kończ waść, wstydu oszczędź
Polish[edit]
Etymology[edit]
Literally, “cut it out, save [me the] embarrassment”. From Henryk Sienkiewicz's historical novel The Deluge.
Pronunciation[edit]
- IPA(key): /kɔɲt͡ʂ faɕt͡ɕˌ ˈfstɨ.du ˈɔʂ.t͡ʂɛɲt͡ɕ/
- Rhymes: -ɔʂt͡ʂɛɲt͡ɕ
Phrase[edit]
- (idiomatic) used to ask someone to spare the speaker the embarrassment and end the humiliation, even at the cost of ultimate defeat
- 2023 November 7, Aleksander Sławiński, “Rafał Trzaskowski o decyzji Andrzeja Dudy w sprawie nowego rządu: „Premier na pewno będzie nasz””, in wyborcza.pl[1], archived from the original on 10 November 2023:
- Dla premiera Morawieckiego mam tylko jedną radę: „kończ waść, wstydu oszczędź” – stwierdził na konferencji prasowej w ratuszu prezydent Warszawy.
- I have only one piece of advice for Prime Minister Morawiecki: “cut it out, save yourself from shame,” said the mayor of Warsaw at the press conference at City Hall.
Usage notes[edit]
This popular phrase is often erroneously used with disregard for the context in which the words were originally said. Andrzej Kmicic, uttering these words, asked that he – the one uttering them – be spared the shame of losing a battle to his opponent, Michał Wołodyjowski. Thus, it is wrong to address someone with these words with the intention that they – the addressee – should stop disgracing themselves, since they are making numerous obvious mistakes. The phrase does not mean “stop compromising yourself” but rather “spare me further humiliation and let me go away with honor from a situation that makes me look ridiculous”. It is an admission of defeat and a willingness to suffer the consequences, as well as a request for some kind of mercy from the winner.[1]
References[edit]
Further reading[edit]
- kończ waść, wstydu oszczędź in Polish dictionaries at PWN