• Listen

  What it means

  “He’ll make a priest about as well as the devil makes a church sexton.” He is completely unsuited for the role being imagined for him — it’s as absurd as putting the devil in charge of a church. Used of someone whose character or conduct makes a proposed plan laughably impossible.

  English equivalent

  When pigs fly.

  Vocabulary

  • będzie — there will be, he will be (3rd person future of być)
  • ksiądz — Catholic priest
  • diabeł — devil; z diabła = from the devil (genitive after z)
  • kościelny — church sexton, verger (noun); also: of the church (adjective)

  Grammar note

  'Z niego' and 'z diabła' both use 'z + genitive' in the sense of 'out of / from': 'he will become a priest' = 'będzie z niego ksiądz'. The comparison 'jak z diabła kościelny' mirrors the structure.

  Cultural context

  The 'kościelny' (church sexton) is the most humble church role — making even that job impossible for the devil sharpens the absurdity.

  Intermediate

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!