Projekt jest w lesie
The honest version of the Monday stand-up. Ten expressions for the gap between the status report and the truth — informal Polish for deadlines, delays and office survival.
być w lesie
phrase · verb, imperfective, colloquial
- EN
- to be nowhere near done, to be way behind
- RU
- быть далеко от завершения, сильно отставать
Demo w piątek? Jesteśmy z tym jeszcze w lesie.
A demo on Friday? We're nowhere near ready.
Literally 'to be in the forest', far from the road out. Jesteśmy głęboko w lesie makes it worse. Informal, but mild enough for a stand-up with most managers.
leżeć i kwiczeć
phrase · verb, imperfective, colloquial
- EN
- to be in a hopeless state, a complete mess
- RU
- дело совсем плохо, в плачевном состоянии
Migracja leży i kwiczy od marca.
The migration has been dead in the water since March.
Literally 'to lie there and squeal', like an animal that cannot get up. Said of projects, finances and people in real trouble — far more colourful than a status report needs.
na wczoraj
phrase · adverb, colloquial
- EN
- needed yesterday, extremely urgent
- RU
- нужно было ещё вчера
Ta poprawka jest na wczoraj.
This fix was needed yesterday.
Na + a deadline, the way you say na jutro or na piątek — with the deadline already gone. Russian на вчера does the same job; the impossible deadline travels well.
dupochron
noun · masculine, vulgar
- EN
- something that covers your backside, usually a paper trail
- RU
- бумажка, чтобы прикрыть задницу
Wyślij podsumowanie spotkania, taki dupochron.
Send a summary of the meeting — just to cover ourselves.
Dupa plus chron-, from chronić, to protect — built like piorunochron, the lightning rod. Labelled vulgar in dictionaries; whether it earns a grin depends on the office.
spychologia
noun · feminine, colloquial
- EN
- buck-passing (as an art form)
- RU
- перекладывание ответственности на других, бюрократический футбол
Trzy działy i nikt za to nie odpowiada — czysta spychologia.
Three departments and nobody is responsible — pure buck-passing.
Spychać, to push off, dressed up as a science with -logia. An old office joke that never retired; its practitioner is a spycholog.
wrzutka
noun · feminine, colloquial
- EN
- an unexpected extra task; a clause slipped in
- RU
- внезапная дополнительная задача; протащенная поправка
Mamy wrzutkę od klienta na piątek.
The client has thrown in something extra for Friday.
From wrzucić, to throw in. At work it is the surprise task in your sprint; in politics, a provision quietly slipped into an unrelated bill.
dowieźć
verb · perfective, corporate slang in this sense
- EN
- to deliver (a project, a result)
- RU
- сделать, выдать результат
Zespół znowu nie dowiózł na czas.
The team failed to deliver on time again.
Literally to transport all the way to the destination; in corporate Polish, to deliver the promised result. The project is the cargo, and nie dowiózł is a verdict. Russian tech slang has started saying довезти too.
korpo
noun · neuter, indeclinable, colloquial
- EN
- a big corporation; corporate life
- RU
- корпорация, офисная жизнь
Rzucił korpo i otworzył piekarnię.
He quit the corporate world and opened a bakery.
Short for korporacja and never inflects: w korpo, z korpo. Usually neuter, sometimes feminine. Its dialect is korpomowa — zrobić calla, dać feedback, na ASAP — the half-English Polish offices speak and Poles love to mock.
odbić piłeczkę
phrase · verb, perfective
- EN
- to turn a question or accusation back on someone
- RU
- ответить вопросом на вопрос; перевести стрелки
Zapytałem o budżet, a on odbił piłeczkę: a ile pan potrzebuje?
I asked about the budget and he turned it back on me: how much do you need?
Table tennis for the meeting room: the question, the blame or the problem goes straight back over the net. The little ball can carry a sharp reply.
na odwal się
phrase · adverb, colloquial
- EN
- sloppily, just to get it off your plate
- RU
- на отвяжись, спустя рукава
Testy napisane na odwal się niczego nie łapią.
Tests written just to tick a box catch nothing.
From odwalić się, to get lost. Russian на отвяжись is built the same way and means the same — for once the instinct is right. Harsher than byle jak.
Drill these ten · earlier morning · later morning
Drill these ten