Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]


No, I didn`t kow that meaning and to make sure, I checked the online dictionary, there isn`t such, staring is only long, stubborn and thoughtless.

wsjp.pl/index.php?id_hasla=10141

Yes, of course, going to the dogs but the Polish one with that climbing down is nicer, I suppose.

Those others are very easy, how can some guys lie in the forum? :):)

A new one: What do you express with that comment?: Pretty flowers!

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]

Yes, we are located among fields, like an island. There is a little pond a few hundred meters away, I suppose some mosquitoes hatch there but most of this year`s invaders were born in puddles of water after long heavy rains in May, I already wrote about it.

As for neighbours, they are very OK, I can see they are hard working people, very decent ones, religious and family oriented. I don`t mind that most of them voted PiS :):) I could see it passing through the village, most fences exhibited PiS` banners and posters and only a few of the democratic opposition.

Two of these neighbours saved my ass several times, e..g, when my car battery failed or I locked the car with the keys inside in the evening so they drove a dozen kilometres to a nearby town where they picked up my wife who came with spare keys. Also, once I got stuck in the muddy ditch after water pipe installation so they pulled me out with a tractor.

And they don`t drink vodka - when I wanted to pay them for those services, they were really annoyed because they believe that helping people should be for free. My way of thinking, exactly. So I offered to buy them some alcohol, but they insisted on beer, saying that vodka was out of question.

Yes, they work hard and don`t drink too much - no wonder they are quite wealthy. Each family possesses a few cars, tractors, combine harvesters, houses are well maintained, fences are sophisticated. Those rural guys have always counted on themselves, achieved a good standard of living and can be role models to benefit lovers.

As for dogs, we talked about it in the beginning. No, I don`t mind their barking at night, on the contrary, it is like wonderful music to me, it lullabies me to sleep because I feel like a little boy again who spent a few years of his life in the countryside during summers. Besides, due to distance to other houses, they don`t sound so noisy after all.

I was really lucky to find that sale offer a few years ago.

History / Polish military uniforms [57]

If you mean really early 1900s, until 1918, then it can` t be a Polish uniform as there weren` t such uniforms then (partitions).

The uniform in the picture looks worn out so it might be war period, indeed, but the army involved could be one of 3 partition powers. Can you narrow down the search, e.g., in which area of Poland was the photo taken?

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

Yes, sroka w gnat. Admit you have found it after our conversation about ramish/sheepish? :):)

To look at sth long and in a dull witted way.

Discussions in other threads reminded me of a few lie idioms, e.g, Lie like hired, lie like from music note sheet,,

Lie means not tell the truth.

And before I forget, a splinter from another thread:
climb down onto the dogs.

Genealogy / Claiming WW2 medals for Polish father [38]

Did you check this one?

iwm.org.uk/research/tracing-your-family-history/tracing-your-royal-naval-history/where-to-find-royal-navy-service-records

Genealogy / Claiming WW2 medals for Polish father [38]


What exactly do you want to start because it sounds a bit mysterious case?

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]


Oops, it seems it is going to be the worst vacation ever. On Saturday I was working there too and those bastards attacked in full sunshine at noon and later. I had never seen it before, they had always waited till evening hours when the sun was getting low on the horizon.

Fek! I don`t care about myself but my family won`t be happy. I can`t imagine them going out to play or work in the garden.

We have screens on windows but in previous stays a few mosquitoes always managed to get inside during the day and I hunted them down all over the house before going to sleep. But now it will be like an invasion. Those electric mosquito repellent fumigators are out of question, they give off that DEET agent which is hazardous to humans too. I have started checking out those killer lamps but they won`t be so useful either because there is always dim light on in a few places in the house at night so the lamps won`t be so attractive to insects.

K..... mać!

News / Scandals, conflicts, tensions, arguments - real life examples from Poland [492]

Yes, and the guy feels he was wronged when they didn`t choose him, hence his current obsession about Tusk. He has been attacking Tusk regularly.

Study / Various education and school issues in Poland. Opinions, stories, controversies. [1006]


That quote comes from another thread where the topic of people with low education, low income, low prospects, low everything is being discussed.

It is nice and easy to say: get them more involved in education. But in a democratic system you can`t force people against their will . There are some students who don`t want to get involved by any means. They simply don`t care and teachers are helpless because in the past such students were threatened with repeating the year (and it often happened, even in elementary schools, I remember my final grade consisted of 15% repeat students ), today it is considered a very radical move. Once it was a shame to have most Es on your school certificate, today it is absolutely normal for some guys. Parents don`t care either when they learn about thier kids` negligence and absences, fortunately such parents are still rare.

What is sad is that girls surpassed boys with ambition and determination to have decent education. I remember reading a text about education issues in Great Britain about 15 years ago. It read about the phenomenon of ambitious school girls who care more than boys. I see the same thing in my school today - not only less boys come to high school classes which end with a final exam but they are also less hardworking. They are satisfied with Ds and Es although if they studied harder, they could get As and Bs because most of those rascals are talented and quite brilliant. But they don`t want to be better because they don`t care. 15 years ago I taught in maths-physics classes where most students were boys because sciences were traditionally considered a male interest. Do you know what the proportion is today? You can easily guess - reversed. When I drive next to the Polytechnic College in the morning, I see students going to classes. Most of them are females.

Later on such easy going boys grow into adults who see that their education is too low to get best paid jobs. However, it is mostly too late and they are too lazy to improve their plight so in result they become frustrated and vote parties which promise to abolish the current system, e..g, nationalists or parties which promise and actually offer benefits, e.g, PIS.

News / Incredible news from Poland - The president shaved his moustache! [88]


No, this is a mistaken opinion. I wonder where you got it from.

