• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “like herrings in a barrel.” Describes a space that is extremely crowded — people packed in tightly with no room to move. “Packed like sardines.”

  Vocabulary

  • śledź — herring
  • beczka — barrel

  Grammar note

  'W beczce' uses the locative of 'beczka' after 'w'. 'Śledzie' is nominative plural of 'śledź'.

  Cultural context

  Salted herring packed in barrels was a staple of Polish cuisine and trade — a very familiar image.

  Beginner

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