nosił wilk razy kilka, ponieśli i wilka

Polish

Etymology

Rhyme, literally, “[the] wolf carried a few times, [and eventually the] wolf got carried too”, a reference to the wolf stealing sheep or other livestock to eat a few times before it was killed and carried as a trophy by hunters.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈnɔ.ɕiw ˈvilk ˈra.zɘ ˈkil.ka | pɔˈɲɛ.ɕli i ˈvil.ka/

• Audio:

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• Syllabification: no‧sił wilk ra‧zy kil‧ka, po‧nie‧śli i wil‧ka

Proverb

nosił wilk razy kilka, ponieśli i wilka

1. (idiomatic) one can get away with bad behaviour only a few times before it is noticed and punished

Further reading

• nosił wilk razy kilka, ponieśli i wilka in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• nosił wilk razy kilka, ponieśli i wilka in Polish dictionaries at PWN