Idiomy zwierzęce
Polish thinks with animals. None of these translates and all of them get used.
kupować kota w worku
phrase · verb
- EN
- to buy a pig in a poke
- RU
- покупать кота в мешке
Nie kupuj kota w worku, obejrzyj mieszkanie.
Don't buy blind — go and see the flat.
Polish and Russian both put a cat in the sack; English put a pig in it. Word for word with RU, so it is free.
gdzie pies pogrzebany
phrase
- EN
- that's the crux of it
- RU
- вот где собака зарыта
I tu jest pies pogrzebany.
And that's where the problem really lies.
Identical to the Russian, buried dog and all. Said at the moment somebody works out the real cause.
mieć kota
phrase · verb
- EN
- to be a bit mad
- RU
- быть с приветом
Chyba masz kota, żeby tam iść samemu.
You must be mad to go there alone.
Affectionate rather than clinical. Not to be confused with mieć kaca, which is a different animal entirely.
robić kogoś w konia
phrase · verb
- EN
- to take somebody for a ride
- RU
- обвести вокруг пальца
Zrobili nas w konia z tą ceną.
They took us for a ride on the price.
Literally to make somebody into a horse. Close to wykiwać, which you already have.
czuć się jak ryba w wodzie
phrase · verb
- EN
- to be in one's element
- RU
- чувствовать себя как рыба в воде
Na scenie czuje się jak ryba w wodzie.
On stage she's completely in her element.
Another one that survives the border intact. When an idiom is this old, both languages usually kept it.
spać jak suseł
phrase · verb
- EN
- to sleep like a log
- RU
- спать без задних ног
Spałem jak suseł do południa.
I slept like a log until noon.
A suseł is a ground squirrel, which hibernates. English uses a log and Russian uses missing hind legs — three unrelated images for one idea.
wilczy apetyt
phrase · noun
- EN
- a ravenous appetite
- RU
- волчий аппетит
Po biegu mam wilczy apetyt.
I'm ravenous after a run.
Wolfish, in both languages. Polish also has wilczy głód for the same thing.
koń by się uśmiał
phrase
- EN
- that's laughable
- RU
- курам на смех
Ta wymówka? Koń by się uśmiał.
That excuse? It's laughable.
A horse would laugh. Russian sends it to the chickens instead — same contempt, different livestock.
patrzeć jak cielę na malowane wrota
phrase · verb
- EN
- to stare blankly
- RU
- смотреть как баран на новые ворота
Stał i patrzył jak cielę na malowane wrota.
He just stood there staring blankly.
A calf at a painted gate; Russian sends a ram to a new one. Both have gates and neither has the same animal.
nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy
phrase
- EN
- not my circus, not my monkeys
- RU
- не моя проблема
Niech się martwią sami — nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy.
Let them worry about it — not my problem.
Polish gave this one to English rather than the other way round, which is rare enough to be worth knowing.
Drill these ten · earlier morning · later morning
Drill these ten