be

(colloquial) used with children to tell them not to touch something, bad! no touchy!

(onomatopoeia) used to imitate the sound of a sheep or ram, baa


o

Inherited from Old Polish o, from Proto-Slavic *o, ultimately a natural expression.

onom

natural expression

O mój boże...


pi

cheep, used to imitate the sound made by a chick


bam

dong, ding dong (used when imitating a clock or watch)


kurwa

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *kury, from Proto-Indo-European *kéh₂ros (“loved”), from *keh₂-. Cognate with Latin cārus, Latvian kārs. For semantic development, compare English whore.

Kurwa, mówiłem, żebyś tego nie ruszał!

Do każdej pierdółki potrzebna jest zgoda kierownika? To już jest, kurwa, jakiś absurd.

You need the manager's approval even for the most trivial shit? That's just fucking absurd.

Tomasz, kurwa, zamknij kibel!


hot

(Kuyavia) used to direct a horse to the right


tak

Inherited from Old Polish tak. The “yes” sense is an ellipsis of tak jest; compare Italian sì.

Zrobiłeś to? - Tak.


ba

(Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Denotes surprise; there you have it!


won

Borrowed from Russian вон (von), from Old East Slavic вънъ (vŭnŭ), from Proto-Slavic *vъ́nъ. Compare Old Polish wen.


ano

(Masuria, Ostróda, Warmia) Used expressively.


stop

cool your heels!, cool your jets!, hold your horses!, stop!, whoa! (slow down)

stop!, whoa! (you should not have done/said that)


e

The Polish orthography is based on the Latin alphabet. No earlier script is known. See the history of Polish orthography article on Wikipedia for more, and e for development of the glyph itself.

pl-ety-letter

(colloquial) hey! (used to call someone's attention)


dzień dobry

desc

дзе́нь до́бры

→ Belarusian: дзе́нь до́бры (dzjénʹ dóbry) (calque)

→ Silesian: dziyń dobry (calque)

де́нь до́брий

→ Ukrainian: де́нь до́брий (dénʹ dóbryj) (calque)

/d͡ʑɛɲ ˈdɔb.rɘ/

Literally, “good day”. The original, now dated, form was dobry dzień (which see for more), which at some point began to be pronounced as dobrydzień (now dated and dialectal) with the stress on -bry-; to prevent the spread of that rural form, the words were rearranged.

(idiomatic) good day, good morning, good afternoon


aha

Słownik staropolski
w:pl:Słownik staropolski

Polish Academy of Sciences
w:Polish Academy of Sciences

aha! (showing that the speaker suddenly remembered something)


kata

(Kuyavia) expresses surprise or disdain; for the love of God


fe

Natural expression. First attested in 1624–1639.

onom

Natural expression

ref

Wiesław Morawski (10.12.2018) “FE”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]

(colloquial) yuck! ick! expressing disgust

(colloquial) no! bad! reprimand of behavior


bach

boom, bam, pow, wham (used when imitating a sudden, hard hit)


au

ouch (expression of one's own physical pain)


pik

beep, peep, pip (used to imitate the high and short sound that some electronic devices make)

dub (used to imitate the sound made when the heart beats)


phi

huh, pooh used to express dismissal, contempt, impatience, etc.


ach

ah! expresses surprise, fear, pleasure, sadness, sudden understanding


kaput

Borrowed from German kaputt, from French être capot, from Old French capote, from cape, from Late Latin cappa.


moment

→ Kashubian: mòment, mòmeńt

→ Silesian: mōmynt

Learned borrowing from Latin mōmentum. First attested in 1592.

Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “moment”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]

(colloquial) wait a minute, wait a moment, wait a second (used when the speaker expects to refrain from speaking or acting for a short time)


hop

used to encourage the listener to jump up or some other action; hop up! hop to it!

(often reduplicated) used to determine where someone is


hola

(colloquial) cool your heels!, cool your jets!, hold your horses!, stop!, whoa! (slow down)

(colloquial) stop!, whoa! (you should not have done/said that)


fik

flick (used to imitate a rapid movement of the whole body that causes someone to fall over)


adieu

Unadapted borrowing from French adieu. First attested in the 19th century. Doublet of adio and adios.

Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “adieu”, in Słownik języka polskiego

(literary) adieu (said to wish a final farewell; goodbye)


chap

used to express an unexpected movement involving a sudden grasping of something


chlap

splash (sound made by an object hitting a liquid)


amen

Learned borrowing from Ecclesiastical Latin āmēn, from Koine Greek ᾱ̓μήν (āmḗn), from Biblical Hebrew אָמֵן (ʾāmēn). First attested in 1513.

ref

Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “amen”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]

(religion) amen! (at the end of religious prayers)

(sometimes humorous) amen! (used to end a statement)


cap

sound of a violent grabbing of someone or something


pardon

(colloquial) sorry, excuse me, I beg your pardon


bu

an onomatopoeic interjection imitating the sound of crying, usually written with two or more 'u's


ahoj

Internationalism; compare English ahoy. First attested in 1925.

Ahoj, przygodo!


może być

/ˈmɔ.ʐɛ bɘt͡ɕ/

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see może, być.

(idiomatic) OK, that will do (expresses acceptance with a hint of reluctance or indifference)


kuna

(minced oath) moderately vulgar swearword


oczywiście

/ɔ.t͡ʂɘˈviɕ.t͡ɕɛ/

/ɔ.t͡ʂɨˈviɕ.t͡ɕɛ/

Inherited from Old Polish oczywiście. By surface analysis, oczywisty + -ie. Compare Kashubian òczëwisce.

of course, naturally, sure, sure thing (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


bingo

bingo! (used when finding what one has been looking for or trying to recall, or on successful completion of a task)


fort

(Chełmno-Dobrzyń) away! (leave from here!)


halo

hello? (greeting used when answering the telephone)

hello? (call for response if it is not clear if anyone is present or listening, or if a telephone conversation may have been disconnected)


och

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *oxъ. Compare Latin oh, German oh.


boga

expresses surprise or disdain; for the love of God


aj

oh!, whoa! (used as a reaction to an unexpected and unpleasant event or sensation)


cholera

Learned borrowing from Latin cholera, from Ancient Greek χολέρᾰ (kholéra).


fu

(colloquial, childish) yuck, ick (expression of disgust)

(colloquial, childish) no, bad (reprimand of behavior)


mach

used when some action is performed swiftly


jej

oh (used to show surprise or impatience)


props

(slang) props (acclamation of respect or recognition)


ej

(informal) used to call someone's attention; hey


a

ah! (used when the speaker has remembered or noticed something)


kwik

oink, squeak (used to imitate the sound a pig or boar makes)


pff

pff (dismissive response to a ridiculous comment)


bomba

Borrowed from French bombe, from Italian bomba, from Latin bombus (“a boom”), from Ancient Greek βόμβος (bómbos). Related to bęben.


hosanna

Learned borrowing from Latin hosanna, from Ancient Greek ὡσαννά (hōsanná), from Aramaic אושענא/ܐܘܫܥܢܐ ('ōsha‘nā), from Biblical Hebrew הוֹשַׁע נָא (hōsha‘ nā).


sayonara

Borrowed from Japanese さよなら (sayonara), a shorter form of more traditional さようなら (sayōnara, “goodbye”, literally “if that's the way it is”).


uff

onom

Natural expression.


adios

Borrowed from Spanish adios. Doublet of adieu and adio.


brr

brr (in reaction to the cold or something gross)


dobranoc

Univerbation of dobra + noc. Compare dated/dialectal dobrydzień.

(idiomatic) good night (used to wish someone a good night's sleep or to say goodbye for the evening)


na zdrowie

Literally, “for health”, or more loosely translated as “to [your] health”. Compare Czech na zdraví, Slovak na zdravie, Serbo-Croatian nazdraviti.

lit

(idiomatic) cheers (said before sharing a drink)

(idiomatic) bless you (said after someone sneezes)


witaj

Second-person singular imperative of witać.


proszę

Proszę wyrzucić śmieci.

come in! used to invite someone in to a room

have at! used to encourage someone to do something

pardon? used to ask someone to repeat what they just said

Nie zrobiłem zadania domowego, proszę pani

Dobrze zrozumiałem, proszę pana.

