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  What it means

  “Don’t play, ox, what isn’t on the table.” Don’t pretend to have or offer something you don’t actually possess. A rebuke to braggarts or those who make empty promises.

  English equivalent

  Don't promise what you can't deliver.

  Vocabulary

  • grać — to play, to pretend
  • bawół — buffalo, ox (used as an insult: blockhead)
  • stół — table

  Grammar note

  'Nie graj' is the negative imperative of 'grać'. 'Na stole' is the locative of 'stół'. 'Czego' is the genitive used in a negative existential clause ('nie ma czego').

  Cultural context

  'Bawół' used as a form of address is a mild insult implying the person is slow-witted or clumsy.

  Intermediate

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