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  What it means

  Whatever the Englishman invents, the Frenchman refines, and the German manufactures at home — the foolish Pole buys it all. A self-deprecating proverb about Polish consumerism and lack of domestic industry.

  Vocabulary

  • zmyślić — to invent, to come up with
  • skréślić — to sketch, to design, to refine (archaic spelling)
  • nakrupić — to manufacture, to produce in quantity (archaic/dialectal)
  • głupi — foolish, stupid
  • kupić — to buy

  Grammar note

  A series of relative clauses introduced by 'co' (what/whatever). Each clause assigns a national stereotype a role in the production chain.

  Cultural context

  This proverb reflects historical anxieties about Poland's economic dependence and lack of industrialisation relative to Western Europe.

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