Jestem niewinny, proszę Wysokiego Sądu.

+obj

excuse me? used as a general polite vocative in conjunction with a title [with accusative ‘to whom one is speaking’]

you're welcome used in response to thank you

here you are used when handing someone something

Proszę, proszę! Jednak przyszedłeś.

(sometimes duplicated) well, well, well used in mild surprise to something


cześć

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *čьstь, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *kistis, from Proto-Indo-European *(s)kʷit-tis.

Cześć, chcesz coś zjeść?


kuku

cuckoo (used to imitate the voice of a male cuckoo)


puf

poof! (deflating object or a magical disappearance)


wara

hands off (used to firmly express a demand that one stop interfering with the development of events concerning what is being discussed)


uf

onom

Natural expression.


witajcie

Second-person plural imperative of witać.

welcome, hello said to more than one person


graba

(colloquial) used as the linguistic equivalent of shaking hands


chwila

→ Belarusian: хві́ля (xvílja)

→ Kashubian: chwila

→ Ukrainian: хви́ля (xvýlja)

Inherited from Old Polish chwila. Compare Czech chvíle, English while, German Weile.

(colloquial) wait a minute, wait a moment, wait a second (used when the speaker expects to refrain from speaking or acting for a short time)


już

Na mój znak wszyscy skaczą. Już!

Ile tej soli? Już, wystarczy!


no

Clipping of ano. Compare Czech no, Silesian no, Slovak no. First attested in the 19th century.

ref

J. Karłowicz, A. Kryński, W. Niedźwiedzki, editors (1904), “no”, in Słownik języka polskiego (in Polish), volume 3, Warsaw, page 398


abrakadabra

Learned borrowing from Latin abracadabra. First attested in 1560.

ref

Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “abrakadraba”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]

(occult) abracadabra! (said by performing magician to indicate the moment of performing a magical trick or illusion)


afe

Little Dream
i ja
no chyba że mam iść i wam nie przeszkadzać
shadie
a ja nie lubie o :p czerwony barszcz z uszkami brrr. ble. jeszcze na siłe chcą we mnie to wpychac. afe!

2006 June 28, moja1, “Ukochany Spam”, in www.forumowisko.pl, retrieved 2023-04-14:

Little Dream
and me
unless I have to go and not disturb you
shad
and I don't like it :p red borscht with dumplings brrr. blah. they still want to force it on me. away with it!


dupa

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dupa, from Proto-Balto-Slavic *daupāˀ, from Proto-Indo-European *dʰowp-eh₂, from the root *dʰewp- (“deep”).

(vulgar) an expression of disappointment


puk

knock knock (used in lieu of knocking (e.g. on the door), when it is not possible to knock)


morda

→ Czech: morda

→ Yiddish: מאָרדע (morde)

Borrowed from East Slavic. Compare Russian мо́рда (mórda).


aua

ouch (expression of one's own physical pain)


marsz

→ Russian: марш (marš)

Borrowed from German Marsch, from French marche.

Marsz do pokoju, masz szablan!

Go straight to your room, you're grounded!

(colloquial) go straight to! (used to tell someone to go immediately somewhere or immediately do something)


fiut

(dated) used to describe a situation where something has quickly ended or passed away


koniec

down with...! [with z (+ instrumental) ‘with what’]


gówno

(vulgar) used when the speaker wants to categorically deny something or someone


alleluja

Learned borrowing from Latin allēlūia, from Hebrew הללויה. First attested in 1522.

der

Hebrew הללויה

ref

Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “alleluja”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]

(Christianity, often reduplicated) hallelujah


uwaga

Deverbal from uważyć. First attested in 1656–1688. Compare Kashubian ùwôga and Silesian uwŏga.

“UWAGA”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century], 07.05.2010

attention!; warning!; caution! watch out!


stać

Inherited from Old Polish stać, from Proto-Slavic *stojati.


kuchnia

Etymology tree
Proto-Indo-European *pekʷ-
Proto-Indo-European *-eti
Proto-Indo-European *pékʷeti
Proto-Italic *kʷekʷō
Latin coquō
Proto-Indo-European *-os
Proto-Italic *-os
Latin -us
Latin coquus
Proto-Indo-European *-nós
Proto-Indo-European *-iHnos
Proto-Italic *-īnos
Latin -īnus
Latin coquīnus
Latin coquina
Late Latin cocīnabor.
Proto-West Germanic *kukinā
Old High German chuhhinabor.
Old Polish kuchnia
Polish kuchnia
Inherited from Old Polish kuchnia.

etymon

(minced oath) damn (non-vulgar expression of contempt as a minced oath of kurwa)


właśnie

Inherited from Old Polish właśnie. By surface analysis, własny + -ie.


strzała

Inherited from Old Polish strzała, from Proto-Slavic *strěla, from Proto-Indo-European *strel-, *strēl-, from *ster- (“line, streak, stripe; jet, spurt; beam”). Cognate with Czech střela (“projectile”), Lithuanian strėlė (“arrow”), English streal (“arrow”), German Strahl (“beam, ray”).


aport

go fetch! (used as a command for a dog to fetch something)


naura

From nara. Often pronounced humorously with a [ɻ] instead of a standard [r]. In 2021, the word was recognized by Słownik Języka Polskiego as the second most popular Youth Word of the Year.

Voiced dental, alveolar and postalveolar trills#Voiced alveolar trill


cie

(Kuyavia) used to direct usually horses to turn left


uch

ugh! (used to express repugnance, disgust, or annoyance)


choroba

Inherited from Old Polish choroba. By surface analysis, chory + -oba.


spokój

Inherited from Old Polish spokój. By surface analysis, s- + pokój. Compare Kashubian spòkój.


czego

(colloquial, rude) what? (What do you want? or What did you say?)


biada

Inherited from Old Polish biada, from Proto-Slavic *běda. Doublet of bieda.


adio

Borrowed from Italian addio. First attested in 1733. Doublet of adieu and adios.


masz

(colloquial) here you are (used when handing someone something)


chodź

used to entice the listener to doing something together with the speaker; come here, c'mon


nie ma mowy

- Ja panu powiem, a pan będzie mnie ciągał po sądach jako świadka? Nie ma mowy!

- I will tell you, and you will drag me to the courts as a witness? No way!

(idiomatic) a likely story! yeah, right!, nothing of the kind!, no way!, over my dead body!, tell me another! (that is not happening!)


dość

Inherited from Old Polish dość. By surface analysis, clipping of dosyć. Compare Czech dost, Kashubian dosc, Slovincian dôsc, and Ukrainian до́ста (dósta).

Dość kłótni!


akurat

Borrowed from German akkurat. First attested in 1807. Compare Kashubian akùrôt and Slovincian akúrot.

ref

Samuel Bogumił Linde (1807–1814) “akurat”, in Słownik języka polskiego

"A potem zjadł wszystkie jabłka!" "Akurat!"

"And then he ate all the apples!" "Yeah, right!"

(ironically) tell me another!, nothing of the kind!, a likely story!, yeah, right!


sto lat

Literally, “[may you live] a hundred years”.

lit

(idiomatic) happy birthday, many happy returns (good wish made to someone celebrating their birthday)


drin

(colloquial) ding (sound made by a doorbell)


wej

(Chełmno-Dobrzyń) used to direct someone's attention or express surprise; whoa! look!


kurde

(minced oath) moderately vulgar swearword


kukuryku

cock-a-doodle-doo (the call of a rooster)


po moim trupie

(colloquial, hyperbolic, idiomatic) a likely story! yeah, right!, nothing of the kind!, over my dead body!, tell me another!


wzajemnie

Wesołych Świąt! –Dziękuję, wzajemnie.


ech

argh! (used to express disappointment, despondence, or impatience)


tyk

tick (one of the many steady sounds produced when a watch is ticking)


nawzajem

→ Ukrainian: навза́єм (navzájem)

Wesołych Świąt! –Dziękuję, nawzajem.


auć

ouch (expression of one's own physical pain)


kwa

(usually reduplicated) quack; onomatopoeia for the sound of a duck


dzięki

From dzięka + i, which was also displaced by this term. Sense 1 is a semantic loan from German dank, French grâce à, and English thanks to.


dalej

→ German: dalli

See the etymology of the corresponding lemma form.


trudno

Inherited from Old Polish trudno. By surface analysis, trudny + -o. Compare Russian тру́дно (trúdno).

