Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases

especially since the Polish r will sound like a t between vowels to Americans (if jamiej is in fact American)

the American pronounciation of 'city' is close to syrij (using Polish spelling)

I remember my grandmother 'baci' saying psha nogga when flustered. I was told it means 'dogs foot'?

psianoga (as a single world) as two words, 'psia noga' it would mean 'dog's leg' or 'dog's foot' The two aren't distinguished much in everyday Polish and often 'noga' (leg) is used where (foot) might be more used in English. On the other hand dog's don't have legs (nogi) they have łapy (paws).

It's considered old fashioned and I can't say I've ever heard it...

It must have been a century ago. Later development of the phrase was motyla noga - butterfly leg.


Exactly. More common, though equally obsolete, is psiakość - dog`s bone.

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I'm not sure if I've ever heard psiakrew (except maybe on tv) I've read it but do people really still say it?

No, it is as old fashioned as psiakość. Pity. Only k... and k.... everywhere.

and d.... and (c)h...... too!

No, d... is quite OK, coz our President bears such surname.

@jon357
My mom used to say "guzik z petelka" (sorry about missing cedillas on the 1st e and a) - meaning you've gained nothing, just a useless button and the piece of cotton thread used to sew it on!

You can say also "guzik z tego masz", means the same.

Sounds like chahpoosh
My father-in-law used to call our dogs that.
Can you help?

Super diminutive Ciapuś stems from diminutive Ciapek. Ciapek stems from Ciapa. Ciapa means a clumsy person - slowcoach.

...slow POKE, maybe? -:)

Yes, slow poke is also possible.

Why don't you Poles switch to English as the official language and be done with diminutive and other nonsense? Like stol, krzeslo, and lawka being different genders.

I am sure that there is an explanation for this insanity.

Just curious...Can stol change his gender in Poland and call itself stola?

Why don`t you emigrant switch to a forum where asking such questions won`t be considered utter lunacy? :):):)

The same reason that you can't say 'three furnitures' or 'he cans sing well'.... languages have their own logic, but narcissists can't deal with anything foreign - it frightens and frustrates them to not be in control...

If you mean me, I did deal with everything foreign more and better than you or anyone you know. Name one person who one sunny day left everybody behind, got on a train, and just left the country with no one waiting at the other end. No destination address, no job, and no money. You can't so why don't you drop the narcissist crap.

It's old.


Logic and Polish language should never be used in the same sentence. There is a reason why English is everywhere and Polish nowhere. Even here, it's a me-too language.

Not only possible, Pawian, but the only choice in US vernacular!

@cecie
Oh yenna cohani just means "oh my dear"

Does anyone know what this expression means: Yak tam stare crioo? Is it "How the old whine?

How do you pronounce that crioo???

@pawian
My best guess: " Jak tam stara krowo"
Highly improper tho

Krowo? hahahaha

Yes, highly improper.
Do widzenia, Ślepa Gienia!

A co to Gienia?
No bo "ślepota" to ja znam

Gienia is a diminutive of Genowefa.

My Babcia used to say, Ty glida, to any of us who wouldn't do as we were told. Anyone know what that means?

maybe 'ty gnida' (or 'ty gnido' not much difference)

ty - you (Familiar)

literally, 'gnida' means 'nit' (egg stage of head lice)

but it's also a pretty strong insult, here defined as "scheming, two-faced malicious person"

The minister of education recently tried to get a university professor fired for calling a member of parliament 'gnida' in a (later deleted) tweet.

No grandma calls her grandchildren nits (gnidy). Never ever.

Then what do you think it could have been?

One problem is no pronunciation is given (especially for -i- is the -i- in machine or the -i- in bite?

The only thing that comes to my mind could maybe be something based on German kleine (if 'glida' rhymes with Ida (english pronuncation)

Googling also turns up glajda an old poznanian word meaning 'mud' or 'messy woman/girl'...

Any ideas?

Ty glizdo; you little worm.