Człowiek orkiestra

Meaning:

Lit. “a man-orchestra”, “one-man band” which you use to refer to a person with an unlimited set of diverse talents and interests. The expression definitely contains a note of admiration and is often used upon hearing about her/his new enterprise. But it also can be meant sarcastically, to point that one person cannot be even decent at many diverse tasks.

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Nie bierze jeńców

Meaning:

Lit. “he/she does not take prisoners”, which is used to describe adamant, confident, pugnacious people. It is either a token of esteem or a warning, might even be both at the same time. The source is obviously the reprehensible practice of killing all defeated enemies during a war instead of taking them prisoners.

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Chłop jak dąb

Meaning:

Lit. “a man like an oak”. This expression is used to point that a guy is tall, strong, able bodied. Oaks are traditionally revered as the strongest trees and you can still find some impressive old specimens in Polish woods. Interestingly enough, some of them are given human names, for instance a certain Bartek that for many people is a symbol of Polish statehood.

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Mieć nierówno pod sufitem

Meaning:

Lit. “to have it uneven (not on one level) under the roof” which translates almost exactly into “a bit lacking upstairs”. You use the expression to informally say that someone is mentally unstable or simply not very bright. At the same time, using it makes the statement a bit gentler and friendlier than saying something like “idiota”, “wariat” or outright “popierdolony”.

Poles often use this metaphor to describe a person that is a bit crazy but harmless.

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