• Listen

  What it means

  “A Jew will outwit a German, the devil will outwit a Jew, a Ruthenian will outwit the devil, and a woman will outwit a Ruthenian.” An old chain proverb about cunning and wit, each group supposedly outsmarting the next. Reflects historical ethnic stereotypes of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth era.

  Vocabulary

  • okpić — to outwit, to trick, to make a fool of
  • diabeł — devil
  • Rusin — Ruthenian (historical term for East Slavic peoples)
  • niewiasta — woman (archaic)

  Grammar note

  'Okpi' is the third-person singular perfective present of 'okpić'. Each subject takes the accusative object: 'Niemca', 'Żyda', 'diabła', 'Rusina', 'niewiastę' (implied).

  Cultural context

  This proverb dates from the multi-ethnic Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth and reflects the stereotypes of that era. It is presented here as a historical linguistic artefact, not an endorsement of its content.

  Advanced

Noticed a typo, a wrong translation, or anything that doesn't look right? We'd love to fix it — just let us know via the contact page. Thank you!