• Listen

  What it means

  Literally “to jump at the sun with a hoe.” Means to take on a task with completely insufficient means or resources — to bite off more than you can chew.

  Vocabulary

  • porywać się — to attempt / to launch oneself at
  • motyka — hoe (farming tool)
  • słońce — sun

  Grammar note

  'Z motyką' uses the instrumental of 'motyka' — 'z + instrumental' expresses the tool or means. 'Na słońce' uses the accusative after 'na' indicating a target of motion.

  Cultural context

  The image of a farmer wildly swinging a hoe at the sun perfectly captures the absurdity of the mismatch between resources and ambition.

  Advanced

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!