20 Polish idioms worth knowing. Where did they come from, and what do they mean?

Idioms are one of the most interesting—and sometimes the most tricky—aspects of the Polish language. Their meanings often cannot be guessed from the individual words alone. To understand them properly, you need to know not only the language, but sometimes also a bit of history, old customs, or the realities of everyday life.

An idiom is an expression that has a different meaning than the sum of its individual words. For example, “to have flies in one’s nose” doesn’t mean that someone actually has flies in their nose—it means they’re in a bad mood. A proverb, on the other hand, is a short sentence that says something about life, contains advice, or expresses folk wisdom, e.g., “Haste makes waste.”

Is it easy to confuse an idiom and a proverb? Definitely yes. Both are fixed combinations of words and often have a figurative meaning. When we take a closer look at them, we’ll notice that an idiom is part of a sentence, while a proverb is a complete sentence on its own.

• Idioms: rzucać grochem o ścianę / “to throw peas at a wall” – to try in vain to convince someone; mieć dwie lewe ręce / “to have two left hands” – to be clumsy, to be unable to do something.
• Proverbs: Nie chwal dnia przed zachodem słońca / “Don’t count your chickens before they hatch” – don’t judge a situation until it’s over; Jak sobie pościelesz, tak się wyśpisz / “As you make your bed, so you must lie in it” – our actions have consequences.

Can you spot the difference?

Have you noticed that Poles really like to talk about the weather? Actually, to complain about it—because, well, the weather is never perfect. Most Poles have their favorite weather website or app that they use. The weather is also a safe topic of conversation with neighbors and friends (definitely safer than politics!). No wonder this topic is reflected in so many idioms.

Leje jak z cebra

Meaning: It is raining very heavily.

English equivalent: It’s raining cats and dogs.

Where did this expression come from?In the past, a “ceber”was a wooden vessel used for scooping up and storing water. So if water is falling from the sky as if someone were pouring out an entire bucket, we have a situation where it’s pouring rain / leje jak z cebra

Example:We were supposed to go for a walk around Krakow, but it’s pouring rain, so I think we’ll just stay home. / Mieliśmy iść na spacer po Krakowie, ale leje jak z cebra, więc chyba zostaniemy w domu.

Rzucać słowa na wiatr

Meaning: to promise something without intending to keep the promise.

English equivalent: to say something without meaning it / to make empty promises.

Where did that come from? The wind carries away whatever is thrown in its direction; you can’t catch up to what the wind has carried away.

Example:He promised he would learn Polish in three months. We’ll see if those are just empty words / Obiecał, że nauczy się polskiego w trzy miesiące. Zobaczymy, czy to tylko słowa rzucone na wiatr.

To have one’s head in the clouds

Meaning: to be absent-minded, dreamy, or not very focused on reality.

English equivalent: to have one’s head in the clouds.

Where did this come from? It’s one of those idioms that have a very similar structure in many languages. A person who, instead of keeping their feet on the ground, “floats” high above has their head in the clouds.

Example:Veronica forgot her keys again. She really does have her head in the clouds / Weronika znowu zapomniała kluczy. Ona naprawdę chodzi z głową w chmurach!

Grom z jasnego nieba

Meaning: something sudden and unexpected, usually bad news or an unpleasant event.

English equivalent: a bolt from the blue.

Where did this come from: Lightning that appears suddenly during a storm is a natural phenomenon, but when the weather is nice and the sky is cloudless or clear, it is surprising, astonishing, and dangerous.

Example:The news that the company was closing came as a bolt from the blue / Informacja o zamknięciu firmy była dla wszystkich jak grom z jasnego nieba.

Wpuścić kogoś w maliny

Meaning: to deceive someone, to mislead them.

English equivalent: to lead someone astray / to trick someone.

Where did this come from: Wild raspberry thickets very often formed extremely dense, tangled, and—most importantly—prickly thickets (known as “chruśniaki”) in the forests; it was easy to get scratched in them, but hard to get out. In the past, this expression had a literal meaning—to enter prickly thickets.

Example:I asked a passerby for directions, but I think he led me astray. Instead of ending up at the Market Square, I ended up in Kazimierz. / Zapytałem przechodnia o drogę, ale chyba wpuścił mnie w maliny. Zamiast na Rynek trafiłem na Kazimierz.

