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  What it means

  Literally “deaf telephone.” The Polish name for the game of Chinese whispers / telephone — where a message is passed along a chain of people and becomes distorted. Also used figuratively for any badly garbled communication.

  Vocabulary

  • głuchy — deaf, silent
  • telefon — telephone

  Grammar note

  'Głuchy' is a masculine nominative adjective agreeing with 'telefon'.

  Cultural context

  A classic children's game in Poland. The figurative use — 'to jak głuchy telefon' (it's like Chinese whispers) — is very common in workplaces and families.

  Beginner

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