Meaning:
Lit. “under the thatch” is an old Polish expression meaning that something is becoming popular among the common folk, usually following an adoption by better-off or well-educated people.
Category: Sayings
Wychodzic przed orkiestrę
Meaning:
Lit. “to step in front of the orchestra” is a figurative way to say that someone is too bold and is overreaching which might result in a bitter failure.
Rozejść się po kościach
Meaning:
Lit. “to spread around the bones” which is used to say that something expected to be really big resulted in almost no consequences, especially negative ones.
Las rąk
Meaning:
Lit. “a forest of hands” is an ironic comment used if you ask for volunteers and no one raises their hand to offer their help. Most Poles learn it in primary school – and for many this might actually be the first instance of irony in their life.
Oj tam
Meaning:
Lit. “oh there” – which obviously does not make any sense in English. In Polish it’s a highly colloquial phrase to point that you don’t pay much attention to what the other person says. It is mostly used in two cases: when someone criticises or praises you.