Have you ever wondered why we “work like oxen” / harujemy jak woły or “toil like horses” / tyramy jak koniec at work, when the only thing we physically lift is a cup of coffee? In the past, draft animals did the heaviest work, and our ancestors cleverly immortalized them in our language. And even though today, instead of pulling a heavy plow, we’re doing little more than creating yet another Excel spreadsheet, these idioms still perfectly capture the agony of our existence as every deadline looms!

Harować jak wół

Meaning: to work hard.

Where did this come from? Before tractors were invented, oxen were the main driving force in agriculture. Day in and day out, they pulled heavy plows, which in Polish has become a universal symbol of the hardest physical labor.

In English: To work like a dog / To work like a horse (interestingly, in Anglo-Saxon countries, dogs and horses were put to work doing the hardest labor!).

Example: The end of the month is approaching, so the whole team is working like dogs to finish the reports. / Zbliża się koniec miesiąca, więc cały zespół haruje jak woły, żeby domknąć raporty.

Robota nie zając (nie ucieknie)

Meaning: Any work you put off will still be waiting for you.

Where did that come from? Hares are famous for their ability to scamper away from a predator in the blink of an eye. Work—for better or worse—doesn’t have those superpowers. If we leave it on our desk over the weekend, it’ll be there waiting patiently for us on Monday morning.

In English: Work can wait / Work won’t run away.

Example: Close that laptop already—it’s Friday night! The work isn’t going anywhere / Zamykaj już tego laptopa, jest piątek wieczór! Robota nie zając, nie ucieknie.

Zbijać bąki

Meaning: to laze around, to relax.

Where did this come from? Imagine shepherds spending long, lazy days in the meadows with their flocks. Their main activity was shooing away flies and pesky insects (horseflies) that were biting the cows. Over time, this “shooing away horseflies” became synonymous with lazing around, relaxing, and resting.

In English: To twiddle one’s thumbs / To slack off.

Example: The boss is on vacation, so for half the day everyone is sitting in the kitchen, goofing off over coffee. / Szef wyjechał na urlop, więc przez pół dnia wszyscy siedzą w kuchni i zbijają bąki przy kawie.

Pracować jak mrówka

Meaning: To be very hardworking, efficient, and diligent.

Where did it come from? Just look at an anthill. It’s a true marvel of organization! Each ant carries its own small load, building something much larger than itself. This idiom is a tribute to perseverance, precision, and teamwork. It also reflects how our ancestors closely observed nature—even tiny ants.

In English: To be a busy bee / To work like a beaver (bees and beavers reign here!).

Example: Kasia is working like an ant to perfectly prepare every slide of this presentation for tomorrow. / Kasia pracuje jak mrówka, żeby perfekcyjnie przygotować każdą stronę tej prezentacji na jutro.

Wyścig szczurów

Meaning: competition, relentless struggle, rivalry.

Where did this come from? It’s a somewhat newer idiom that came to us from the laboratories. Scientists studied the behavior of rats running endlessly in exercise wheels or navigating mazes to get a piece of food. Today, we use this phrase to describe cutthroat competition in corporations.

In English: Rat race.

Example: I’ve had enough of this rat race. I think I’ll quit my corporate job and open a bed-and-breakfast in the Bieszczady Mountains. / Mam już dość tego wyścigu szczurów, chyba rzucę korporację i otworzę pensjonat w Bieszczadach.

Gruba ryba

Meaning: an important, influential person.

Where did this expression come from? In the past, fishing was a matter of survival, and catching a big fish was a source of pride, respect, and a full belly. Today, a “big fish” is an important, influential, and decision-making person—such as a company CEO.

In English: A big cheese / A big shot / A big fish.

Example: Book the best conference room—the bigwigs from headquarters are coming tomorrow for negotiations. / Zarezerwujcie najlepszą salę konferencyjną, jutro przyjeżdżają na negocjacje grube ryby z centrali.

Wziąć byka za rogi

Meaning: to face a difficult challenge.

Where did this come from? Probably from Spanish bullfighting arenas. Grabbing a bull by the horns seems to be the riskiest way to subdue it.

In English: To take the bull by the horns.

Example: This project isn’t going to write itself. We have to take the bull by the horns and get to work. / Ten projekt sam się nie napisze. Musimy wziąć byka za rogi i zacząć działać.

Lwia część

Meaning: a large part, the majority.

Where did it come from? From an ancient Aesop’s fable! It tells the story of a lion who went hunting with smaller animals. When it came time to divide the spoils, the lion found an excuse to take it all for himself. Over time, the “lion’s share” / lwia część came to simply mean the largest piece of the pie (or the biggest share of the work).

