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  What it means

  Literally “into the first fire.” Means first in line, the first to go — “first up,” “first into the fray,” “first to face the music.”

  Vocabulary

  • pierwszy — first
  • ogień — fire

  Grammar note

  'Na pierwszy ogień' uses the accusative of 'pierwszy ogień' after 'na' — direction/sequence.

  Cultural context

  A military metaphor — the first soldiers sent into battle face the first volley of fire. Now used for whoever goes first in any challenging situation.

  Intermediate

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