Category: Metaphors

Dno i dziesięć metrów mułu

Meaning:

Lit. “the bottom and ten meters of sludge”. If you hear this have no doubt that your interlocutor is of an extremely negative opinion about somebody’s behaviour, a book, a music album or whatever else. Be sure to only use it if you really cannot find any positive aspects of the subjects of your conversation. Any proponents of what you’re criticizing this way will feel provoked to start an argument with you and await some brilliant points to support your judgment.

Pointing at something displeasing as “dno” (the bottom, of a sea, lake or a river) has been used in Polish for several decades while the level of sludge seems to be an addition of the recent twenty years in the era of Internets and everybody voicing their opinions about everything online. Several variants exist.

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Rzeźbić w gównie

Meaning:

Lit. “to sculpt in shit”, which is used to describe an extremely tedious and often pointless task, especially if the tediousness and pointlessness result from revising of initial reasonable and consistent requirements for the job. So you use this to express your frustration if your ideas for a website or campaign design had first been approved and then your client or your boss introduce their own “brilliant” ideas that you know will result in a much increased workload for everybody in the project and, in the end, render them unhappy too. The expression describes well implementing countless feedback rounds that make your overall product worse and not better. Sometimes it is used to point at overall bad organisation in a project and resulting requirements changes.

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Chodzić po ścianach

Meaning:

Lit. “to walk on walls”. This expression is used in various contexts and situations to convey lots of meanings. In the past, it seems to me, it’s been mainly used to describe a person that is in stressed out, cannot control her- or himself. Or people doing their very best to achieve something considered unrealistic. I’ve also seen instances of “chodzić po ścianach” referring to someone being extremely bored.

The meaning I’m mostly used to and it seems, a more popular nowadays, is this referring to people being completely drunk or intoxicated with some other drugs, especially if this state is reached at a house party be a couple persons in unison. The spirits (we’re not talking about a beer or two here) lift their spirits so high, that they gain superhuman powers, even if cannot remember it the day after. By the way, if you want to learn about fifty, often poetic, ways to say “drunk” in Polish, head to this page. It has them all.

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Wypić nawarzone przez siebie piwo

Meaning:

Lit. “to drink the beer one has brewed”. This metaphor is used in several variants, but ultimately means the same: you need to face the consequences of your (often unwise) decisions or deeds. Funnily, it is sometimes directed at kids to teach them a sense of responsibility, even though you only can legally buy a beer in Poland once you turn eighteen. The meaning is somewhat similar to “to eat humble pie” but stresses consequences more – and humiliation less.

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Być w proszku

Meaning:

Lit. “to be powdered” – as in “powdered milk” or instant cocoa. This seems to be a metaphor for a state of not being fully prepared as the above don’t become beverages until dissolved in water. You will find many expressions containing the above like: “zupa w proszku”, “mleko w proszku” and even “oranżada w proszku“.

In most cases, you use the above to point that somebody or a group of people are far from being prepared for something: a meeting with a client, an exam, not packed up for a holiday. It might also refer to enterprises.

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