• Listen

  What it means

  “Everyone scrapes their own turnip.” Everyone looks after their own interests and doesn’t worry about others. Often said with a slightly critical tone about selfishness or indifference.

  English equivalent

  Every man for himself.

  Vocabulary

  • rzepka — little turnip (diminutive of rzepa)
  • skrobać — to scrape, to peel
  • sobie — for oneself (dative reflexive)

  Grammar note

  'Sobie' is the dative of the reflexive pronoun, indicating the action is done for one's own benefit.

  Cultural context

  The turnip was a staple food in old Polish peasant culture, making this a very earthy, domestic image.

  Beginner

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!