Meaning
Lit: “an algae eater”. This fish is among the most popular home aquarium dwellers, not just in Poland. It is famous for sucking to glass walls with its large mouth (it is a bottom-feeder) which is why it has a second, figurative meaning.
Category: Animals
Krowa, która dużo ryczy, mało mleka daje
Meaning:
Lit: “cow that moos a lot gives little milk”. Used to describe a person, an enterprise or a company who make a lot of noise, attract interest, but in the end don’t achieve their stated goals and produce little or no real results.
Włożyć kij w mrowisko
Meaning:
Lit. “To put a stick into an anthill”. Which refers to an action or a statement that immediately provokes a heated discussion, critique or even violent retaliation. This might be due to it (the action or statement) being very accurate, brilliant, provoking or radical.
Puścić pawia
Meaning:
Lit. “to release a peacock”. Still a bit slangy but generally understood expression for throwing up, especially as a consequence of consuming too much alcohol.
Białe myszki
Meaning:
Lit. “little white mice”, most commonly used with the verb “widzieć” (“to see”). Which has been used for at least 50 years to describe people hallucinating while being totally drunk, in a delirium or suffering during withdrawal or a hangover. The white mice are supposed to be a sign of alcoholism and a warning to stop drinking altogether.