No trudno, będę musiała poprawić ten sprawdzian.

(often with no) oh well, too bad; expresses acceptance of something unpleasant


spokojnie

Inherited from Old Polish spokojnie. By surface analysis, spokojny + -ie.


niech żyje

/ɲɛɣ ˈʐɘ.jɛ/


chapeau bas

Unadapted borrowing from French chapeau bas.


niech

Inherited from Old Polish niech. By surface analysis, clipping of niechaj. Compare Czech nechť, Serbo-Croatian neka, Ukrainian неха́й (nexáj), and Upper Sorbian njech.

surf

(Middle Polish) expresses dissatisfaction or impatience


szufla

Borrowed from German Schaufel, from Middle High German schūfele, schūvele, from Old High German scūvala, from Proto-Germanic *skuflō.

(colloquial) An exclamation that encourages people to shake hands to greet.


absolutnie

From absolutny + -ie. First attested in 1723–1747. Sense 1 is a semantic loan from French absolument.

ref

Wiesław Morawski (03.01.2012) “ABSOLUTNIE”, in Elektroniczny Słownik Języka Polskiego XVII i XVIII Wieku [Electronic Dictionary of the Polish Language of the XVII and XVIII Century]


tymczasem

Inherited from Old Polish temczasem. By surface analysis, univerbation of tym + czasem. Compare Kashubian timczasã.


mowa

word (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


bryk

denoting a jump or rapid movement from one place to another


hyc

used to imitate a quick jump of a small animal, as well as the sound accompanying this jump


chodźcie

/ˈxɔt͡ɕ.t͡ɕɛ/

used to entice the listeners to doing something together with the speaker; come here, c'mon


pewnie

Inherited from Old Polish pewnie. By surface analysis, pewny + -ie.

of course, naturally, sure, sure thing (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


w porządku

Literally, “in order”. Compare Hungarian rendben.


słuchaj

used to get the listener's attention, listen, look, hey


biega

Dialectal genitive singular of bieg. Ellipsis of biega daj.


wolnego

– Trzeba by koniecznie zobaczyć ten wóz. Malina uśmiechnął się. – Wolnego, Stefek, wolnego. Wszystko się zrobi.

1958, Zygmunt Zeydler-Zborowski, Czarny mercedes, Przedsiębiorstwo Wydawnicze „Rzeczpospolita”:

– We should really take a look at that carriage. Malina smiled. – Slow down, Stefek, slow down. All in good time.

(colloquial, dated) cool your heels!, cool your jets!, hold your horses!, stop!, whoa! (slow down)

– A, dobrze, że cię widzę. Od jutra możesz sobie szukać innej pracy. Podawanie w „Monopolu” to nie jest praktyka dla dyletantów, zrozumiano? Kelner spojrzał na niego z ukosa: – Wolnego! Co za ty? Świń z panem nie pasałem. Sobie możesz pan od jutra wymówić.

1948, Jerzy Andrzejewski, Popiół i diament:

– Ah, it's good to see you. You can look for another job from tomorrow. Serving at the “Monopoly” is not an apprenticeship for dilettantes, understood? The waiter gave him a sidelong glance: – Wait a minute! What do you mean by “you”? I don't remember being on first-name terms with you. So good luck firing me.

(colloquial, dated) stop!, whoa! (you should not have done/said that)


hajda

Borrowed from Ottoman Turkish هایده (hayde), هایدی (haydi).

bor+

used to speed up the listener's movement or action


siema

Clipping of jak się masz (się masz > siema).


na razie

(colloquial, idiomatic) see you, see you later, bye


kic

(childish) hop!, boing! (used to imitate the sound of a rabbit's or hare's jump)


weź

(colloquial) c'mon, come on (expression of disbelief or frustration)


dunder

Borrowed from German Donner, from Middle High German doner, from Old High German donar, thonar, from Proto-Germanic *þunraz.

(idiomatic) blast it, goddamn (used to show displeasure or disappointment)


jasne

(sarcastically) yeah, right! (sarcastic expression of disbelief)


jeb

Deverbal from jebać, from Proto-Slavic *jebati.

I, Silny, wtem wszyscy pochylacie się nad grillem patrząc w niego jak w objawienie, jak w zaćmienie słońca. A tu jeb, jeb, jeb, lecą panele wam na te genetycznie posrane łby jak jakieś jebnięte meteoryty, księżyce czy planety z nieba.

2002, Dorota Masłowska, Wojna polsko-ruska pod flagą biało-czerwoną, Lampa i Iskra Boża:

And, suddenly everyone leaned over the grill looking at Silny like a revelation, like at a solar eclipse. And then bam, bang, zip, the panels fly into their fucking heads like some sort of god-damn meteors, moons, or planets from the sky.

Rusek popatrzył chwilę, podumał, i mówi: W naszym to my też mamy wszystkiego w bród. Wstał, wyciągnął spod ławki skrzynkę wódki i jeb przez okno.

2012, Maciej Dominiczak, Księga Humoru: Anegdoty, dowcipy, humor, kawały, rozrywka, żart., →ISBN:

The Russky looked for a moment, pondered, and said "In our language we also have tons of everything." He got up, took out a handle of vodka from under the bench and wham, through the window.

Więc leżę wtulony. Jeb! Strasznie blisko! Nic nie słyszę. Dotykam ucha. Nie urwało, ale dłoń czerwona, lepka. Z uszu cieknie mi krew. To dobrze, to znaczy, że żyję. Ale obok ciągle jeb, jeb, jeb. Ile oni tego wystrzelili?

2013, Krzysztof Miller, 13 wojen i jedna, Otwarte, →ISBN:

So I'm lying there, hunkered down. Bam! Awfully close! I don't hear anything. I touch my ear. It wasn't ripped off, but my hand is red, sticky. Blood is dripping from my ear. That's good, that means I'm alive. But next to me is constant bam, bam, bam. How much of this did they shoot off?

(vulgar) wham!; bang!; onomatopoeia for hitting, punching or explosions


pierdolisz

(vulgar) no shit!; no kidding! fuck (expression of amazement or disbelief)


ja pierdolę

(vulgar) holy shit (expresses terror, shock, or awe)

Ja pierdolę, znowu...

(vulgar) for fuck's sake (expresses frustration or disappointment)


poszła

Third-person singular feminine past of pójść.

Coordinate term: poszedł

(dismissal, to a woman) out, get out (used to drive someone away)


doprawdy

Univerbation of do + prawdy. Compare Italian davvero.


baczność

From baczny + -ość. Compare Slovincian bocznôsc.


przejebane

mamy przejebane!

