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  What it means

  You can push your luck only so far — eventually something will break. Used to warn against repeatedly taking risks.

  Vocabulary

  • dzban — jug, pitcher
  • ucho — handle (of a jug); also: ear
  • urwać się — to break off, to snap off

  Grammar note

  'Dopóty…dopóki' is a correlative pair meaning 'as long as…until'. The reflexive 'urwie się' indicates the handle breaks on its own.

  Cultural context

  A direct equivalent of 'the pitcher goes to the well once too often'. Common in warnings about repeated risky behaviour.

  Intermediate

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