The world and its wonders

This week I will present ten Polish/English phrases which are understood by Poles alone – in other words, what makes British people laugh. You have to admit that the linguistic creativity of Poles residing on the British Isles has truly beguiled the Scots and the English, although as they admit – they don’t always understand the mix of Shakespeare’s language and idioms from the banks of the Vistula River.

Jedzie mi tu czo?g – Do I have a tank riding here? This is the Poles’ response if someone is telling them of a very unlikely event or is trying to talk them into something that does not sound very credible. Polish “Do I have a tank riding here?” means more or less as “no chance” or “not very likely”, but it definitely makes the British people laugh more – they are already learning to get that tank moving under their eye.

Ju? po ptakach – It’s after the birds. The birds are gone. Britons are finding it difficult to understand what this Polish “after the birds” could mean, particularly in the context of a conversation in which no animals have been mentioned. But after an explanation that it means the same as “too late”, they themselves will claim that it’s “after the birds” next time, for example when they have just missed a bus.

R?ce opadaj? – Hands are dropping. This expression, when heard for the first time, is also meaningless for the British, although its meaning does have something in common with reality. When explaining, you can always use your hands and present the message using a gesture and an appropriate facial expression. And what is interesting, in the English idiom hands do not drop but are raised, therefore our “dropping” may be even more confusing.

B?d? m?dry, pisz wiersze – Be wise, write poems. Poles use this phrase when... they don’t know what to say. Example? You are telling your colleague that the boss first told you to carry out an important task, after which he decided that it was not important after all and changed the order to another, just as important. So now what? Be wise...

By? w proszku – To be in powder. Poles are most frequently in powder when they have to leave their house at any moment and the hair is still messy and breakfast uneaten. The British people would be in a hurry, but they are partial to our powder and more and more often they land in it...

Bez dwóch zdań – Without two sentences. This is what Poles say to their British colleagues when the matter they are talking about is not up for discussion. Now they know this, whereas previously they wondered how to connect the absence of two sentences with emphasising your own opinion.

Rzuca? grochem o ?cian? – Throw peas against a wall. This is an attempt at explaining to friends in the British Isles that we sometimes feel helpless in trying to explain things, and some people are just slow in comprehending. Hopefully not in this case.

By? nie w sosie – To not be in the sauce. The Brits are slowly starting to understand that we sometimes are not in the mood or are simply sad. So not to keep repeating “bad” and “sad”, we add variety to our statements with some sauce.

Czu? do kogo? mi?t? – To feel mint for someone. Although this has nothing to do with an actual scent, this is the easiest and poetic way of saying that we like someone. The Brits are finding this freshness of admission more and more to their taste, and they are actually starting to “feel mint” where they have not felt it before.

Chodzi? na rz?sach – To walk on one’s eyelashes. An unusual expression which British friends learn mainly in the context of a good party, and this means that they are simply very drunk. But Poles also “walk on their eyelashes” when they’ve had a hard night and with very little sleep. Although sometimes one can be connected with the other!

Source: www.newsweek.pl, pl.wikipedia.org