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  What it means

  Righteous oil always rises to the top. Truth and justice will always come to light in the end, no matter how hard someone tries to conceal them.

  English equivalent

  Truth will out. / Cream rises to the top.

  Vocabulary

  • oliwa — oil (olive oil)
  • sprawiedliwy — righteous, just, fair
  • wierzch — top, surface
  • wypływać — to float up, to flow out

  Grammar note

  'Na wierzch' uses the accusative after 'na' indicating direction. 'Oliwa sprawiedliwa' is the nominative subject.

  Cultural context

  Based on the physical property of oil floating on water. 'Oliwa' here stands metaphorically for truth or justice.

  Intermediate

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