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  What it means

  Literally “a kingdom for a horse.” Means willing to give everything for something desperately needed in a critical moment — from Shakespeare’s Richard III, which entered Polish through translation.

  Vocabulary

  • królestwo — kingdom
  • koń — horse

  Grammar note

  'Za konia' uses the accusative of 'koń' after 'za' — exchange (a kingdom in exchange for a horse).

  Cultural context

  Shakespeare's 'Richard III' ('A horse! A horse! My kingdom for a horse!') is well known in Poland through Shakespearean tradition. The phrase is used when someone desperately needs something trivial.

  Intermediate

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