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  What it means

  Literally “to fear for one’s own ass.” Means to act purely out of self-interest or self-preservation — looking out for yourself above all else, often at the expense of others.

  Vocabulary

  • bać się — to be afraid / to fear
  • własną — one's own (accusative feminine)
  • dupę — ass / backside (accusative, vulgar)

  Grammar note

  'Bać się o' takes the accusative — 'bać się o dupę' (fear for the backside).

  Cultural context

  Vulgar but very common in everyday speech. A milder variant is 'bać się o własną skórę' (to fear for one's own skin).

  Intermediate

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