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  What it means

  “To knock about like Marek in hell.” To wander aimlessly, bumping into things, getting nowhere — like someone lost and confused in a chaotic place.

  English equivalent

  To run around like a headless chicken.

  Vocabulary

  • tłuc się — to knock about, to wander aimlessly
  • piekło — hell

  Grammar note

  'Po piekle' uses the locative of 'piekło' after 'po' (around/through). 'Tłuc się' is a reflexive verb.

  Cultural context

  The name 'Marek' is used generically for an ordinary person. The image of someone blundering through hell is vividly comic.

  Intermediate

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