Polish idioms involving colour

Dear friends , help me please with my thesis

I'm looking some examples with Polish idioms and expressions using colour, for example I found a couple of them:

Biały jak śnieg

Czerwony jak burak

Czarny humor

Thanks in advance!

Czarna owca (a black sheep)
Pozielenieć z zazdrości
Być w czymś zielonym/ Nie mieć o jakiejś dziedzinie zielonego pojęcia
Widzieć białe myszki (to see pink elephants)
Złote myśli
Myśleć o niebieskich migdałach
Błękitna krew
Szara rzeczywistość
Czarny charakter (a villain in movies)

Biały jak śnieg is definitely not used as an idiom.

Blady jak trup (if you consider blady (pale) a color)

Odkładać na czarną godzinę (the meaning is similar to the title of a song Save a little money for a rainy day, but I don't know if it's used as an idiom in English)

Jasne jak słońce. (if you consider jasny (light) as color related)

A few more:

Widzieć świat w różowych okularach (to see everything in bright colors, to be very optimistic)

Czarno coś widzieć (to be very pessimistic about something)

Jest napisane czarno na białym! (it clearly says - about texts)
w biały dzień
do białego rana (till dawn)
biały kruk (a rare book)
czarna godzina
pracować na czarno (work illegally)
patrzeć przez różowe okulary (being optimistic)
nie malować się w różowych barwach (about future)

idiom in Polish = związek frazeologiczny or powiedzenie
Try wiktionary pl.wiktionary.org/wiki/r%C3%B3%C5%BCowy
(but watch out - not every expression is in common use)

dostać kolorów.
biała księga
biała plama
białe niedźwiedzie
białe tango
biały kruk
czarno na białym
w biały dzień
czarny brudny jak święta ziemia lub czarny jak święta ziemia
czarna księga
czarna lista
czarna magia
czarna owca
czarna polewka
czarna robota
czarna rozpacz
czarno na białym
czarny jak noc
czarny jak smoła
czarny rynek
ktoś przedstawił coś w czarnych barwach
ktoś widzi coś w czarnych barwach
coś działa na kogoś jak czerwona płachta na byka
niebieski ptak
ktoś patrzy na coś przez różowe okulary
na szarym końcu
ktoś robi kogoś na szaro
ktoś rządzi się jak szara gęś
szara eminencja
ktoś ma zielono w głowie
ktoś nie ma zielonego pojęcia
ktoś posłał kogoś na zieloną trawkę
zielone światło
kura znosząca złote jaja
ktoś ma złote ręce
ktoś ma złote serce
ktoś obiecuje złote góry
złota młodzież
złota myśl
złota rączka
złote runo
złoty cielec
żyła złota lub złota żyła
sklep za żółtymi firankami

widzieć za oknami szarzyznę - but actually I'm not sure if it can be called an idiom.
żółtodziób - a yellow beak (someone young without experience)

Bzibzioch
wow!

szara myszka
dostać białej gorączki
czerwona płachta na byka
grom z jasnego nieba

nasze złotka - almost an idiom

She clearly copied them from the wiktionary. Not all of them are even used (I don't know the meaning of some of them)

Which one you have trouble with?

whether these are idioms or not depends also on the the other language, not just Polish.
To be on the safe side, here are some more phrasemes, some not necessarily unique to Polish:

czarne myśli
śnieżnobiały
mała czarna (refers to coffee but playing on words also to a brunette girl)
biała gorączka
białe szaleństwo
piwne oczy
odpukać w niemalowane drewno
świński blond
żywe srebro
biała plama
malować coś w tęczowych kolorach
czarny koń
żółtodziób
krucze (czarne) włosy

I don't know what these mean:
biała/czarna księga, białe niedźwiedzie, niebieski ptak, sklep za żółtymi firankami, czarna polewka
I strongly doubt you use złota młodzież when you do not discuss młodzież.

niebieski ptak - a person without visible means of support yet doing quite well due to his abilities to trick or fool the others.
czarna polewka = czernina = soup made of duck's blood - served to a girl's suitor as a symbol of rejection

biała księga - pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bia%C5%82a_ksi%C4%99ga
czarna księga - pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Czarna_ksi%C4%99ga_%28publikacja%29
białe niedźwiedzie - polar bear
niebieski ptak - bum, welfare recipient, a light hearted person
sklep za żółtymi firankami - stores restricted to selected clients (during communism)
czarna polewka - rejection of a suitor (also know as czernina or czernina soup)

Not an idiom.


