# Morda



## katie_here

One of our young Polish lads told me to say this to someone else,  (they like to shock and tease me!!)  I said I wouldn't say it until I knew what it meant.  It was in reply to another saying (another swear word, I don't like to write. ) Sp...r D.l..  .  Whatever it was, they thought it was really funny!! 

So thankyou in advance.


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## Thomas1

katie_here said:


> One of our young Polish lads told me to say this to someone else,  (they like to shock and tease me!!)  I said I wouldn't say it until I knew what it meant.  It was in reply to another saying (another swear word, I don't like to write. ) Sp...r D.l..  .  Whatever it was, they thought it was really funny!!
> 
> So thankyou in advance.


It can mean various things.
In this case I think it means: _shut up!_
Needless to say it is a pretty robust retort.

It comes from _morda w kubeł_ which can be translated as _keep your trap shut_.

Tom


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## katie_here

Thank you so much.  It's not as bad as I thought!!!   .  You can imagine the scene,  Three 20 something young lads trying to outsmart a lady in her 40's!!!   It was the English one who swore in Polish, and the Polish one who told me what to reply.  Another wouldn't tell me what it meant, but to look it up on a translator.  All I could find was "mug"  which didn't seem right. 

Anyway, if it means "shut up" I can find plenty of opportunity to say it!!


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## Thomas1

Caveat: if you have to use it do it among people you know they won't take offenc at it, I would strongly disadvise using it towards/among strangers.  In my opinion it is stronger than English _shut up!_

Tom-


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## katie_here

Thomas1 said:


> Caveat: if you have to use it do it among people you know they won't take offenc at it, I would strongly disadvise using it towards/among strangers.  In my opinion it is stronger than English _shut up!_
> 
> Tom-


 

Thanks.  Rest assured it will only be used for these cheeky young men when they get a bit lippy.  They are just having fun.  I think they've never met anyone before who is the age of their mothers, but they can't shock!. .  I have just to keep one step ahead!. 

Perfect strangers?  I have enough good English words for those!!


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## dn88

Haha, the only expression in which "morda" means something positive that I can think of right now is "mordo ty moja". 

I guess the most common way of telling someone to shut up is simply "zamknij się".


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## mcibor

dn88 said:


> Haha, the only expression in which "morda" means something positive that I can think of right now is "mordo ty moja".
> 
> I guess the most common way of telling someone to shut up is simply "zamknij się".



I must disagree with you. Though it is supposed to be common, in my opinion "morda w kubeł" is used more often.

I personally never use "zamknij się" (shut up), whereas "morda w kubeł" (jap into bucket) I would consider worth in some scenarios 

If you wish, Kate, you could consider such "polite" answers to S word:

- Za tobą (after you, with hand gesture)
- Mów do mnie jeszcze (talk to me more - taken from cabaret)
- Też cię lubię (I like you too - with irony)

Take care and have fun!


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## dn88

mcibor said:


> I must disagree with you. Though it is supposed to be common, in my opinion "morda w kubeł" is used more often.
> 
> I personally never use "zamknij się" (shut up), whereas "morda w kubeł" (jap into bucket) I would consider worth in some scenarios
> 
> If you wish, Kate, you could consider such "polite" answers to S word:
> 
> - Za tobą (after you, with hand gesture)
> - Mów do mnie jeszcze (talk to me more - taken from cabaret)
> - Też cię lubię (I like you too - with irony)
> 
> Take care and have fun!



Maybe, maybe not. If I'm honest, I think I've never said "morda w kubeł" to anyone in my whole life.


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## Thomas1

Dn88, perhaps _morda w kubeł_ doesn't belong in your vocabulary.
I certainly have used _morda w kubeł_ in my life on a few occasions, it seems to me I did this when I was a kid. Now, I've grown out of it.  I don't, however, hear it often. In retrospection I haven't heard it in a while. _Morda_, yes, but not the former, is pretty often used by gimnazjaliści (teenagers aged roughly from 12 to 15) at least this is in whom I have experienced the word most often. 

I think that _zamknij się_ is used by more people though. It is milder in tone and doesn't bring about negative connotations as _morda _does.

What is the most common way of telling someone to pipe down may be contingent upon where and by/among whom it is to be used.
A different way will be used by a teacher, teenagers, a university professor, street sweeper, etc. also differentiated by entourage.


mcibor said:


> - Za tobą (after you, with hand gesture)
> - Mów do mnie jeszcze (talk to me more - taken from cabaret)
> - Też cię lubię (I like you too - with irony)


I would label the second and third ones as not mainstream. They seem to be more "sophisticated" options. I haven't heard the first one in the meaning in question.




mcibor said:


> [...] "morda w kubeł" (jap into bucket) [...]


Michał, could you please give a source where you found _jap_ as an equivalent of _morda_?

Tom


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## dn88

Thomas1 said:


> Dn88, perhaps _morda w kubeł_ doesn't belong in your vocabulary.
> I certainly have used _morda w kubeł_ in my life on a few occasions, it seems to me I did this when I was a kid. Now, I've grown out of it.  I don't, however, hear it often. In retrospection I haven't heard it in a while. _Morda_, yes, but not the former, is pretty often used by gimnazjaliści (teenagers aged roughly from 12 to 15) at least this is in whom I have experienced the word most often.
> 
> I think that _zamknij się_ is used by more people though. It is milder in tone and doesn't bring about negative connotations as _morda _does.



Yeah, "zamknij się" is really very common. And maybe it's just me, but I don't hear people around me say "morda w kubeł" all that often either.



Thomas1 said:


> Michał, could you please give a source where you found _jap_ as an equivalent of _morda_?



Hehe, I don't think such a word exists in English. 

There's "japa" in Polish though.


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## mcibor

Ah, my typo, it should have been 
yap - gęba; morda; jadaczka

I moved to my own and don't have many dictionaries. 
I found it here.

And true, most of these answers are off mainstream. But I don't know any non swear, mainstream answer to S word.


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## Ulla

"Morda" literally means "ugly face" or an animal's, i.e. dog's "snout".  If used in referrence to persons it carries a negative, rude connotation.  Another word would be "ryj" as in "pig's snout".
You could say "zamknij ryj".  It is just as rude and very strong.  
"Dam ci w mordę/ryj" is a threat of hitting someone in their face.


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## mcibor

Hi Ulla and welcome to forum!

You are totally right about that!


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## ryba

Thomas1 said:


> Caveat: if you have to use it do it among people you know they won't take offenc at it, I would strongly disadvise using it towards/among strangers.  In my opinion it is stronger than English _shut up!_
> 
> Tom-



I agree but precisely because of being stronger it may sound funny and can be used among friends as a joke. _Morda_ means the same as French _gueule_, it is a bad word for human face and it's original meaning is "animal's mouth".

As Thomas has already noticed, this particular usage of _morda_ comes from _morda w kubeł_.

Now, if you say _Zamknij się! _(= shut up, literally, 'shut yourself'), I'd say it will be taken seriously in any situation. If you say _Morda!_, unless it is clear you're serious and there actually IS a reason for you to be angry, it is funny enough for anyone to understand you must be joking. 




Ulla said:


> "Dam ci w mordę/ryj" is a threat of hitting someone in their face.


Cześć, Ulla, witaj na forum!!! 

_Chcesz w mordę? / Chcesz w ryj? _or _Chcesz w ryja?_, the last one being the most colloquial/vulgar because it is agramatical (Genitive _ryja_ instead of Accusative _ryj_) are the most common ways of saying it. Well, there is another way, more offensive but I don't want to get off topic. Thank's God the last time I heard it was in elementary.


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