pierwsze koty za płoty

Polish

Etymology

Literally, “first cats [are thrown] over the fences”. Probably from the fact that the first cats from a litter used to be cast away as they were considered weaker and only the strong ones were kept.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈpjɛr.fʂɛ ˈkɔ.tɘ za ˈpwɔ.tɘ/

• Audio:

  (file)

• Syllabification: pier‧wsze ko‧ty za pło‧ty

Proverb

pierwsze koty za płoty

1. (idiomatic) the first pancake is always spoiled, the first step is always the hardest

Further reading

• pierwsze koty za płoty in Wielki słownik języka polskiego, Instytut Języka Polskiego PAN
• pierwsze koty za płoty in Polish dictionaries at PWN