włożyć kij w szprychy
Meaning: To obstruct or sabotage someone's plans or efforts.
Language: Polish
Literally: to put a stick in the spokes
Category: Daily Life
Origin: A stick wedged into the spokes of a wheel stops it from turning; the image is of deliberately and forcefully blocking progress.
More idioms — Daily Life
- grać na zwłokę — To stall or delay deliberately in order to buy time until one is ready.
- 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.
More Polish idioms
- wziąć z sufitu — To invent something without basis; to make something up or fabricate it.
- manna z nieba — An unexpected blessing or fortunate arrival of something greatly needed.
- stracić twarz — To suffer a loss of respect, dignity, or social standing, especially through shame or fai…
- 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.
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