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  What it means

  Literally “cuckoo’s egg.” Means something unwanted or problematic that has been secretly placed in someone else’s care — a problem dumped on someone who didn’t ask for it. “A cuckoo in the nest.”

  Vocabulary

  • kukułka — cuckoo (the bird)
  • jajo — egg

  Grammar note

  'Kukułcze' is the adjective from 'kukułka' — nominative neuter agreeing with 'jajo'.

  Cultural context

  The cuckoo's habit of laying eggs in other birds' nests is one of nature's most famous tricks — the metaphor is universally understood in Polish culture.

  Intermediate

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