(vulgar) to be fucked (to be in a bad situation)


jasna cholera

(colloquial, idiomatic, mildly vulgar) goddammit!


pach

used to imitate the sound caused by explosion or clatter


japa

Uncertain. Possibly from German jappen, from German Low German gapen, from Middle Low German gāpen.


kurczę

Inherited from Old Polish kurczę, from Proto-Slavic *kurъčę. By surface analysis, kurka + -ę.


kici kici

used for calling and luring cats; here, kitty, kitty!


sio

(colloquial, dismissal) shoo (call usually directed at a flying creature to drive it away)


przepięknie

/pʂɛˈpjɛŋk.ɲɛ/

(often sarcastic) great! (expression of gladness and content)


rany

crap, damn, jeez (relatively mild expletive)


nieprawda

Inherited from Old Polish nieprawda, from Proto-Slavic *nepravьda. By surface analysis, nie- + prawda.


ciuch

(usually reduplicated) choo (sound of a locomotive)


szerokiej drogi

Widely believed to have been coined by rally driver Sobiesław Zasada in 1960.


jasny gwint

(colloquial, idiomatic, slightly dated) damn


obłęd

Inherited from Old Polish obłąd, obłęd. By surface analysis, deverbal from obłądzić (się), obłędzić (się).


paszoł won

Borrowed from Russian пошёл вон! (pošól von!).


aj waj

Borrowed from Yiddish אוי וויי (oy vey, literally “oh woe”).


cholewa

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *choľeva. Cognate with Russian халя́ва (xaljáva).

(euphemistic, minced oath) dagnabbit, damn


gaz do dechy

put the pedal to the metal
put the pedal to the metal

(idiomatic) hit the gas, put the pedal to the metal


pal go sześć

/pal ɡɔ ʂɛɕt͡ɕ/

Literally, “sear/burn him six [times]”, a contraction of pal go sześć razy. Refers to the practice of searing a convict with red-hot iron before execution. Searing twice or three times was reserved for the worst criminals. Telling the executioner to sear six times would mean that absolutely no concern should be given to the convict's extreme pain.

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of pal licho


pal sześć

Literally, “sear/burn [him] six [times]”.


w mordę jeża

Literally, “in a hedgehog's face/mouth”.

(idiomatic, humorous) dammit, whoa; expression of surprise, frustration or disappointment


dzięks

Modification of dzięki (“thanks”), possibly influenced by English thanks.


baś

(often reduplicated) used for calling sheep


łap

sound of a violent grabbing of someone or something


spierdalaj

Second-person singular imperative of spierdalać.

Spierdalaj, ty chuju.

Spierdalaj mi stąd.

Niech spierdala.

(vulgar) fuck off, fuck you, go fuck yourself, get fucked


wio

Probably a relic imperative of Polish wiać (“to run, to flee”), analogical to unrelated Bulgarian дий (dij).
Alternately a colloquial variation of the imperative of Polish wieźć (“to drive, to carry on a cart or a wagon”), ultimately from Proto-Slavic *vezti.


chwileczkę

(colloquial) wait a minute, wait a moment, wait a second (used when the speaker expects to refrain from speaking or acting for a short time)


poszedł

Third-person singular masculine past of pójść.

Coordinate term: poszła

(dismissal, to a man) out, get out (used to drive someone away)


ciach

(colloquial) used to describe a situation where someone cuts something with a decisive move

(colloquial) used to describe a situation in which some action was performed at lightning speed

(Near Masovian) used to imitate the sound of hitting or beating


pycha

Inherited from Old Polish pych, pycha, derived from Proto-Slavic *pyxati, possibly through Old Czech pýcha, pych. Related to puchać.

yum! (an expression used to indicate delight in regard to a certain food's flavor)


gorzko

bitter! (an old Polish tradition: a shout by wedding guests urging the newlyweds to kiss, thus removing the "bitterness")


jasne, jasne

— Dopiero co wróciłem ze Sztokholmu. — Jasne, jasne, a ja z Dubaju.

“I have just returned from Stockholm.” “Yeah, right, and I'm back from Dubai.”

(colloquial, sarcastic, idiomatic) cool story bro; expression of disbelief


skrzyp

creak (used to imitate the sound made when hard surfaces rub against each other)


psik

(dismissal) shoo (call directed at a cat to drive it away)

used to imitate the sound made when someone sprays a substance in an aerosol or under pressure


w dupę jeża

(vulgar, idiomatic, humorous) fuck, whoa; expression of surprise, frustration or disappointment


wynocha

(colloquial, dismissal, sometimes humorous) get out!, out!, beat it!, begone!


racja

Learned borrowing from Latin ratiō. Doublet of rezon (“self-confidence”). First attested in 1548. Compare Silesian racyjŏ.

ref

Maria Renata Mayenowa, Stanisław Rospond, Witold Taszycki, Stefan Hrabec, Władysław Kuraszkiewicz (2010-2023) “racyja”, in Słownik Polszczyzny XVI Wieku [A Dictionary of 16th Century Polish]


precz

(colloquial, dismissal) get out!, out!, beat it!, begone!


naturalnie

of course, naturally, sure, sure thing (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


bim-bam

dong, ding dong (used when imitating a clock or watch)


tik-tak

tick-tock (two consecutive sounds produced at regular intervals when a watch is ticking)


chlust

a verbal emulation of the sound of a liquid splashing or gushing


szczęśliwego Nowego Roku

/ʂt͡ʂɛɲ.ɕliˈvɛ.ɡɔ nɔˈvɛ.ɡɔ ˈrɔ.ku/


szalom

(Judaism) shalom (traditional Jewish greeting or farewell)


cholewka

(euphemistic, minced oath) dagnabbit, damn


jejku

oh (used to show surprise or impatience)


chodu

(colloquial) run (used as a call for immediate escape or describing someone's immediate escape)


zajęte

occupied! (said when someone tries to enter an occupied bathroom)


apsik

(dismissal) Alternative spelling of a psik


hokus-pokus

(occult) hocus-pocus! (said by performing magician to indicate the moment of performing a magical trick or illusion)


piona

Analyzable as a back-formation from piątka.


szur

(colloquial) indicates the sound of rubbing or scuffling against something


ani mru-mru

Literally, “not a mutter”, with the second element being from mruczeć.

(colloquial, idiomatic) mum's the word; not a word, keep it under your hat


srali muchy, będzie wiosna

(idiomatic, vulgar, offensive) fat chance!


pyszota

(colloquial) Alternative form of pychota


nuż

(archaic) used to communicate that something begins suddenly, unexpectedly, and abruptly, would you look at that


spływaj

Second-person singular imperative of spływać.

(colloquial, dismissal) beat it!, scram! (go away)


kurwa mać

Kurwa mać! Znowu zgubiłem portfel.

For fuck's sake! I've lost my wallet again.

(idiomatic, vulgar) fucking hell, for fuck's sake


dosyć

Inherited from Proto-Slavic *do syti, from *sytь. Compare Ukrainian до́сить (dósytʹ).

Dosyć kłótni!


ęsi

(childish) a child's scream indicating a natural need, wah


szlus

Borrowed from German Schluss, from Middle High German sluz.


łubudu

kaboom, kablooie (the sound of an explosion)


jeśli łaska

(idiomatic) if you please, if you don't mind


niech skonam

as I live and breathe
as I live and breathe

(idiomatic) as I live and breathe, used as a mild swear of surprise


jak babcię kocham

(idiomatic) Alternative form of jak Boga kocham


raz kozie śmierć

Literally, “death to the goat once”, or more loosely translated as “the goat dies once”.


Bóg mi świadkiem

may God be my witness
may God be my witness


nie do wiary

(idiomatic) as I live and breathe!, I declare! (used to express surprise at something one is witnessing)


do usług

(idiomatic) at your service (used as a polite introduction on first meeting another person)

(idiomatic) at your service (available for assisting you or for you to use)


nie daj Boże

Literally, “don't let [this happen,] God”.


niech będzie

/ɲɛɣ ˈbɛɲ.d͡ʑɛ/

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see niech, być.

(idiomatic) so be it (indicates acceptance of a situation)


oj tam

"Ale przytyłem ostatnio..." "Oj tam, oj tam".

"Boy have I been putting on weight recently..." "Oh, whatever".

(colloquial, idiomatic) (used to minimalize or disregard what one's collocutor has said, roughly whatever, usually repeated)


o rety

(colloquial) used to express surprise, shock, or indignation


rety

Borrowed from German rette, singular imperative of retten (“to save, rescue”).


olaboga

Univerbation of o + dla + Boga, an exclamation used to express grief, despair or surprise.

(dated) used to express surprise, shock, or indignation


psiakrew

Univerbation of psia + krew, literally, “dog's blood”.

