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Harmless old-fashioned Polish swear words/phrases


Jadwiga 1 | -
18 Feb 2009 #1
I am a published author writing about Polish-American immigrants in midwest America during the 20s and 30s. I would like to know some simple AND HARMLESS Polish swear words/phrases that an older man might use in anger. I remember my grandfather's, which is not that harmless.I can only spell it phonetically:"Pshaw-clef," which I think means, literally, "dog's blood." But it translates, certainly, into something more coarse.

Thank you!
Davey 13 | 388
18 Feb 2009 #2
Pshaw-clef

Psia krew
chi 1 | 33
18 Feb 2009 #3
psia mać
psia jucha
psia dupa
I also remember my grandfather saying something like:
- jasny gwint
- do diaska
- cholera jasna
- choina [ this was my grandfather's brother favourite - I liked it because he always said
that instead of 'cholera' when children were around:-) ]
osiol 55 | 3,921
18 Feb 2009 #4
Cholera

There's an old chap at work whose swearword of choice seems to be cholera. He was off work today seeing the doctor. I imagine the doctor telling him that, no, he isn't actually suffering from cholera. He doesn't exhibit a particularly choleric character.
Polonius3 994 | 12,367
21 Feb 2009 #5
Cholera was once considered quite rude so it was replaced by the euphemism choroba. Go figure.
Just as do diaska replaced do diabła, regarded as a very strong oath.
Wroclaw 44 | 5,379
21 Feb 2009 #6
Cholera was once considered quite rude so it was replaced by the euphemism choroba.

I still hear 'cholera' used
Seanus 15 | 19,674
21 Feb 2009 #7
Cholera is very much used today. P3, you don't even live in Poland, do you?
Switezianka - | 463
22 Feb 2009 #8
A niech to gęś kopnie!
Motyla noga!
Do jasnej anielki!
Kurcze pieczone/blade!
Pomorzanka - | 28
22 Feb 2009 #9
- kurcze pióro (chicken's feather)
- kurka wodna (water hen)
- psia kość (dog's bone)
- kuchnia (kitchen)
Polonius3 994 | 12,367
28 Feb 2009 #10
Sorry, I misphrased things. I did not intend to suggest that choroba has replaced or displaced cholera which is very much alive. I wanted to say choroba was once used by those who felt cholera was too strong. Mea maxima culpa for my lack of clarity!
gosiaczek 1 | 85
28 Feb 2009 #11
I like this one: kurdzibąk (although I'm not sure if this should be spelled kurdzi bąk or kurdzibąk), means the same as kurcze pieczone, psia krew, and so on.

do stu diabłów
niech to piorun trzaśnie

Jadwiga:
Pshaw-clef

my grandma still uses this one
robbietravelcat
22 Jul 2010 #12
Davey
What does Pshaw-clef mean? This is so weird.... I never saw it spelled out before, I only heard it. My father used to say it a lot when he got angry, but he said "Pshaw-chef oletta.
skysoulmate 14 | 1,294
22 Jul 2010 #13
Psia krew? "dog's blood" ~ damn it!
Not sure about the last word?

Never mind, just saw the first post explaining it...
f stop 25 | 2,507
22 Jul 2010 #14
my fathers:
jasna cholera
and, of course, psia krew.
Never heard my mother or any of my grandparents curse.
tow_stalin - | 57
22 Jul 2010 #15
in southern poland very useful unharmless swear is: "ty pierunie" which means in enlglish: "you lightning". or "ty giździe", or even "ty ciućmoku" and even more even "ty ćmiylu".

outcome is that, "W szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie" is not so hard to spell :)
catsoldier 62 | 595
24 Jul 2010 #16


Some samples of Polish swearing and a funny video.
Seanus 15 | 19,674
25 Jul 2010 #18
Kurde, open your PM box, plk123 ;)
plk123 8 | 4,142
25 Jul 2010 #19
you can email me, no? or give me some time so i can read all the bitchin' PMs i got. :D
Seanus 15 | 19,674
25 Jul 2010 #20
Well, if the Mods permit this to stay up til you finish work on it ;) ;)

youtube.com/watch?v=_AnwwMxJqvk&NR=1
I can't make out what is said here. Sth like 'if you need help, come to the pub??' (or come to papa??)

Oh, spieprzyć is old and harmless despite the stem.
plk123 8 | 4,142
25 Jul 2010 #21
it's just over peppered. :)

I can't make out what is said here. Sth like 'if you need help, come to the pub??' (or come to papa??)

i can't tell.. i don't have any head phones with me here. sorry
Seanus 15 | 19,674
25 Jul 2010 #22
Over-peppered, LOL. Or screwed up ;)

Then please listen without ;) ;)
plk123 8 | 4,142
25 Jul 2010 #23
i did and i can't tell one thing.. that's why i mentioned head phones.. those would help tremendously..
Seanus 15 | 19,674
25 Jul 2010 #24
Aha, thanks for trying, kurde ;) ;)
tomzick - | 1
27 Sep 2010 #25
I remember hearing a phrase used by the old Polish ladies in my neighborhood (Buffalo, NY) that sounded something like, "oh, helleda!" Does anyone know it, what it means, how to say it, how to spell it correctly?

Jen-kooya!

Tom
f stop 25 | 2,507
27 Sep 2010 #26
O, Cholera - Oh, horrible bacterial infection
nunczka 8 | 458
27 Sep 2010 #27
Można uzyskać od uderzenia pioruna

May you get struck by lightning.
noreenb 7 | 557
28 Sep 2010 #28
"-Cholera jasna." or: "-Do jasnej cholery!" are my favourite.
"Cholera mnie bierze" - "I can't stand it any longer"
"Kurza twarz" (hen's face) is nice too.
"Do diaska", "do diabła", and plenty others.
smp
21 Oct 2010 #29
How about: "do kroćset" (doh krotch-set)? I'm not even trying to translate it... ;)

But my all-time favorite old-fashioned phrase is KRUCAFUKS. Spell it: "krootza-fookhz", with an accent on the second part. I don't know how to translate it (because it means totallty and absolutely nothing), but it reminds me of english "oh, bloody hell". Probably

To be perfectly clear - no one talks like that in Poland nowadays. But my grandpa probably used that phrase often. :)
alexw68
21 Oct 2010 #30
Wife's grandad used to say 'do jasnej holendry' a lot...


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