• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “one devil.” Means it’s all the same, it makes no difference — one option is just as bad or just as good as another. The Polish equivalent of “six of one, half a dozen of the other.”

  Vocabulary

  • jeden — one
  • czort — devil / demon (archaic/folk word)

  Grammar note

  A fixed phrase used as a predicate. 'Czort' is an older, folk word for the devil, giving the phrase a rustic flavour.

  Cultural context

  'Czort' is the Slavic folk devil, distinct from the Christian 'diabeł'. Using 'czort' rather than 'diabeł' gives the phrase an earthy, old-Polish character.

  Intermediate

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!