

According to a 1990s census there were 2 people named Żagowski, both in the Gdańsk area. Moikrewni says there aren't any at present., For a literary character why not selected something without diacritics and more common such as Zaleski, Borkowski, Pietrzak, Krawczyk, Kwiatkowski, Kaczmarek, Kowalik, Nowak, Pawlak, Sikora, Rutklowski, Szewczyk, etc.?

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

Ritowisko doesn't even sound like a surname, more like a place-name. But even then it would have to be Rytowisko. Are you sure it wasn't Rytowski -- a rare surname that does exist in Poland?

Food / Traditional Polish Soups. [85]

Do you mean kwas?

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

KACZMARCZYK-WOJCIECHOWSKI

WOJCIECHOWSKI: could be a patronmyic nick for the 'son of Wojciech', but most '-owski' ending surnames are of toponymic origin, in thisi case identifying an inhabitant of Wojciechów or Wojciechowo (Adalberton, Albertville, etc.).

KACZMARCZYK: patronymic nickname indicating the inkeeper's son.

WASILEWSKI: root-word Wasil/Wasyl (Ruthenian form fo Bazyli/Basil); probably originated as a toponymic tag to describe someone from Wasilewo (Basilton).

SMUK: from old Polish verb smukać; similar in meaning to modern Polish cmokać and czmychać; could have been the nick of a thief or pick-pocket.

SEGAL: probably from the German word Segel (sail; Polish - żagiel).

Language / How to pronounce "y" in Polish? [28]

The Polish vowel y is similar if not identical to the short i in English bit, hit, sh*t, fit and tit.

USA, Canada / What's Kowalski (Hamtramck, MI) kielbasa like? [18]

Kowalski kiełbasa is OK, but it is made for the sake of broad American pubic appeal. A taste test conducted a few years ago showed Hamtramck natives preferred the kiełbasa from smaller family-owned places like Środek's or Polish Market. Kopytko's (a Ukrainian pork butcher) was excellent, but they went out of business a coupla years ago.

Genealogy / THE MEANING AND RESEARCH OF MY POLISH LAST NAME, SURNAME? [4500]

G£OWACKI: It could have originated as a patronymic tag for the son of someone nicknamed Głowak or Głowacz (big-headed person).

ZIMNY: someone always feeing physically cold or an emotiomally cold person or (toponymically) an inhabitant of some such locality as Zimny, Zimna, Zimne, Zimnochy or similar migth have acquired this nickanme-turned-surname. Sorry I can't help with the genealogical tracing.