Not an idiom.

see my opening notes here.

Idiom doesn't have to be unique to a given language. However, Czarna Księga is a name and when you say biały niedźwiedź you always mean biały niedźwiedź, not anything else.

You read just the first line of my post.
The second might be more telling. The translation of the "weird" word is: zwiazki frazeologiczne. I won't be linking. I'm sure you can find out what it means if you really want to know.


it can also be a book where you list your enemies, anything to do with malice, executed or planned for future, that you prefer to keep secret

Like I'm sure you use the expression Green-thumb when talking about Jack of all trades or master of none (in your case). Don't be stupid, of course you'll use the expression that suits the situation.

Few more I haven't seen yet. Let's start with something that suits the situation, shall we?

ciemny jak tabaka
w siną dal
blady jak ściana
ciemny typ
siwy dym

which reminds me:
bialy/blady jak kreda

it can also be a book where you list your enemies, anything to do with malice, planned or future, that you prefer to keep secret

That'd be czarna lista. I don't know, maybe "czarna księga" is used in some regions, but to me it looks like an outdated or artificial phrase.


I know what "związek frazeologiczny" means. However, if we start listing stuff like "biały niedźwiedź", then pretty much anything will count as such.


The original request was to list idioms, ie. expressions that might have a meaning different than literal. You'd have to stretch the term really strongly to count "złota młodzież" as such.

Kinda like some jargon from Swiebodzin? :)


Not at all:
jasne wlosy/ciemne wlosy/rude wlosy
biala kredka/czerwona kredka

And while "zlote serce" is a phraseme, "niebieskie serce" is not.

"Złote serce" describes a person, not an organ. "Biały niedźwiedź" still describes a bear.

Kinda like some jargon from Swiebodzin? :)


Not at all:
jasne wlosy/ciemne wlosy/rude wlosy
biala kredka/czerwona kredka

And while "zlote serce" is a phraseme, "niebieskie serce" is not.


You see the world you want to see it.

Speaeking of which, this:


is rare. Widziez swiat przez rozowe okulary is much more common since the world rarely puts any glasses on, but a lot of people who look at it do.


that's why it is a phraseme


not always
Hint -> North American Indians.

also means a black classic dress (an Audrey Hepburn style)


it's not about color


I had to check it in encyclopedia. It's under the keyword: Konsumy

you got a point here

Is wrong, not rare. Widzieć świat w różowych kolorach is rare and I kinda mixed the two. :)


Any idiom is a phraseme. And "złote serce" is an idiom since it has a nonliteral meaning.


Elaborate.

Ok maybe I wasn't right about the translation of the idiom. I have no idea what's the equivalent of a word idiom then.

I'd say that in simplest terms, idioms are phrasemes typical of a culture. The word culture doesn't necessarily mean a specific language or country. There are English idioms typical of Canada, but not understood in other English speaking countries (e.g. loonie, hydro). My feeling is that all idioms are phrasemes, but not all phrasemes are idioms.

białe małżeństwo (a marriage with no sex)
myśleć o niebieskich migdałach (to dream, imagine, to not be down-to-earth person)
posłać kogoś na zieloną trawkę (give a sack to someone)


You're right. Phrameses devide into collocations and idioms.

I'd say in simplest terms idioms are phrases that typically used do not convey literal meaning. Phrasemes on the other hand are any commonly used phrases comprising 2+ words.