• Listen

  What it means

  As the shell in youth — a truncated form of the longer proverb, used as a shorthand for the idea that early impressions last a lifetime.

  English equivalent

  As the twig is bent, so grows the tree.

  Vocabulary

  • skorupka — little shell, eggshell
  • za młodu — in youth, when young

  Grammar note

  'Za młodu' is a fixed adverbial phrase meaning 'in one's youth'.

  Cultural context

  Often used as a standalone allusion; listeners supply the rest from memory.

  Beginner

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