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  What it means

  “The woman her thing, the devil his thing.” Even when faced with the devil himself, she won’t give in. Used of someone whose stubbornness is truly legendary — they argue on regardless of the opposition.

  Vocabulary

  • baba — woman (folk/colloquial)
  • swoje — one's own thing (accusative of swój)
  • czart — devil (archaic/folk form of diabeł)

  Grammar note

  Same elliptical 'swoje' construction as the related proverbs. 'Czart' is an older, folk-register word for the devil.

  Cultural context

  The 'czart' variant is the most extreme of the 'baba swoje' family — pitting the woman against the devil himself.

  Beginner

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