Lit. “to count sabres”. This phrase is mainly used in the context of politics and means: to estimate your own fraction’s power before an important parliamentary voting. This might as well include convincing potential naysayers – with threats, promises or both.
Lit. “to hang dogs on someone” which means to slander, vilify, depreciate someone, to accuse this person of deplorable deeds. This expression can be applied to people as well as institutions, in various contexts, and will be understood by most Polish people.
Lit. “to hold one’s tongue behind the teeth” – to keep a secret, to keep one’s lips sealed. Used especially when there is a secret indeed. But can also mean a general quality of a laconic and/or distrustful person.
Lit. “a water-pouring”. This is how Poles refer to a person speaking or writing at length, very fluently and roundly, but without much informational value. Or purposely getting off the given topic.
Lit. “to be soaked (into something)”, which is a way to point that a person has taken part in a questionable enterprise, usually a financial or political scheme or outright a criminal activity.
