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  What it means

  Literally “swallow’s tail.” Refers to the distinctive forked tail shape of a swallow — used in Polish to describe dovetail joints in carpentry, forked shapes in design, and the classic tailcoat (frak). Also a metaphor for something elegantly split or tapered.

  Vocabulary

  • jaskółka — swallow (the bird)
  • ogon — tail

  Grammar note

  'Jaskółczy' is the adjective from 'jaskółka', nominative masculine agreeing with 'ogon'.

  Cultural context

  The dovetail joint ('połączenie na jaskółczy ogon') is a classic term in Polish woodworking and architecture.

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