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  What it means

  “The word was spoken, the mare is at the fence.” Once something has been said (or promised), it must be done — the horse is already saddled and waiting. A commitment made is a commitment kept.

  English equivalent

  A promise is a promise.

  Vocabulary

  • słowo — word, promise
  • rzec — to say, to utter (archaic/literary)
  • kobyłka — mare (diminutive of kobyła)
  • płot — fence

  Grammar note

  'Rzekło się' is the reflexive past of 'rzec' (archaic). 'U płota' uses the genitive after 'u' (at, by). Note: both spellings 'płota' and 'płotu' appear in variants of this proverb.

  Cultural context

  The image is of a horse tied to the fence, ready to go — the journey (task) cannot be undone once announced.

  Intermediate

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