trzymać język za zębami

Meaning: To keep silent and refrain from speaking.

Language: Polish

Literally: to hold tongue behind teeth

Example: “Trzymaj język za zębami, to niespodzianka dla mamy.” — Hold your tongue; it's a surprise for Mom.

English equivalent: To hold one's tongue

Category: Body & Senses

Origin: The image is of literally controlling one's tongue by keeping it behind one's teeth to prevent it from moving and causing speech.

Equivalents in other languages

mieć głowę na karku — To be sensible, intelligent, and capable of thinking for oneself.
trzymać buzię na kłódkę — To keep silent and not reveal a secret.
policzyć na palcach jednej ręki — To be very few in number; countable on one hand.
uzbroić się w cierpliwość — To be patient or to gather one's patience.
rozłożyć ręce — To give up; to throw up one's hands in admission of defeat or inability to act.
stracić nerwy — To lose one's emotional control and become agitated or frantic.

papierek lakmusowy — A decisive test that reveals the true nature or quality of something.
wyrzucić pieniądze w błoto — To waste money on something worthless or futile.
prosty jak drut — Very easy or straightforward.
dusza towarzystwa — The most entertaining or lively person at a gathering.
studnia bez dna — An endless source of trouble or expense; something that consumes resources without limit…
pi razy oko — A rough, approximate measure with little precision; give or take.

Short and sweet like a donkey's gallop. — Brief moments of intensity fade quickly, so appreciate their value without expecting perm…
Every one can tame a shrew but he that hath her. — Only those outside a difficult relationship can judge or manage it; those within suffer i…
He was born with a silver spoon in his mouth. — Inheriting wealth from birth grants unearned advantages that others must struggle to achi…