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  What it means

  Literally “to stuff into a bottle.” Means to trick or deceive someone, to take them for a ride — “to con someone,” “to pull the wool over someone’s eyes,” “to be taken in.”

  Vocabulary

  • nabić — to stuff, to cram (perfective)
  • butelka — bottle

  Grammar note

  'W butelkę' uses the accusative of 'butelka' after 'w' — direction (into the bottle). The image is of being crammed into a bottle — trapped and helpless.

  Cultural context

  One of the most common Polish expressions for being deceived — 'dałem się nabić w butelkę' (I got taken in) is heard constantly.

  Intermediate

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