In English: The lion’s share.

Example: The intern did a great job researching, but the department director took most of the credit. / Praktykant zrobił świetny reaserch, ale lwią część zasług przypisał sobie dyrektor działu.

Ranny ptaszek

Meaning: a person who gets up early.

Where did it come from? Anyone with a garden knows—birds start singing just before dawn. That’s where the term comes from for someone who loves getting up early and is always the first to arrive at any morning meeting.

In English: Early bird.

Example:Marek is an early bird; he’s at his desk by 7:00 a.m. and has time to reply to emails before the rest of the team even gets up. / Marek to ranny ptaszek, jest przy biurku o siódmej rano i zdąży odpisać na maile, zanim reszta w ogóle wstanie.

Kozioł ofiarny

Meaning: a person who has been blamed for mistakes even though they were not at fault.

Where did this come from? The origin is ancient and biblical. Once a year, the Israelites would symbolically “transfer” all their sins onto a goat, and then drive it out into the desert to take their problems with it.

In English: Scapegoat.

Example: The sales system has crashed again, and management is, of course, looking for a scapegoat in the IT department. / System sprzedażowy znowu padł, a zarząd oczywiście szuka kozła ofiarnego w dziale IT.

If you think work is just animal metaphors, you’re wrong. Before the world had ever heard of emails, phone calls, and deadlines, the center of the professional universe was noisy, dusty artisan workshops. Blacksmiths, shoemakers, tailors, and bookbinders worked up a sweat at their workbenches, and descriptions of their daily, physical toil have become part of our everyday language. Today, even though we rarely swing a hammer in the office, these old artisan sayings fit perfectly when we’re battling a server crash or trying to quickly wrap up a new project.

Kuć żelazo póki gorące

Meaning: Act immediately; seize the opportunity.

Where did that come from? Straight from the hot forge! The blacksmith knew that metal could only be shaped when it was red-hot. A moment’s hesitation, and the metal would become as hard as a rock.

In English: Strike while the iron is hot.

Example: The client is thrilled with our initial presentation. We need to strike while the iron is hot and send a quote right away! / Klient jest zachwycony naszą prezentacją wstępną. Musimy kuć żelazo, póki gorące i od razu wysłać wycenę!

Wziąć coś na warsztat

Meaning: To deal with something.

Where did this come from? When a craftsman of old planned to repair a broken object or create something from scratch, he would place it on his main workbench—his workshop.

In English: To tackle something / To get to work on something.

Example: This quarter, we’re focusing on improving internal communication within the company. / W tym kwartale bierzemy na warsztat poprawę komunikacji wewnętrznej w firmie.

Doprowadzić kogoś do szewskiej pasji

Meaning: To make someone angry or furious.

Where did this come from? Legend has it that shoemakers of old, working with tough, stubborn leather and using sharp tools, often hit their fingers. The result? Fierce curses and outbursts of uncontrolled anger. Does that sound familiar when the office printer jams for the fifth time?

In English: To drive someone crazy / To make someone’s blood boil.

Example: This slow accounting system is driving me up the wall today. / Ten wolno działający system księgowy doprowadza mnie dziś do szewskiej pasji.

Grubymi nićmi szyte

Meaning: A lame, flimsy excuse.

Where did this come from? From dishonest tailors! If a tailor wanted to cut corners and finish a garment quickly, he would use thick thread and wide stitches. The shoddy workmanship was obvious at first glance, and the seams would quickly come apart.

In English: A transparent lie / Thinly veiled.

Example: Paweł’s explanations for why he missed the deadline again are full of holes / Tłumaczenia Pawła o tym, dlaczego znowu zawalił termin, są grubymi nićmi szyte.

Od deski do deski

Meaning: To read an entire book, contract, or document; from cover to cover.

Where did this come from? From old bookbinding workshops. Before soft covers made of cardboard were invented, books were bound in real, sturdy boards covered in leather.

In English: To read from cover to cover.

Example: Before we sign this contract, the legal department needs to read it from cover to cover / Zanim podpiszemy ten kontrakt, dział prawny musi przeczytać go od deski do deski.

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The author of the article is Anna Krzeczkowska-Ślusarczyk —a graduate in Polish studies, a film scholar, and a translator who edits publications on local history and heritage. She co-authors books that document the history and heritage of places and communities, particularly in projects related to Kraków and Wieliczka.