Pytasz dzika, czy sra w lesie?

Meaning:

Lit. “are you asking a boar if it shits in the woods”? Which sounds ridiculous but, at the same time, quite funny. It is used to agree to a proposal and stress your full commitment and that the choice is obvious. The verb “shits” makes the expression coarse and not suitable for any official conversation. But it is perfect for accepting a proposal from a buddy to have a few beers on a Friday evening.

You may wonder why some of the examples below include the question mark while some don’t. Well, it’s because syntax in Polish does not define if a sentence is a question or a statement. It’s the intonation or the magical word “czy” (“if”), which in this case is only an element of the subordinate sentence. So, “pytasz dzika, czy sra w lesie” will be a question with the question mark and a statement without it.

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Jak koń po westernie

Meaning:

Lit. “like a horse after (shooting) a western (movie)”. The expression is usually preceded by a verb like “zmęczony” (tired) or some vulgar substitute of it. It describes a state of exhaustion after a long-time working, marching or any other, usually physical, activity.

The genesis of this parallel is obviously in horses being thought of as the most important ingredients of a good western movie, even more important than cowboys, and, as a consequences, spending most time on a set, especially recording tiresome chases.

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Zerwał mu się film

Meaning:

Lit. “his film reel snapped” which means the person referenced cannot recall her/his actions after having consumed a large amounts of alcohol and/or other drugs. It is quite often used by ethanol victims on the next day when asked what happened, where have you been or “do you remember what have you done”, which already suggests that something really embarrassing happened. In turn, they need to show their penance by saying: “nie wiem, zerwał mi się film” and await a sentence; being mocked by “pić trzeba umieć” (better) or hear some unbelievable details and then decide if they are just a joke or facts to face (worse).

The expression is an obvious reference to a defect of the old-fashioned movie equipment preventing from recording.

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Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy

Meaning:

Lit. “not my circus, not my monkeys”. Used when you are being dragged into a discussion on  a topic that you don’t really care about and is a pretty definite and also a bit rough end of the discussion. This is especially often used by Poles when a person wants to talk about politics and another one does not want to come at odds just by voicing her/his opinion. However, the expression can be used to deflect any subject: religion, a book, climate change etc. It just might sound insincere or silly when a very universal problem is being discussed. It is also sometimes used to stress that it is not your problem and you are not going to put any effort into solving it.

This seems to be a very recent addition to Polish language – around beginning of the 10’s and has been very much en vouge since then.

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Zaleźć (komuś) za skórę

Meaning:

Lit. “to get/crawl under one’s skin”. You use this in reference of a person or other entity’s actions that are extremely inconvenient or even harmful to someone. The expression is especially apt if this spans over a considerate amount of time and causes significant losses. It can be used to describe a person’s malicious character as well as work according to a plan, for instance in a business environment.

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