Differences in Polish and English idioms

; )


Funny enough I don't really say that. Not that I'm averse to using the word generally mind you. I think my default is usually "lashing"

I also use a "Glasgow University" accent while saying it.

I wonder if there is any English idiom for kiełbasa wyborcza, meaning all the promises and nice gestures that politicians make before elections?

Other idioms I like: dziad o gruszce, baba o pietruszce - grandpa talking about a pear and grandma about a parsley - for miscommunication

wlazł na gruszkę, rwał pietruszkę, cebula leciała - he climbed a pear tree, picked parsley and onions fell down - for somebody talking nonsense

gruszki na wierzbie - pears on a willow tree - illusions

am I hungry, or what?..

another couple funny ones:

puścić bąka - (to release a bumble bee): to fart
puścić tajniaka - (to release a secret agent/an undercover agent): to fart quietly

Would that be "cats n' dugs" or the "pishing" part?

Same here:
Pasować jak kwiatek do kożucha (to fit like a flower to a sheepskin coat)
Pasować jak wół do karocy (to fit like an ox to a coach)

Some other nice idioms:
Udawać Greka (to pretend to be a Greek) - to pretend that you don't understand a thing
Siedzieć jak na tureckim kazaniu (to sit like on a Turkish sermon) - to listen to something, while being unable to understand a thing

noreenb
Isn't 'summa summarum' the equivalent of 'the bottom line'?

Summa summarum, my favourite example of Latin saying, "suma sum" lub "wszystko razem"...
Good times of my life, when I was learning Latin are in front of my mind now. Thanks for that. Yes, it is.
:)

Im an american and honesetly I hear "its raining cats and dogs!" a lot. I guess it depends on where in America you are, because I live in the south and we say idioms a lot, that one being a main example when it is raining.

My polish language buddy cracked up when he heard me say that..then came me listing all the similar I knew> he was very interested in colloquials like "dirt nap""bought the farm"

My Fiance cracks up occasionally and has to stop the presses so I can explain when one just flows into the conversation


I'm american born and heard that one all my life in every location. But I have always lived south the 40degree mark and mostly West Coast

Southern expressions..
happier than a dead pig in sunshine - happy indeed
plumb tuckered -exhausted
he loves her so much he'd rope the moon for her- loved indeed (Pecos Bill , texas fairy tales)
get off your high horse -quit being pretentious/being condecending
Ain't got sense to come in from the rain - irresponisble or no common sense
right as rain- correct

because my generation dad was older maybe..but I use and many of my family in Texas family use:

Now your cooking with gas! (now your have a great idea/are on the right track
Best idea/greatest thing since sliced bread! (innovative or simply great
someone is "The cat's meow"= all that and a bag of chips( AWESOME
up the creek without a paddle (in serious dilema
so broke he can't even pay attention
naked as a jaybird (completely disarmed or unrobed..though birds have feathers ; / )
apple didnt fall far from tree (about a child resembling parent in habit or appearance
almost only counts in horseshoes 'n' hand grenades (it doesnt count/matter
what's that got to do with the price of tea in china? ("that" -usually a coment or observation- has no bearing on current conversation/problem

6 ways from sunday (using every option
shutting the barn door after the horse got out (too late
you can "x" (argue, run, sleep etc) til the cows come home (til the end

so many more... but these are the ones that amused my verbal contacts

never heard that. Shouldn't be "Between rock and a hard place"?


Russia has introduced Gregorian calendar only in 1917 while Poland and most countries did that in XVI century.Russian year was longer,for instance Russian October revolution happened in November according to Gregorian calender.

yep heard that one.. rock n a hard place.. horns of dilema

oh and near forgot
pot calling the kettle black (hypocrisy
out of the frying pan into the fire (choosing bad to worse
no guts no glory (nothing ventured nothing gained
don't burn all your bridges (dont shut off all options
dont judge a book by it's cover (saying don't judge at first glance

what does edek z krainy kredek mean? Is this a saying/

It's the name of a nursery rhyme which starts something like W krainie kredek żył sobie Edek (Teddy lived in the land of chalks).

Nie bzykam na boku.

What does this mean in English? The literal translation makes no sense.

I do not copulate on the side, ie I do not enage in illicit (premarital or extramarital) sex.


Of course, this could also be a double entendre meaning: I do not copulate while lying on my side. (Shades of Kamasutra!?)

so my grandma used to tell me..
"kolorowe snów"..colorful dreams
then my very funny mom still says to me when my hair is out of place, that my hair looks like the hair "pod psa pod ogonem

which says that its from under the dogs tail!

I wish you to dream in color - kolorowych snów - or I wish you a good dream - dobrych snów, meaning 'good night', said to a loved one.

Does the native speakers of English think it would be a strange way of saying good night?

As a native English speaker, to say " I wish you to dream in colour " is a bit bizarre. Why would I not dream in colour, will something happen if I dream in black and white ?.

I wish you a good dream isn't so bad, I guess it's better than having a nightmare !.

Goodnight isn't used as a term in the sense, i hope you have a goodnight, dream in colour or don't have a nightmare.

It's more, I will see later goodbye for now.

Why would I not dream in colour, will something happen if I dream in black and white?

If your life have little light or lacks color and brightness and is as a dark, gloomy and dull November, it is better to have colorful dreams than a gray once, isn't it?

Wishing "colorful dreams" makes sense. Colorful means here interesting and nice.

Does it? I don't know if I would wish this on anyone...

youtu.be/HU9JIphUGnM

(old Polish boyband with exactly one hit, which was this)

I don't know if I would wish this on anyone...

This one is better:

youtube.com/watch?v=EK8oWDluu18

The only term in the English language to suggest anything about the content of a dream is "sweet dreams " and even then I think that's more an American term, I don't use it and I am English.

I've never heard anyone ever wish anyone colourful dreams.

It's either,

Night or morning - informal

Good morning or goodnight - formal

And to a child that I knew, I would say something like; Night, don't let the bedbugs bite.

Well it does have a great song behind it.

youtube.com/watch?v=imafHIq2210


Certainly not in English, though alongside "sweet dreams" there's "pleasant dreams" too, maybe also more American than British?


Sleep tight! Don't let the bedbugs bite! is the version I'm familiar with.

Another Polish expression with no clear English equivalent is "smacznie spać" often translated as "sleep soundly" but often used in very different contexts.

Yeah true, " pleasant dreams " but still I never hear it used really. People can say what they like really, but as a native speaker if someone said colourful dreams I would know instantly they're not native speakers.

Whateverrrrrr !

True enough. Except that there was an idea floating around a few years ago that "native speaker" is a myth invented to reinforce unequal social relations.

sample:

youtube.com/watch?v=OG8q99fLn0o

Karaluchy pod poduchy!

Merged:

English idioms or phrases translation to Polish

How do you say these sorts of statements or idioms as google translate seems to do a ****** job on them:

"I cannot get over it/ I cannot get over the fact" googke seems to say przeżyć to but przeżyć to me is survive something or live past something. Maybe "Ja nie mogę to trawić"?

Another one:

"He is on some high power ****"

I had some other one sin my head but just lost it right now so for now this will do.

Isnt there an idiom like "I dont wanna get hyped up" or somehting like "nie chcę się podbudzać" I know there is a word similar to podbudziać but forgot it.

podniecać?