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  What it means

  “A lord’s favour rides on a dappled horse.” The goodwill of those in power is unreliable and changeable — it can vanish as quickly as it appeared. Don’t count on the favour of the powerful.

  English equivalent

  Don't rely on the favour of the great.

  Vocabulary

  • łaska — favour, grace, mercy
  • pański — lord's, master's, of the gentry
  • pstry — dappled, motley, multicoloured
  • koń — horse
  • jeździć — to ride

  Grammar note

  'Na pstrym koniu' uses the locative case after 'na'. 'Pstrym' is the locative of 'pstry'.

  Cultural context

  A dappled horse was seen as unpredictable and hard to control, making it a perfect metaphor for the fickleness of noble patronage in old Poland.

  Intermediate

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