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grać na zwłokę

Meaning: To stall or delay deliberately in order to buy time until one is ready.

Language: Polish

Literally: to play for delay

Category: Daily Life

Origin: A theatrical or gaming image: a performer or strategist artificially prolongs action to forestall an outcome.

More idioms — Daily Life

  • wziąć na ambit — To challenge someone to prove their courage or honor; to call someone's bravery into ques…
  • wziąć na bajer — To deceive someone or con them into believing something false.
  • книга за семью печатями — Something utterly mysterious and incomprehensible; a complete enigma.
  • в Тулу со своим самоваром — To do something pointless or wasteful; to bring something unnecessary or redundant to a p…
  • до свадьбы заживёт — A minor injury or problem will resolve itself naturally and quickly.
  • наступить дважды на одни и те же грабли — To repeat the same mistake or fall into the same trap a second time.

More Polish idioms

  • zimne nóżki — A cold dish of meat in aspic or jelly.
  • wziąć w łapę — To take a bribe or to accept money corruptly.
  • wziąć na barki — To assume responsibility for something or take on a burden.
  • pijany jak świnia — Extremely intoxicated or drunk.
  • Nie mój cyrk, nie moje małpy — Not my problem; I'm not getting involved.
  • Gdzie raki zimują — To be in serious trouble; to learn a harsh lesson.

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