psia krew
The English phrase "dog's blood" is translated into Polish as psia krew.
psia krew is a colloquial exclamation used to vent sudden emotions such as frustration, annoyance or surprise. It functions similarly to English expletives like "damn it" or "blood and guts".
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the adjective psia (dog's) and the noun krew (blood).
Is there a formal and an informal way to say it?
This is a colloquial expression.
How does it change in a sentence?
The adjective psia is in the feminine singular form to agree with the feminine noun krew.
Did you know?
- The Polish word krew is a distant linguistic relative of the English word 'crude'. Both words trace their ancestry back to the same Proto-Indo-European root meaning 'blood' or 'raw meat'.
- In Polish culture, the adjective psia is often used to describe things that are miserable or contemptible, such as psia godzina to describe an inconveniently early hour.
- Because it is considered old-fashioned, using psia krew today can sometimes make a speaker sound like a character from a 20th-century Polish novel or film.
Example conversation
Agnieszka and Krzysztof are trying to assemble a piece of furniture.
- AgnieszkaKrzysztofie, brakuje nam jednej śruby.Krzysztof, we are missing one screw.
- KrzysztofPsia krew, gdzie ona mogła wypaść?Dog's blood, where could it have fallen?
- AgnieszkaSprawdź pod stołem, proszę.Check under the table, please.
- KrzysztofMam ją, była w dywanie.I have it, it was in the carpet.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries krew, CC BY-SA 4.0.
