
ProverbWisdom
Polish origin
Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu
Meaning: Don't stir up trouble by talking about it or provoking it.
Literally: Don't call the wolf out of the forest
Example: “Nie wspominaj szefowi o nadgodzinach. Nie wywołuj wilka z lasu.” — Don't mention the overtime to the boss: let sleeping dogs lie.
Equivalents in English, French, Spanish, Japanese, German, and 2 more languages
English: Let sleeping dogs lie
French: Il ne faut pas réveiller le chat qui dort (literally: One must not wake the sleeping cat)
Spanish: Mejor no menear el avispero (literally: Better not to stir the wasp's nest)
Japanese: 寝た子を起こすな (Neta ko wo okosu na) (literally: Don't wake the sleeping child)
German: Schlafende Hunde soll man nicht wecken (literally: One should not wake sleeping dogs)
Italian: Non svegliare il can che dorme (literally: Don't wake the sleeping dog)
Dutch: Men moet geen slapende honden wakker maken (literally: One shouldn't wake sleeping dogs)
Origin: Speak of the wolf, or call it out of the forest, and it comes.
Explore another collection: Tongue Twisters
Tricky phrases to practice out loud, from languages around the world.
- Ząb, zupa zębowa; dąb, zupa dębowa. Drills the nasal vowels ą and ę, which only differ from plain a and e by the nasal hum.
- W Szczebrzeszynie chrząszcz brzmi w trzcinie i Szczebrzeszyn z tego słynie. The opening of a poem by Julian Tuwim, now Poland's most-quoted tongue twister — the cons…
- Stół z powyłamywanymi nogami. Six words, almost no vowels — a single noun phrase that non-Polish speakers find impossib…
Keep exploring