(mildly vulgar) damn it (swear of frustration)


a kysz

Probably borrowed from Turkic. Compare Russian кыш (kyš).

(colloquial, dismissal) shoo (call usually directed at a creature to drive it away)


rzecz jasna

(idiomatic) of course, naturally, sure, sure thing (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


nie tak szybko

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see nie, tak, szybko.

not so fast! (used to tell someone to stop doing something)


momencik

(colloquial) wait a minute, wait a moment, wait a second (used when the speaker expects to refrain from speaking or acting for a short time)


na pohybel

Borrowed from Ukrainian на поги́бель (na pohýbelʹ).

bor+

на поги́бель

(literary, humorous, idiomatic) down with [with dative ‘with whom or what’]


do diaska

(idiomatic, minced oath) damn, darn it, rats, crud


do cholery

Literally, “to cholera”. Compare Belarusian да хале́ры (da xaljéry).

(idiomatic, mildly vulgar) damn it, fuck it, for God's sake


do czorta

(colloquial, idiomatic) the devil!, the dickens!, the hell!, on earth!


spokojna głowa

(idiomatic) rest assured (used to tell the listener not to worry)


morda w kubeł

(colloquial, vulgar, idiomatic) shut your mouth, STFU (used to tell the listener to stop talking)


zamknij dziób

(idiomatic) shut your mouth (used to tell the listener to stop talking)


a nuż

(idiomatic) used to communicate that something begins suddenly, unexpectedly, and abruptly, would you look at that


człap

(Near Masovian) used to imitate slow, heavy walking


Bóg wie

Ci biedni ludzie przeszli przez Bóg wie co, są głodni, zmarznięci, nie mają dokąd pójść, a ty chcesz ich przesłuchiwać.

2017 July 5, Lauren Oliver, Replika, Otwarte, →ISBN:

Those poor people have gone through only God knows what, they're hungry, they're freezing, and they have no place to go, and you want to interrogate them.

Oto sedno problemu: jeśli Bóg wie wszystko, to wie również, i to od zawsze, o wszystkich naszych aktach woli, postanowieniach i zachowaniach, zanim się one wydarzą.

2015 December 30, Filozofuj! 2015 nr 6 (listopad-grudzień): Bóg i religia, Wydawnictwo Academicon, page 14:

Here's the crux of the problem: if God knows everything, then He also knows, and has always known, about all of our acts of will, resolutions, and behaviours before they happen.

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see Bóg, wie.


sru

(vulgar) an exclamation denoting an action performed suddenly


dzyń

ding dong! (onomatopoeia for the sound of a doorbell)


branoc

(colloquial) g'night (used to bid someone farewell at night)


ryzyk-fizyk

risk it for the biscuit
risk it for the biscuit

(colloquial, idiomatic) risk it for the biscuit!


dobra robota

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see dobry, robota.


pstro

(colloquial) nothing! (used as a rude or humorous response to the question "co?")


Matko Boska

Matko Boska, coś ty zrobił, Janku!

Mother of God, what have you done, Janek!

(idiomatic) Holy Mother of God, Mother of God (expression of surprise)


eluwina

From elo + -ina. The w was inserted for ease of pronunciation.

Eluwina, gościu! Jak tam?


jeja

Jeja, co tu się stało?


łaps

(colloquial) gotcha (quick catch of something)


mniam

(colloquial) yum (indicating delight at the flavor of food)


szach-mat

Borrowed from Persian شاه مات (šâh mât).

(chess) checkmate! (word called out by the victor when making a move that wins the game)


szczęść Boże

/ʂt͡ʂɛɲʑd͡ʑ ˈbɔ.ʐɛ/

Literally, “Lord bless”. Compare Silesian szczyńść Boże.


na litość boską

(idiomatic) for the love of God, for God's sake, for Christ's sake


a nuż, widelec

Based on the fact that nóż and nuż are homophonous. Compare sew buttons.

W jakie wytłumaczenie owego zjawiska czytelnik uwierzy, jest to już jego prywatna sprawa, autor nie może tu nic zrobić. No, chyba że nagracie ten artykuł i puścicie od tyłu. A nuż, widelec, coś usłyszycie...

2009 July 2, Kuba Dobroszek, Szatan na podniebnych schodach, Konrad Wągrowski:

What explanation of this phenomenon will the reader believe in, that's his private business, the author can't do anything here. That is, unless you record this article and play it backwards. Well, would you look at that...

To dla służb wygodne, bo a nuż widelec załamie się w takim areszcie i aby z niego wyjść, będzie w stanie obciążyć każdego człowieka.

2020 September 29, Adrian Gąbka, “Poseł KO o Nowaku: A nuż widelec się załamie w areszcie i obciąży każdego”, in tvp.info, archived from the original on 2022-01-15:

It's convenient for services, because, would you look at that, he'll collapse in this arrest and in order to get out of it, he'll be able to encumber any person.

A nuż, widelec się uda.

2016, Michał Gołkowski, Moskal, Fabryka Słów Sp. z o.o.:

would you look at that
would you look at that

(humorous, idiomatic) Used to communicate that something begins suddenly, unexpectedly, and abruptly; would you look at that


lecim na Szczecin

Literally, “we are flying to Szczecin”, as Szczecin is considered far away from the centre of Poland. Lecim is the archaic first person plural form of latać, preserved because of the near rhyme with Szczecin.

(slang) signifying that one has to travel far distance

(slang) announcement that one is ready to do something

(slang) cheers (said before sharing a drink)


pru

brr (in reaction to the cold or something gross)


Wysoki Sądzie

Vocative case of Wysoki Sąd (“High Court”).

Wysoki Sądzie, mój klient nie jest winny zarzucanego mu przestępstwa.

Your Honour, my client is not guilty of the crime he is being accused of.

Chciałbym wyjaśnić, Wysoki Sądzie, że nie tylko oskarżony zmienił narodowość.

1969, Szymon Szechter, Uciekłem..., page 90:

I would like to explain, Your Honour, that the defendant was not the only one who has changed his nationality.

Dziękuję, Wysoki Sądzie.

2021, Jerzy Broszkiewicz, Pięć komedii różnych, page 100:

a formal way to address a court or judge; Your Honour


naści

Univerbation of naż + ci, dative of ty (“you”).

Po kwadransie pracy zdołał ręką chwycić się za otwór armaty. Przez chwilę zawisnął w powietrzu, lecz niepospolita jego siła pozwoliła mu utrzymać się tak, dopóki nie zasunął kiszki w paszczę armaty.
 — Naści piesku kiełbasy! — mruknął — tylko się nią nie udław!

After fifteen minutes of work he managed to grab the cannon hole with his hand. He hung in the air a moment, but his uncommon strength allowed him to hang on until he plugged the cannon with his gut.
 "Here, you bastard!" He muttered. "Just don't choke on it!"

(archaic or dialectal) here; used to offer something to the listener


iksde

Iksde, nie wierzę.


twoja stara

Twoja stara sra do gara.

(idiomatic, slang) yo momma, your mom, your mother

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see twoja, stara.


masz diable kaftan

masz babo placek
masz babo placek#Polish

(idiomatic, dated) Alternative form of masz babo placek


masz diable kubrak

(idiomatic) Alternative form of masz babo placek


masz babo placek

Literally, “you have, grandma, [a] pie”.

(idiomatic) my word (used when the speaker wants to express surprise at suddenly finding himself in an undesirable and embarrassing situation)


jak Boga kocham

(idiomatic) as I live and breathe (used to declare the truth of something with emphasis)


strach się bać

Literally, “it is scary to be frightened”.

lit

(idiomatic) how frightful! (used to express fear, ironic or otherwise)


i bądź tu mądry

(idiomatic, colloquial) used to express helplessness in a situation, go figure


i bądź tu teraz mądry

(idiomatic, colloquial) Alternative form of i bądź tu mądry


bądź tu mądry i pisz wiersze

Literally, “be smart here and write the lines [of text]”.

m-g

be smart here and write the lines 􂀿of text􂁀

lit

(colloquial, idiomatic) used to express helplessness in a situation, go figure


nie czyjś interes

none of someone's business
none of someone's business

(colloquial, idiomatic) none of someone's business


Bogu dzięki

(idiomatic) Alternative form of dzięki Bogu


psiamać

Univerbation of psia + mać, literally, “dog's mother”.

