Game - guess Polish idioms/sayings in direct English translation

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maybe better "to hold one's thumbs" (in German IIRC it's to 'press the thumbs' - in (American) English it's to cross one's fingers (for smn)

Yes, of course, you are right with this holding. I am already tired, I need to go to sleep earlier tonight, I am spending too much time here. :):) Due to the school deform, I have to get up at 6 am.

Goodnight.

That's the kind of nuance which will always be difficult for a Polish speaker. When we say "trzymać", the first English equivalent that comes to mind is "keep" rather than "hold". I don't know why.

Me either... I think of trzymać as physical (not sure if that's always true I'm pretty sure it's not) I think I learned 'trzymać' in a context where somebody was holding something and the context in which L2 words are learned tends to influence how learners think of them more (native speakers usually can't remember learning everyday words like trzymać or hold or keep)

The case is simple: hold is trzymać physically in hands or arms, keep is trzymać in more abstract contexts, like a pet at home. I was tired.

It's probably wrong, but is it to con or swindle somebody? Although I dislike the negative connotation there. No idea about the other gypsy one.


It's the same in England too.

Holding your breath in... arms or hands?

Yes about swindling. Yes, it isn`t nice but it still functions, although more and more rarely.
To gypsy means to lie.

to poison to sb.

Actually I remember watching Sprawa dla reportera once and one of the problems they discussed was of a young Gypsy woman's and one of the guests was Bogdan Trojanek -that blonde Gypsy. And I'm pretty sure at some point he told her 'cyganisz'.

Meant as you are lying.

@pawian
Yeah. Used by a Gypsy.

To poison someone's mind?

Nope, it means to bore sb to death with silly, stupid, uninteresting talk, often with reproachful context.

I didn`t win sth (e..g,a stomach in the book) in the lottery.

I missed out in the luck stakes? Or healthwise?

Nope, it means I must take care of my things, health, body coz I have only one.

to mount one`s hobby horse.

To get onto one's favourite topic of conversation?

Yes! Often connected with listeners bored to death... :)

sth(e.g., the flat) was turned over legs up

Something was turned upside down? Ransacked?

Yes!

Edmund Niziurski, Klub Włóczykijów, 1980, the fourth edition, page 61

to put sb out Put out in the sense of extinguish.

Presuming it's not in the literal sense of the word, does it mean to subdue someone, to take the wind out of their sails?

Just remembered one of the first idioms, idiomatic sayings, I ever learned: MADRY POLAK PO SZKODZIE = ONE'S ALWAYS
WISER AFTER THE FACT, or something to that effect:-)

Another:

A shoemaker walks without shoes

Yes, usually resulting with the extinguished person go silent, lose enthusiasm, become saddened etc..


It isn`t idiomatic, it is just a proverb - in literal translation - a wise Pole after a damage. :):)


Another nice proverb. :):)

Doesn`t the English have a similar one? the shoemaker's children are ill-shod

about humans:to put the paw on sth

the version I know is just "the cobbler's children go barefoot" though there are many variants... often people just say "the cobbler's children..." (or "the shoemaker's children..) and the rest is understood, like "the best laid plans..."

Now I'm trying to think of Polish proverbs that are similarly abbreviated... can't think of any

Cieszy mię ten rym - mądr Polak po szkodzie
Lecz jeśli prawda i z tego nas zbodzie,
nową przypowieść Polak sobie kupi,
że i przed szkodą i po szkodzie głupi

Who wrote this?

I have never heard that one, although Google Translate gives that meaning for the literal translation from the original Polish, which I found bizarre to say the least, given that children aren't mentioned in the proverb. I don't normally use GT, but when I spoke to a friend about this yesterday, I used it to look up the meaning of szewc as she wanted to know what someone who made/repaired shoes was called ( cobbler or shoemaker ) in English.


To take over something, to take the reins?

Jan Kochanowski - Pieśń 5


Hmm. I was under the impression it meant that a person has no time for self because that person is too busy caring about others and so neglects himself.

Neither have I. And yes, I know the proverb in which children are not mentioned.


Very good! My favorite of his fraszka's is this one:

Jeśli nie grzeszysz jako mi powiadasz,
czemu się miła tak często spowiadasz?

Without googling, I remeber it was a poem called The Song About the Ravaging of Podole. I think I still remember that Polish lesson we were doing it on in high school. I only forgot it was Kochanowski. :)