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  What it means

  Literally “the shirt of Deianira.” A gift that destroys the recipient — something given with good intentions that causes terrible harm. From Greek mythology: Deianira gave Hercules a shirt soaked in poisoned blood, believing it was a love charm.

  Vocabulary

  • koszula — shirt
  • Dejanira — Deianira (wife of Hercules in Greek myth)

  Grammar note

  'Dejaniry' is the genitive of 'Dejanira' — genitive of possession.

  Cultural context

  A classical allusion well known to educated Poles through mythology and literature — used for any well-intentioned gift or action that proves catastrophic.

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