Polish sayings

There is apparently a Kashubski phrase which translates ruffly as "having a snake in your pocket", which means being tight, cautious with cash.

Well my colleague at school was introducing me to his student earlier this year. And he did so in Polish and English and for some unknown reason this phrase was brought into conversation, which ran somehting like this.

(infront of bemused class spanning various age groups, sexes and limited English)

Teacher: So do you have a snake n your pocket?

Me:..er...what do you mean? er...I don't think this is an appropriate topic....

Teacher (insisting): No DO YOU HAVE A SNAKE IN YOUR POCKET.

Me: er..um...listen in English if you asked someone "do you have a snake in your pocket", it would have homosexual conitations from one man to another and the word "snake" is often the slang for the word penis.

Teacher: ah..oh..I see ..um because here it means being mean,you known ,..um tighfisted...

Me: Shall we move on from this subject...

Teacher: er..yeah good idea.

It was exceptionally hard to keep a straight face and the student must have thought we looked like a comedy duo. Great way to be introduced don't you think.

This one is a keeper for sure.

also South African! My Dad said that to hubby when he asked to marry me! :P

You shine like a pitchfork in manure:

this is real shiny! ;)

Thread attached on merging:
polish sayings ..

Ok i am curious now (and confused lol) ....

after receiving this one "pa.pa .. buziaki 102" which means for those that didnt know "bye bye 102 kisses"

This is also meant in the sense >> 102 is sto dwa and this rhymes with papa

so me being me would like to know what other sayings in polish are used that are thought of as a funny way to write or say .. :)

here is a link to some more saying though none written like the one i posted in my post above lol

proz.com/glossary-translations/english-to-polish-translations/152

A noisy cow gives little milk.
Do not push the river, it will flow by itself.
Love enters a man through his eyes, woman through her ears.
The greatest oaks have been little acorns.
The woman cries before the wedding and the man after.
There will be no bread from that flour.
What little Johnny has not learned, big John will not know.
Words must be weighed, not counted.

en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Polish_proverbs

my favorite:
"Nie od razu Kraków zbudowano."

Translation: "Not at once Krakow was built."
Equivalent: Rome wasn't built in a day.

:P :)

Głodnemu chleb na myśli, the hungry have bread on the mind

We have groundhog day in USA if he see's his shadow it will be an early spring.We just had it on Feb. 2 and he saw his shadow, yippy early sping. If he doesn't, six more weeks of winter. Hey Do you have groundhogs?

We have a similar saying here in England...its "do as I say, not as I do"

I say it to my son all the time :D

my mom used to say this alot... it meant dont pick your nose because its not nice, only pigs pick there nose

nie dlub w nosie bos nie prosie

That is fantastic, and I am totally ripping that off to various profiles of mine, I love music!

Is anyone familiar with a saying that translates to something like "Like a pig in pepper". It was often said by my relatives and i know it in Polish but am not able to write it.

"Myślał indyk o niedzieli, a w sobotę łeb mu ścięli"
A turkey was thinking about Sunday, but they cut its head off on Saturday

Meaning, don't assume everything is certain - you might get unpleasently surprised.

Few peeps here posted this sayin: 'niedaleko pada jabłko od jabłoni'

Here is a variation of it:
Niedaleko pada Polak od jabola :D

Jabol - originally a label of a very cheap and nasty wine, these days a common name for any cheap and nasty wine.

In the UK we say 'curiosity killed the cat' Meaning be nosy at your peril.

There is another saying about curiosity (perhaps posted earlier, honestly, I did not read 'em all):

Ciekawość to pierwszy stopień do piekła.
(Curiosity is a first step to hell, meaning don't be too nosy, it's not nice, you may burn in hell if you will be :D)

"Jak pieprzona świnia" pieprzona -female, pieprzony-male it has two means: 1. with pepper - literary or 2. fucked

Or maybe quite different "upieprzony jak świnia" Literary means dirty by pepper but also could mean: dirty at all or tired. "... jak świnia" here mean: very much or heavy.

So all you can translate to dirty very much or heavy tired. It depend on job type and context.

nie dłub w nosie, boś nie prosię, tylko prosię dłubie w nosie

I do not have time to search this whole thread. But we have a saying in America.

Niech ta gwiazda Milosci co zawsze swici na ciebie, nigdy nie zagasnie

Sorry if I mispelled any Polish words. I have never been to Poland

My grandmother used to say, "there are many more days than sausages"! I loved to hear her say it.

Jak sobie pościelisz, tak sie wyśpisz - the way you prepare your bed, the way you will sleep (means that you are often responsible for your own success/failure)

Polak głodny, Polak zły

Każdy Polak po jedzeniu, nie zapomni o paleniu

A couple of good ones I hope

Spać jak kamień. = to sleep like a log (lit.' stone')

Spity jak bela = Three sheets to the wind (very drunk)

Kraków nie był w jednym dniu zbudowano. = Rome (lit. Cracow)wasn't builtin day.

...are but a few off the stop of my head! -:)

and how about 'nawalony jak działo'? :)

in general: (he's) drunk
...
help, anybody? :)

drunk as a skunk

Dobrego i karczma nie zepsuje, a złego i kościół nie naprawi
Word-for-word translation: A good man even in a tavern won't be spoiled, a wicked one even in the church won't mend their ways

'You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.'

Gdy kota nie ma, myszy harcują"
English equivalent: When the cat's away the mice will play

Mądry Polak po szkodzie.
English equivalent: It's easy to be wise after the event.

Tonący brzytwy się chwyta
English equivalent: A drowning man will clutch a straw.

Prawdziwych przyjaciół poznaje się w biedzie.
English equivalent: A friend in need is a friend indeed.

W miłości i na wojnie wszystko jest dozwolone.
English equivalent: All's fair in love and war.

Lepszy wróbel w garści, niż gołąb na dachu.
English equivalent: A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.

Gdy wleziesz między wrony, musisz krakać jak i one.
English equivalent: When in Rome do as the Romans do.

Wszędzie dobrze, ale w domu najlepiej.
English equivalent: East or West home is best.

would there be a polish saying similar to this english one?
"forget about what you dont have and think about what you do have"

jak sie nie ma co sie lubi, to sie lubi co sie ma
(if you don't have what you like then you like what you have)

is there a polish saying similar to "the grass is always greener on the other side"??