This lesson is a very fun activity to do with Polish learners of English of any age. It can be used to introduce the concept of Idioms to them and show them some examples in their native language. This activity is useful to show how idioms cannot be literally translated. I have used this as an introduction to a lesson on idioms in English but also as a fun conclusion also. Thank you!

1. Polish Idioms (in English)
By Dan Jones

2. A Pole won’t tell you to get lost...
They will tell you to “stuff yourself
with hay” - Wypchać się sianem

3. Poles don’t snack...
They “take something on a tooth” -
wziąć coś na ząb

4. A Pole never beats around the
bush...
They prefer to “wrap the truth in
cotton” - owijać prawdę w
bawełnę

5. Polish people are not nit-picky...
They are “looking for a hole in the
whole” - szukać dziury w całym

6. Polish people don’t count their
chickens before they’ve hatched...
They “divide the skin on the bear”
- Dzielić skórę na niedźwiedziu

7. A Polish person doesn’t sulk...
They “have flies up their nose” -
Mieć muchy w nosie

8. Polish people don’t mess things
up...
They “make bigos” – narobić
bigosu or “brew beer”- nawarzyć
piwa

9. A Pole doesn’t daydream...
They “dream of blue almonds” -
myśleć o niebieskich migdałach

10. Poles will not speak bluntly...
They will “tell it straight from the
bridge” - Mówić prosto z mostu

11. A Pole is not un-informed...
They just “fell from the Christmas
tree” - urwać się z choinki

12. Poles do not simply grin and bear
it...
They “put up a good face for a bad
game” - robić dobrą minę do złej
gry

13. A bad Polish writer doesn’t
waffle...
They “pour water” - lać wodę

14. A Polish person doesn’t just run
away...
He “gives a leg” - dać nogę or he
“takes his legs under his belt” -
brać nogi za pas

15. A pole is never a know-it-all...
Instead, he “ate all wits” -pozjadać
wszystkie rozumy

16. Polish people won’t pull your
leg...
They will “stick you into a bottle” -
nabić kogoś w butelkę

17. A Pole won’t promise you the
world...
But you may get “pears on a
willow” - gruszki na wierzbie

18. Polish people don’t run like
hell...
They “run where the pepper grows” -
uciekać, gdzie pieprz rośnie or
“where the devil says goodnight” -
gdzie diabeł mówi dobranoc

19. Poles won’t pester you...
They will “drill a hole in your
belly” - wiercić komuś dziurę w
brzuchu

20. Polish people don’t bite off more
than they can chew...
They “jump at the sun with a hoe”
- porywać się z motyką na słońce