(mildly vulgar) damn it (swear of frustration)


psiakość

/pɕaˈkɔɕt͡ɕ/

Univerbation of psia + kość, literally, “dog's bone”.


waruj

Second-person singular imperative of warować.

(of a dog) down, stay put (used as a command in dog obedience training)


bim-bam-bom

dong, ding dong (used when imitating a clock or watch)


ani be, ani me

(idiomatic) unable or unwilling to say anything, not a word


ani be, ani me, ani kukuryku

Literally, “neither bah, nor bleat, nor cock-a-doodle-doo.”

lit

(idiomatic) Alternative form of ani be, ani me


bez dyskusji

(idiomatic) and that's flat, that's that


bez jaj

Literally, “without eggs”, or more loosely translated as “without jokes”.

(colloquial, idiomatic) all kidding aside, quit joking, c'mon

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bez, jajo.


jeden pies

(colloquial, idiomatic) whatever, all the same

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see jeden, pies.


cyk

tick (one of the many steady sounds produced when a watch is ticking)

chirp (the sound made by clicking insects)


Bóg zapłać

(idiomatic) bless your heart, God bless you


droga wolna

(idiomatic, chiefly negative) all clear, be my guest, good to go

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see droga, wolna.


krzyżyk na drogę

good riddance to bad rubbish
good riddance to bad rubbish

(idiomatic) good riddance, good riddance to bad rubbish


krzyż na drogę

/ˈkʂɘʐ naˈdrɔ.ɡɛ/

krzyżyk na drogę
krzyżyk na drogę#Polish

(idiomatic) Alternative form of krzyżyk na drogę


nie bój żaby

Literally, “don't be afraid of the frog”.


a sio

(idiomatic) shoo, go away (command encouraging someone to leave)


u licha

(idiomatic) Alternative form of do licha


niedoczekanie

/ɲɛ.dɔ.t͡ʂɛˈka.ɲɛ/

a likely story! yeah, right!, nothing of the kind!, over my dead body!, tell me another!


kurna

(minced oath) moderately vulgar swearword


ryzyk fizyk

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative spelling of ryzyk-fizyk


jak bonie dydy

Uncertain. Probably a euphemistic form of jak Boga kocham. Bonie is claimed to be an altered form of Bozia while dydy remains unknown.

(idiomatic) as I live and breathe (used to declare the truth of something with emphasis)


darzbór

Univerbation of darz + bór. Coined by Polish forester Stanisław Wyrwiński in the 1920s.

coinage

(hunting, idiomatic) hunters' greeting, farewell, or a wish that the outcome of their actions is positive for them


słowo honoru

(idiomatic) as I live and breathe, Scout's honor (used to declare the truth of something with emphasis)


kurdebalans

Probably borrowed from French cœur de balance, a corruption of French son cœur balance, intended as a minced oath for kurwa. Compare similarly derived kurdemol.

Wołałem, kurdebalans, za wami, chciałem was zatrzymać, dusiłem guzik, ale winda nie przyjeżdżała.

1970, Andrzej Chciuk, Towarzysze z bezpieczénstwa: powieść, daj Boże, historyczna:

I called for you, dagnabbit, I wanted to stop you, I was pressing the button, but the elevator didn't come.

Ani mi się śni, kurdebalans! Co to za metody ? – oburzył się Stary George.

1989, Zbigniew Kosiorowski, Rozbitkowie: ocean czwarty i ostatni:

"No I don't have that dream, dagnabbit! What kind of methods are these?" Old George said getting angry.

Popieprzsolić, kur-czysyn, napier-papier. Mój ojczym tak mówił, kiedy stałam gdzieś w okolicy. Najbardziej lubił „kurdebalans”. „Kurdebalans, Mercedes, gdyby głupota była lżejsza od powietrza, latałabyś jak gołębica”.

2017 August 24, Patricia Briggs, Pocałunek żelaza: Seria z Mercedes Thompson #3 [Iron Kissed], Fabryka Słów Sp.zo.o., →ISBN:

“ChEEZ-zes crusty. Got Al-musty. Got DAMp on the StoneofapeaCH. My foster father used to say those around me all the time. He was an old-fashioned sort of wolf, too. He especially liked Stoneofapeach. ‘Stoneofapeach, Mercedes. You don't have the sense God gave little apples.’”

(dated, mildly vulgar, minced oath, humorous) generic swear word; dagnabbit, son of a gun


idź w chuj

Literally, “go into [a] dick”. Compare Russian иди́ на́ хуй (idí ná xuj) and Ukrainian іди́ на́ хуй (idý ná xuj).

cog

иди́ на́ хуй

іди́ на́ хуй

(idiomatic, vulgar) fuck off, fuck you, go fuck yourself, get fucked


wszystkie ręce na pokład

(idiomatic) all hands on deck (call for everyone to participate in something)


tfu

(colloquial) ptooey (the sound of spitting, usually indicating disgust)

(colloquial) scratch that (used to tell the interlocutor to ignore the previous statement)


święta racja

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of święta prawda


do stu piorunów

Literally, “to a hundred lightning bolts”.

lit

(colloquial, idiomatic) damn, darn it, rats, crud


do pioruna

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of do stu piorunów


jeszcze czego

/ˈjɛʂ.t͡ʂɛ ˈt͡ʂɛ.ɡɔ/

(colloquial, idiomatic) a likely story! yeah, right!, nothing of the kind!, over my dead body!, tell me another!


ani mi się śni

Literally, “I am not even dreaming [about this]”.


achcież

From achcie + -ż. First attested in 1598.


achcie

From ach + -cie. First attested in 1588.

(Middle Polish) expresses regret or pain


z wolna

(colloquial, dated, idiomatic) cool your heels!, cool your jets!, hold your horses!, stop!, whoa! (slow down)

(colloquial, dated, idiomatic) stop!, whoa! (you should not have done/said that)


niestojcie

/ɲɛsˈtɔjt͡ɕɛ/


dlaboga

(archaic) expression of anxiety or surprise


pstryk

click (sound made when snapping or when activating a device with a button)

snap (used to describe a situation in which something changes quickly and unexpectedly)


jeszcze jak

(idiomatic) of course, naturally, sure, sure thing (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


jeny

Probably comes from euphemistic use of Jezusa rany (Jesus' wounds).


do chuja pana

- Już skończyliście rachunek sumienia? - warknął kapitan. - Coś krótko, do chuja pana! Nic nie spierdoliliście? A może to mnie się popieprzyło? -Trzasnął z całej siły otwartą dłonią w blat stolika, odetchnął głęboko.

2001, Eugeniusz Dębski, Aksamitny Anschluss, SuperNowa:

"Have you finished your examination of conscience?" The captain barked. "Something short, for fuck's sake! You didn't screw anything up? Or maybe I screwed up?" He slammed his open palm against the table top with all his strength, took a deep breath.

Robert słucha muzyki i popatruje z zadowoleniem na kierowców, wiercących się, odpalających niecierpliwie papierosy, bębniących palcami po kierownicy, trąbiących beznadziejnie i bez sensu, wychylających głowy przez okna swoich nowych wozów, rozglądających się na wszystkie strony, jakby szukali możliwości ucieczki, skrótu, bo przecież kurwa nie po to kupowali nowe auto żeby do chuja pana stać w jebanym korku i wolniej się poruszać niż kurwa na rowerze jakby se chcieli pojeździć na rowerze toby se kurwa jego mać kupili pierdolony rower zwłaszcza biorąc pod uwagę że za cenę tej bryki toby mogli se kupić w chuj rowerów fabrykę całą noż kurrrrwa niechże się coś ruszy wreszcie bo ich kurwica weźmie.

