Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation

Is it used to define the comedy of a situation?

yes it is - jaja jak balony means a very hilarious situation

Yes, hilarious though sb might think it refers to a long period of sexual abstinence. :)

to put a line on sth/sb.

Actually, that was my first thought which perfectly demonstrates where my mind is most of the time :)

To put a line on Sth/sb. Does it mean the same as to draw the line at something? A person or situation can go so far, but after that a line has been crossed?

Well, no. You are close with drawing cause the line in Polish is kreska, which is usually drawn with a pen or pencil. But it means to give up sth or sb, to resign.

to put a small cross/x-mark on sb/sth

Ok, thanks for that.


Does it mean to doubt someone, or someone considers something to be lost or not worthy of further effort?

Yes, these last two idioms have the same meaning.

to pull the string along

To manage matters from a position invisible to others?

Nope. String in this idiom refers to musical intruments. When you stretch it too much, it breaks. The idiom means: don`t exaggerate or go too far than allowed.

One, two, three, etc as many as you wish stick(s) - what did it mean in PRL times?

Ok, thanks.


Unless 'sticks' are meant in the sense of something being freely available and something one doesn't have to queue up for, I have no idea.

I remebered one:
A boy to be beaten

A whipping boy? In the UK it is a person who gets blamed or punished for the faults/deeds of others.

Why a "whipping boy" and not a "whipped boy" which would seem more relevant given the meaning?

I'm not sure my answer is even right Wincig, until Lenka looks at this thread again. The idioms have been translated from Polish into English first, sometimes translation doesn't exactly match. What you say is correct, but it's just my guess at the moment as I have no other ideas.

IMHO, "a boy for beating" would be a better translation.

Or "a boy for whipping" indeed.

So is my answer right then?

Yes.


Stick in PRL times meant one thousand zlotys.

to take oneself into handful.

So people would wish for money, or have I got the context wrong?


To get hold of oneself, get a grip, get your act together?

I am not sure what you mean with wishing for money. The usage of stick: It will cost you a stick. Give me a stick and we have a deal etc etc.

Yes, get a grip.

From another thread : To look for the wind in the field.

Before I forget - I just looked at sth in the countryside bathroom and thought:

sth functions (in different ways)on the word of honour.

Because you said the in the idiom, 'as many as you wish sticks', so I wasn't sure how it should be interpreted.


Might as well look for something impossible to find, a wild goose chase?


Is this something to do with behaviour? Not everything is as certain and reliable as the promise of someone's word?

Sorry, probably I forgot to use italics to seperate that addition which was a simple continuation of one, two, ..... Next time I will be more careful:

e.g.,
One, two, three,(etc as many as you wish)stick(s)-


Correct if you mean it refers to people or things that manage to escape and vanish into thin air.


No, when I wrote sth, it was important cause it refers to things which are on the verge of a breakdown but still work, miraculously..

There is sth on the thing.

Yep, that would have been better :)


Yes.


Aha! Ok, thanks for that.
I have no ideas about the new one though, no idea what the 'thing' is meant to be.

Thing as rzecz, can also be matter.

Something's up? There's more to be said about something, a story behind this?

Yes!

it goes like along the string.

It goes straight down the line?

Yes.

to eat this frog

To bear the consequences of one's own behaviour? Deal with a difficult situation?

Yes, difficult but primarily unpleasant, just like eating a frog. :):)

We had a stick from PRL times, now it is time for a bubble. How much was it?

I think it was this much:

•