# All Slavic languages: to know somebody inside out



## Encolpius

Hello, what idiom do you have for the fact if you know someone very well?

*Czech*: znát někoho jako své (staré) boty = [to know someone like your old shoes]


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## marco_2

Hello there,

In Polish we say *znamy się jak łyse konie *(we know each other like bald horses). We also say about some place, but not people *znam (e.g. to miasto) jak własną kieszeń *(I know this city like my own pocket). And we can also say, but in a negative meaning *Znam cię jak zły szeląg *(or: *zły grosz*) - _szeląg _and _grosz _are / were our currency units - this idiom means that we know someone from his bad side.


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## lavverats

Bulgarian: Познавам те като дланта на ръката ми/Poznavam te kato dlanta na rakata mi. Literally: I know you like the palm of my hand.


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## ahvalj

Russian: 
«знать как облупленного» (with a negative connotation) — literally something like "to know [somebody] like a peeled [egg]".


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## Azori

Slovak:

*poznať niečo/niekoho ako vlastnú/svoju dlaň* = _lit._ to know something/somebody like one's own palm

*poznať niečo/niekoho ako vlastné/svoje topánky* = _lit._ to know something/somebody like one's own shoes

*poznať niečo/niekoho ako starý peniaz* = _lit._ to know something/somebody like an old coin

*vidieť niekomu do kešene* = _lit._ to see into (somebody's) pocket (= to know everything about somebody)

*vidieť niekomu do karát* = _lit._ to see into (somebody's) cards (= to know somebody's intentions)

*vidieť niekomu (až) do duše / žalúdka* = _lit._ to see into (somebody's) soul / stomach (= to know somebody well)


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## Gavril

Because no Slovenian speakers have responded yet, I'll quote the Slovene dictionary I've been using:

_- poznati koga kot svoj žep_
_- poznati koga do obisti_

The first one literally means "to know someone like one's own pocket"; I'm not sure about the literal meaning of the second.


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## Duya

Serbo-Croatian (BCS) has an equivalent saying, _Znati kao svoj džep_, but I would say that it applies to situations (or locations) rather than persons. I have a hunch it's the same in Slovene.

As for persons, there is _znati kao staru paru_ in BCS, but it is not very well known.


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## VelikiMag

In BCS there's a humorous expression: _Znam te puško kad si pištolj bila!_ It means that you know someone very well and therefore he can't fool you.


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## Irbis

Gavril said:


> _- poznati koga kot svoj žep_
> _- poznati koga do obisti_
> 
> The first one literally means "to know someone like one's own pocket"; I'm not sure about the literal meaning of the second.



"obist" is an old term for a kidney. So: "to know someone up to his kidneys".
And "poznati koga kot svoj žep" is used also for persons.


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## TriglavNationalPark

Duya said:


> As for persons, there is _znati kao staru paru_ in BCS, but it is not very well known.



This also exists in Slovenian: *poznati [koga] kot star denar*. It's very familiar to me, but its use may be regional, because it returns only a few results on Google.


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## Irbis

Actually in Slovenian is "poznati [koga] kot slab denar", but it is a bit negative connotation.


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## TriglavNationalPark

Irbis said:


> Actually in Slovenian is "poznati [koga] kot slab denar", but it is a bit negative connotation.



I'm not familiar with this one at all. My family only used the variation *kot star denar*, but as I said, its use may be regional.


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## tekton61

In Ukrainian about place
Я знаю це місце, як своїх п'ять пальців. 
And about person 
Я його знаю, як облупленого.


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## Thomas1

marco_2 said:


> Hello there,
> 
> In Polish we say *znamy się jak łyse konie *(we know each other like bald horses). We also say about some place, but not people *znam (e.g. to miasto) jak własną kieszeń *(I know this city like my own pocket). And we can also say, but in a negative meaning *Znam cię jak zły szeląg *(or: *zły grosz*) - _szeląg _and _grosz _are / were our currency units - this idiom means that we know someone from his bad side.


Hello,

I'm adding more possibilities in colloquial Polish.

We also say 'znać kogoś na wylot'. It means exactly what the English title phrase says.

'znać kogoś jak własną kieszeń' is used as well. 

Another possibility: znać kogoś jak swoje pięć palców -- know someone like your five fingers (though this one is infrequent to my experience; I only saw it in dictionaries).


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