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  What it means

  Literally “to go through the sewers / channels.” Means to use unofficial back channels, informal connections, or shady routes to get something done — to work the system from below.

  Vocabulary

  • kanał — channel / sewer / canal

  Grammar note

  'Kanałami' is instrumental plural of 'kanał' — used adverbially to indicate the means or route.

  Cultural context

  Has both a literal resonance (Warsaw Uprising fighters used actual sewers) and a figurative one (navigating bureaucracy through unofficial means).

  Intermediate

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