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EN · C2 · idiom

a sword of Damocles

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miecz Damoklesa

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Flashcard #7468 · C2

a sword of Damocles

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Dialogues in context

EN · C2

An Uncertain Deadline

  1. A

    Why are you postponing renovation?

    Dlaczego odkładacie remont?

  2. B

    The sword of Damocles hangs over us. The owner may end the lease.

    Nad nami wisi miecz Damoklesa. Właściciel może zakończyć najem.

  3. A

    When will you clarify it?

    Kiedy to wyjaśnicie?

  4. B

    At Monday's meeting.

    Na poniedziałkowym spotkaniu.

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Translations

Polishmiecz DamoklesaidiomNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Germanein DamoklesschwertidiomNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Spanishuna espada de DamoclesidiomNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Russianдамоклов мечidiomNo voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

Examples of use

Polish

Sprawa sądowa wisi nad nami jak miecz Damoklesa.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
English

The lawsuit hangs over us like a sword of Damocles.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
German

Der Prozess hängt wie ein Damoklesschwert über uns.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Spanish

El pleito pende sobre nosotros como una espada de Damocles.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Russian

Судебное дело висит над нами как дамоклов меч.

No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

Grammar

idiom

Dictionary form
a sword of Damocles
  • Learn this expression as a whole and use the example to understand its context.

Example

The lawsuit hangs over us like a sword of Damocles.

cut no ice

nie robić żadnego wrażenia

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Hobson's choice

wybór bez rzeczywistej alternatywy

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
carry coals to Newcastle

wozić drzewo do lasu

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
cut the Gordian knot

przeciąć węzeł gordyjski

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a straw in the wind

drobny znak przyszłych zmian

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a fly in the ointment

drobna wada psująca całość

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
When recognition becomes an end in itself, it is easy to lose sight of the cause it was meant to serve.

Gdy uznanie staje się celem samym w sobie, łatwo stracić z oczu sprawę, której miało służyć.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
This freedom is a double-edged sword: it allows action to be adapted to the situation but makes it harder to compare individuals' responsibilities.

Ta swoboda jest mieczem obosiecznym: pozwala dostosować działanie do sytuacji, ale utrudnia porównanie odpowiedzialności poszczególnych osób.

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The Achilles' heel of this plan is not a shortage of ideas but dependence on a single source of information whose reliability has not been checked.

Piętą achillesową tego planu jest nie brak pomysłów, lecz zależność od jednego źródła informacji, którego wiarygodności nie sprawdzono.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
A seemingly technical amendment may become a Trojan horse for a change whose consequences participants had no opportunity to discuss.

Pozornie techniczna poprawka może stać się koniem trojańskim dla zmiany, której skutków uczestnicy nie mieli możliwości przedyskutować.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
Let us not cross the Rubicon through a careless statement; if this declaration closes the way back to our previous arrangements, it should be a deliberate decision.

Nie przekraczajmy Rubikonu przypadkowym komunikatem; jeśli ta deklaracja zamyka drogę do dotychczasowych ustaleń, powinna być świadomą decyzją.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.
A vote of confidence is not a blank cheque: we still have to explain decisions that affect other people's responsibilities.

Kredyt zaufania nie jest zgodą na dowolność: nadal musimy wyjaśniać decyzje, które wpływają na obowiązki pozostałych osób.

C2No voice for this language is installed. Speech practice is still available.

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