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  What it means

  For the sake of company, the Gypsy let himself be hanged. Said of someone who goes along with others into a foolish or dangerous situation simply to not be left out.

  Vocabulary

  • towarzystwo — company, companionship
  • dać się — to let oneself, to allow oneself
  • powiesić — to hang
  • Cygan — Gypsy, Roma (historical folk usage)

  Grammar note

  'Dał się powiesić' — reflexive construction with 'dać się' + infinitive: 'allowed himself to be hanged'.

  Cultural context

  A darkly humorous proverb warning against blind conformity. The figure of the Cygan (Roma) appears frequently in Polish folk proverbs as a stock character.

  Intermediate

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