2009, Wojciech Kuczok, Senność, Wydawnictwo W.A.B.:

Robert listens to the music and watches with satisfaction as the drivers squirm, impatiently lighting cigarettes, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel, honking hopelessly and pointlessly, sticking his heads out the windows of his new cars, looking in all directions as if looking for an escape, a shortcut, because after all, he didn't fucking buy a new car to, for fuck's sake to stand in a fucking traffic jam and move slower than a fucking bike if they wanted to ride a bike then he would have fucking bought a fucking bike especially considering that for the price of this car, they could buy a whole factory with a shitload of bicycles, goddamnit, let something move finally, because the bitch will take them.


szerokości

/ʂɛ.rɔˈkɔɕ.t͡ɕi/

Ellipsis of życzę szerokości, compare szerokiej drogi.

(idiomatic, slang) farewell!, safe travels!


do siego roku

/dɔˈɕɛ.ɡɔ ˈrɔ.ku/


fora ze dwora

Rhyme, literally, “get out of [the] courtyard”. The word fora is found only in this phrase and it is most likely derived from Latin forās.

(colloquial, dismissal, idiomatic) out!, get out!


cała wstecz

(idiomatic, nautical) full astern! (command to move backward at maximum speed)


naprzód marsz

(idiomatic, military) forward! (command to move)


cała naprzód

(idiomatic, nautical) full speed ahead!, full steam ahead! (command to move forward at maximum speed)

(colloquial, idiomatic) full speed ahead!, full steam ahead! (command used to encourage someone to act intensively)


cześć pracy

Literally, “honor to work”, originally a greeting suggested during the communist years between workers.

(humorous) an ironic greeting or farewell for people closer to the speaker


co jest

(colloquial, idiomatic) used to express concern about a situation that has arisen; what is it?


pal gumę

(colloquial, derogatory, idiomatic) get lost!, bite me!


wolne żarty

(idiomatic) are you kidding me? (used to express a negative assessment of what was previously said, which the speaker considers stupid or untrue)


żarty na bok

(idiomatic) all kidding aside (used when the speaker wants to stop joking because more serious matters need to be addressed)


dzieńdoberek

(colloquial, humorous) Synonym of dzień dobry


chwila moment

(colloquial, idiomatic) wait a minute, wait a moment, wait a second (used when the speaker expects to refrain from speaking or acting for a short time)


nie można powiedzieć

/ɲɛ ˈmɔʐ.na pɔˈvjɛ.d͡ʑɛt͡ɕ/

(idiomatic) used when the speaker wishes to express their fondness of something when one could think otherwise


powiem tak

(idiomatic) used in reply to something when the speaker doesn't want to say exactly what is on their mind; tell you what


motyla noga

Literally, “butterfly's foot/leg”, popularized by the movie Miś (1981) from a scene in which an officer advises children how to avoid swearing.

(idiomatic, usually ironic) gee willikers!


dobre sobie

(colloquial, idiomatic) used to let others know that the speaker thinks that what has been said is outrageous


siup

used to imitate the sound of someone jumping or any other fast action

used to encourage someone to do something, usually drink alcohol


nigdy w życiu

/ˈɲiɡ.dɘ ˈvʐɘ.t͡ɕu/


w życiu

Ellipsis of nigdy w życiu. Literally, “never in life”.

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of nigdy w życiu


kurka wodna

Literally, “water hen”. Chosen as a minced oath for its phonetic resemblance to kurwa.

(colloquial, idiomatic, minced oath) darn


o zgrozo

(idiomatic, often ironic or humorous) horror of horrors


witaj na pokładzie

witamy na pokładzie
witamy na pokładzie#Polish

(idiomatic, colloquial) Alternative form of witamy na pokładzie


witamy na pokładzie

Literally, “we welcome [you] on board.”.

(idiomatic, colloquial) welcome on board!


czary-mary

(occult) hocus-pocus! (said by performing magician to indicate the moment of performing a magical trick or illusion)


kuźwa

(minced oath) moderately vulgar swearword


Jezu Chryste

(idiomatic) Jesus Christ (expletive or oath)


w nogi

(colloquial, idiomatic) run (used as a call for immediate escape or describing someone's immediate escape)


do nogi

(idiomatic) to heel (order not to stray far)


pif-paf

(onomatopoeia) represents the sound of gunshots


hejże

(emphatic) hey, look, yo (call for attention)


laboga

(colloquial, dialectal, Chełmno-Dobrzyń) good grief; used to express surprise, shock, or indignation


fakt faktem

the fact of the matter is
the fact of the matter is

(idiomatic) the fact is, the fact remains, the fact of the matter is


żyć nie umierać

/ʐɘt͡ɕ ɲɛ uˈmjɛ.rat͡ɕ/

(idiomatic) used to say that the given situation is good or beneficial


taś, taś

used for calling and luring ducks and geese


daj Boże

Literally, “give [me,] God”. Inherited from Proto-Slavic *dàďь bȍže. Cognate with Belarusian да́й бо́жа (dáj bóža), Bulgarian дай Боже (daj Bože).


daj głos

(idiomatic) give tongue, speak (command for a dog to bark)


jak żyję

(idiomatic) used to express that the speaker has not witnessed or experienced the current event; as I live and breathe


dalibóg

Inherited from Old Polish dalibóg. By surface analysis, univerbation of da + li + Bóg, literally “may God give”.


kurna chata

Literally, “smokey shack”. Compare Ukrainian курна́ ха́та (kurná xáta).

cog

курна́ ха́та

(idiomatic, minced oath) moderately vulgar swearword


wypluj to słowo

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of wypluj te słowa.


wypluj te słowa

(colloquial, idiomatic) used when the speaker is afraid that what someone has said may come true just by saying it out loud and therefore wants to ward off this danger with his words; take that back!


padam do nóżek

Literally, “I am falling to [your] legs”.

lit

(dated, idiomatic) courtesy phrase suggesting a humbled attitude toward the addressee, used as an expression of gratitude or to say goodbye


jeden czort

(colloquial, idiomatic) whatever, all the same

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see jeden, czort.


jeden ciul

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see jeden, ciul.


jeden diabeł

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see jeden, diabeł.


jeden chuj

(colloquial, idiomatic, vulgar) whatever, all the same

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see jeden, chuj.


ma się rozumieć

(colloquial, idiomatic) of course, naturally, sure, sure thing (an affirmative reply; yes; certainly)


robi się

no sooner said than done
no sooner said than done

(colloquial, idiomatic) no sooner said than done (used when the speaker wants to signal readiness to immediately comply with someone's request, suggestion, or command)


już się robi

Literally, “[it] is already being done”.


ładne kwiatki

(colloquial, idiomatic) used when the speaker wants to express his or her unpleasant surprise at what is being said

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see ładny, kwiatek.


ja ci

Literally, “I [will/am going to (+ verb)] to you”.

Już ja ci pokażę!

Ja ci dam!

+obj

(colloquial, idiomatic) used as an expression of firm disagreement with what the addressee has done or wants to do [with first person singular future of perfective verbs]


a psik

(dismissal) shoo (call directed at a cat to drive it away)


ja ci pokażę

Coordinate term: ja ci dam

(colloquial, idiomatic) I'll show you (used to express anger and to threaten someone)


ja ci dam

Coordinate term: ja ci pokażę

(colloquial, idiomatic) just you wait (used when the speaker wants to firmly express their disagreement with something or threaten someone not to do something)


fik-mik

used to describe an action done quickly and efficiently


fiku-miku

used for rhythmic reasons in songs and rhymes, usually for children


i po herbacie

(colloquial, idiomatic) used to emphasize that what is being discussed is the best solution in a given situation and is not worth talking about any more


pies to olał

I don't give a rat's ass
I don't give a rat's ass

(colloquial, mildly vulgar, idiomatic) screw this; I don't give a rat's ass


witam w klubie

(colloquial, humorous, idiomatic) welcome to the club, join the club (used to indicate that the person spoken to is in the same, or a similar, unfortunate state as the speaker)


idź w pizdu

Borrowed from Russian иди́ в пизду́ (idí v pizdú). Literally, “go into [a] cunt”.

bor+

иди́ в пизду́

(idiomatic, markedly vulgar) fuck off, fuck you, go fuck yourself, get fucked


srać na to

(colloquial, idiomatic, vulgar) screw this; I don't give a rat's ass


kurczę blade

Literally, “pale chick”. Chosen as a minced oath for its phonetic resemblance to kurwa.

