zamiatać pod dywan
Meaning: To conceal or hide a problem rather than address it directly.
Language: Polish
Literally: to sweep under the carpet
Category: Daily Life
Origin: The image pictures sweeping dirt under a carpet to make a room appear clean while leaving the mess hidden underneath.
More idioms — Daily Life
- włożyć kij w szprychy — To obstruct or sabotage someone's plans or efforts.
- grać na zwłokę — To stall or delay deliberately in order to buy time until one is ready.
- wziąć na ambit — To take something on as a matter of personal pride; to be set on succeeding because one's…
- wziąć na bajer — To deceive someone or con them into believing something false.
- книга за семью печатями (kniga za sem'yu pechatyami) — Something utterly mysterious and incomprehensible; a complete enigma.
- в Тулу со своим самоваром (v Tulu so svoim samovarom) — To do something pointless or wasteful; to bring something unnecessary or redundant to a p…
More Polish idioms
- cud miód — Something delicious, wonderful, or excellent.
- wąchać kwiatki od spodu — To be dead; to push up daisies.
- rany koguta — A mild exclamation expressing surprise, frustration, or emphasis.
- stracić nerwy — To lose one's emotional control and become agitated or frantic.
- stracić głowę — To act without rational thought; to abandon self-control and sound judgment.
- wziąć z sufitu — To invent something without basis; to make something up or fabricate it.
From our proverbs
- A Scotch mist will wet an Englishman through to the skin. — Light drizzle, when underestimated, soaks you more thoroughly than dramatic downpours bec…
- On the sea sail; on the land settle. — Venture boldly where uncertainty reigns, but root yourself firmly where stability matters…
- Everything is good in its season. — Timing determines value—what flourishes in spring withers in winter, and forcing things o…