History / Why Poles love Russia [105]

Yes, that murderer could virtually bathe in his victims` blood.

Poles rejected him. But Russians` love for Stalin, even greater murderer, is still growing. And that is the thing which saddens me.

History / Why Poles love Russia [105]


Yes, but how much of that was pure Russian initiative and how much of Russian speaking bolsheviks/communists? Katyń and other are sacred places for Poles but Russians also suffered at the hands of mad communists. More Russians than Poles are buried in Katyń proper.

To what extent are ethnic Russians to blame for USSR crimes?

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]


Well, of course, I didn`t claim it was a scientifically proven linguistic connection,, I just proposed it as a hypothesis. But still, if we take sheepish as embarassed, there is a little liking to flabbergasted, isn`t there? At least when we look at sb`s countenance at the moment.

Your new one should be modified a little: to look at sth like a magpie at a bare bone.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]


Simple. Ram comes with sheep and as we say sheepish in English, we are getting close to ramish(ed).


That`s interesting. Never heard it in this usage.

However, now I have checked zając and in urban slang it means a problem with diarrhea.

miejski.pl/slowo-Zaj%C4%85c

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]

Today I spent a few hours you know where. I have good and bad news for me. Good is that the kiwi vines which I planted in 2016 have eventually bloomed. I am curious if they will produce any fruit - a female plant needs to be pollinated from a male one - fortunately, I have two males.

Bad is that at 6 pm hordes of mosquitoes appeared and made me put on trousers and shirt. OMG, they were still so small but I imagine what is going to happen during vacations. Shyt!

History / Communism fell 20 years ago, Poland led the fight since WW2 [341]


Actually, it is one of wonderful priviliges of youth - abolish the old system. The problem is that youth are too inexperienced to know how to build a new and better system and it is the old who have to do it for them. :):)


You are too young to remember it laready started in 1990s when Wałesa decided to break up with his old Solidarity mates.

History / Communism fell 20 years ago, Poland led the fight since WW2 [341]


Sorry, it is obvious you didn`t live in those times or were still a kid, you only repeat what sb told you but it is grossly falsified. The truth is that communists tried to fight till the end, they counted on a good result on 4th June, when they realised their failure, they still tried to use various tricks to hold power but Wałęsa and his Kaczyńskis aids outsmarted Jaruzelski and Kiszczak and created the Solidarity government.


No, you are naive but I attribute it to your probable young age. I hope with time you will get proper knowledge, but you need to read a lot, and not Konfederacja nationalist bulletins, but serious history publications.


Sorry, to have your contribution counted as the first time, you need to reach the IQ of 100 at least. Currently it is a bit lower so you don`t qualify. :):)


How many documents on Wałesa were "prepared" by secret police? I know of a few. Besides, Wałęsa had contacts with SB only until 1976. Later on he was a fully independent anticommunist activist who led to the collapse of communism - that`s what really counts.

Life / Are Poles suspicious of Facebook? [50]


Present or pretend? Strange because S is far from T on the keyboard.

Life / Are Poles suspicious of Facebook? [50]

Don`t be silly again, you know nothing about teaching. Facebook is the best method of communication when you need to inform students about sth. All my colleagues use it. I also used it extensively when I was a form tutor for 4 classes in a row. Now I took a break so I don`t need it anymore.

History / How different would WW2 turned out if Poland accepted Hitler's offer [219]

Remember, one swallow doesn`t make a summer.

History / How different would WW2 turned out if Poland accepted Hitler's offer [219]


Don`t be silly. All white and non Slavic. You emigrated in 1960s. If Germans had continued their occupation of Poland till then, you either would have been long dead or have lived in the Ural region.

Life / Are Poles suspicious of Facebook? [50]

I stopped using Facebook about 2 years ago. I had gotten the feeling of being spied on and it was very frustrating. Besides, my students constantly wanted me to like their silly sweet photos and it was even more frustrating. I gave up that nonsense.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

Hmm sb is like a hare ...... in a work contex. Hmm. I have no idea. The only thing that comes to mind is based on that fable about a hare and tortoise racing. The hare procrastinates until he sees his rival close to the finishing line - he starts running at last but it is too late.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]


Sorry, it means to become completely flabbergasted.


Was gumishu`s answer correct? Because you saidsomeone and he suggested something.

I can see we are turning to animals again.

So : sb became black groused.

History / Communism fell 20 years ago, Poland led the fight since WW2 [341]


Would an agent dismantle communism like Wałęsa did? It is a fact and nobody can deny it. That why it is so funny when PiS propaganda tries to blacken Wałęsa and replace him with Kaczyński twins as the main contributors to the fall of communism. That`s pathetic.


Those were times when Kaczyńskis were still his important assistants.

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

No, I meant zbaranieć. :)

Language / Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation [1756]

There is a little connection with those three but the primary meaning is different. Or, let`s say - first goes the primary meaning and then sb may look like a fool.

Life / Owning a house in true countryside of Poland - stories [692]

Weeding takes a lot of time. When I can afford some more time at last, I stand in the middle of the property and don`t know where to start because there is so much area to clean. When I finish after a few weeks, I need to repeat the cycle because new weeds have managed to spring up.

now, look at the pics and imagine this particular spot multiplied by 200. But I still treat it as good exercise for body and mind.

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History / Communism fell 20 years ago, Poland led the fight since WW2 [341]


Yes, it never ceases to amaze me that PiS guys are doing such things. Do they really believe they will rule eternally and nobody will ever know the truth after it is falsified by them today? True neobolsheviks who don`t want to learn from the mistakes of their spiritual guides - communists.