(idiomatic, minced oath) slightly vulgar swearword


dupa jasiu

(idiomatic, vulgar) failure, misadventure


idź do diabła

(idiomatic, mildly vulgar) go to hell, get lost


wypierdalaj

Second-person singular imperative of wypierdalać.

(vulgar) fuck off, fuck you, go fuck yourself, get fucked


tak jest

(idiomatic) aye aye; aye aye, sir (formula for acknowledging receipt of an order from a supervisor)


bez urazy

(idiomatic) no hard feelings, no offense (used to make it clear that the intention of one's statement is not to offend the listener or criticize their views, even though it could be perceived that way)


coś takiego

(idiomatic) you don't say (used to express surprise and disbelief or indignation at what the speaker has just learned about)


wieś tańczy i śpiewa

Literally, “[the] countryside dances and sings”.

lit

(colloquial, idiomatic) used to refer to something that the speaker considers embarrassing, ugly, or hopeless


klękajcie narody

Literally, “kneel down, nations”. From Henryk Sienkiewicz's poem W albumie pani Zofii Osbergerowej.

(colloquial, humorous, idiomatic) hats off (congratulations)


jak mi Bóg miły

Bóg mi świadkiem
Bóg mi świadkiem#Polish

(idiomatic) Alternative form of Bóg mi świadkiem


daj Boże zdrowie

(idiomatic) used when the speaker wants to emphasize that what is being mentioned is admirable and can be envied by someone else


dobrej nocy

(idiomatic) have a good night (used to wish someone a good night's sleep or to say goodbye for the evening)


o rany

Literally, “oh wounds”. Ellipsis of rany boskie.

crap, damn, jeez (relatively mild expletive)


rany boskie

(idiomatic) Jesus Christ, for God's sake (relatively mild expletive)


niech będzie pochwalony

/ɲɛɣ ˈbɛɲ.d͡ʑɛ pɔx.faˈlɔ.nɘ/

Literally, “praised be”. Ellipsis of niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus.

ellipsis

niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus#Polish

(idiomatic, Roman Catholicism) Alternative form of niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus


niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus

/ɲɛɣ ˈbɛɲ.d͡ʑɛ pɔx.faˈlɔ.nɘ ˈjɛ.zus ˈxrɘs.tus/

Literally, “praised be Jesus Christ”. Calque of Latin laudētur Jesus Chrīstus.

Coordinate term: na wieki wieków, amen

praised be Jesus Christ
praised be Jesus Christ

(idiomatic, Roman Catholicism) praised be Jesus Christ (Christian greeting used today for clergy)


pochwalony

Literally, “praised”. Ellipsis of niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus.


guzik prawda

Literally, “button truth”. Chosen as a minced oath for its phonetic resemblance to gówno prawda.


chrzanić to

(colloquial, idiomatic) screw this; I don't give a rat's ass


licho wie

(colloquial, idiomatic) God knows, heaven knows

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see licho, wie.


do stu diabłów

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of do diabła


diabli wiedzą

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see diabli, wiedzą.


do stu tysięcy diabłów

Literally, “to a hundred thousand devils”.

lit

(colloquial, idiomatic) Alternative form of do diabła.


cholera wie

(idiomatic, mildly vulgar) God knows, heaven knows

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see cholera, wie.


nic dodać, nic ująć

Literally, “nothing to add, nothing to subtract”.

(idiomatic) amen to that (used when the speaker believes that what has already been said is so good or informative that nothing more needs to be said, or that what has been done is so good that nothing more needs to be done)


do jasnej ciasnej

(idiomatic, minced oath, mildly vulgar) dammit!, shit!


łokej

From a dialectal pronunciation of okej with labialization.

(colloquial, humorous or dialectal) Alternative form of okej.


do jasnej cholery

(idiomatic, mildly vulgar) dammit!, shit!


do jasnej anielki

(idiomatic, colloquial, minced oath) dammit!, shit!


jprdl

(Internet slang, vulgar) Abbreviation of ja pierdolę.


raz, dwa

Raz, dwa, raz, dwa! Raz, dwa! Biegiem!

(idiomatic) command used to set the pace for gymnastic activities or marching


rany koguta

Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see rany, kogut.

(colloquial, humorous, idiomatic, minced oath) Jesus Christ, for God's sake (relatively mild expletive)


ja cię kręcę

(colloquial, idiomatic, minced oath) holy crap (expresses terror, shock, or awe)

(colloquial, idiomatic, minced oath) gosh dang it (expresses frustration or disappointment)


ja pierdzielę

Literally, “I fib”, minced oath of ja pierdolę.

(idiomatic, minced oath, mildly vulgar) holy shit (expresses terror, shock, or awe)

(idiomatic, minced oath, mildly vulgar) for fuck's sake (expresses frustration or disappointment)


rany Julek

(colloquial, idiomatic, minced oath) Jesus Christ, for God's sake (relatively mild expletive)


na wieki wieków, amen

Literally, “for the aeons of the aeons, amen”.

Coordinate term: niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus

for ever and ever, amen
for ever and ever, amen

(idiomatic, Roman Catholicism) for ever and ever, amen (used as a traditional response to the greeting niech będzie pochwalony Jezus Chrystus or any other greeting of a religious nature)


na wieki wieków

Literally, “for the aeons of the aeons”. Calque of Latin in saecula saeculōrum.

na wieki wieków, amen
na wieki wieków, amen#Polish

(idiomatic, Roman Catholicism) Alternative form of na wieki wieków, amen


krótka piłka

(colloquial, idiomatic) used to emphasize that a given situation does not need to be discussed, as everything was quickly resolved


z drogi

(idiomatic) gangway, make way (clear a path!)


holender

(euphemistic, minced oath) gosh dang it, darn (mild expletive)


salam alejkum

bor+

السلام عليكم

(Islam) salaam alaikum (greeting said on meeting someone)


wielkie nieba

(idiomatic) denotes astonishment or horror; my stars; heavens above; great heavens


siemasz

From jak się masz. Compare English wassup.


kopę lat

(idiomatic) long time no see (I (or we) have not seen you for a long time)


cichojta

(Kuyavia) used at a multiple listeners to instruct them to be silent; quiet!


cichoj

(Kuyavia) used at a single listener to instruct them to be silent; quiet!


łończa

(Kuyavia) used to join oxen together in a group, e.g. after being unhitched from the plough are being driven to the pasture


ksyku

(Kuyavia) used to chase off pigs or piglets


ocia

(Kuyavia) used to steer oxen to the right


ba i co to

(Kuyavia, idiomatic) yeah right!; tell me another!; a likely story!


loboga

(Kuyavia) expresses surprise or disdain; for the love of God


kseb

Clipping of a univerbation of ku + sobie. From the fact that when someone outstretches their right arm and waves it left towards their chest, they are waving towards themself, whereas when they wave it left, they are waving it away from themself.

(Kuyavia) used to send people to the left when dancing; to the left!


mizernie tam

(Kuyavia) exrepsses exasperation or frustration; eh! dagnabbit!


kur zapiał

(idiomatic, minced oath) Euphemistic form of kurwa.


wejno

(Chełmno-Dobrzyń) used to direct someone's attention or express surprise; whoa! look!


chrop

(Near Masovian) used to imitate the sound of hitting or beating


chrzęp

(Near Masovian) used to imitate the sound made when reaping with a sickle


mrumru

(Near Masovian) Alternative form of ani mru-mru