# Para w parytet



## jacquesvd

What could 'para w parytet' mean? I understand 'para' means steam and 'parytet' parity but even if this were so I can't get the meaning: pressure for parity? 

Thanks for any help.


----------



## Agiii

What's the context?


----------



## jacquesvd

Agiii said:


> What's the context?


 
Para w parytet is the title of an article that concerns itself with the need to have more women on  the election lists.
The subtitle is: Jesienią w Sejmie rozpocznie się bój o parytet. I jak to na Wiejskiej bywa, może sprowadzić kwestię wyrównania szans kobiet do politycznej pyskówki. Czy zamiast gardłować, nie lepiej uczyć się na doświadczeniach innych?
 
I understand the article but can’t figure out the logic of this header which clearly must mean something like ‘Push for parity’


----------



## Agiii

In my opinion you're right.

Para means in this context: being mad, furious, strong emotions.

But it's not a usual expression.


----------



## majlo

I believe it should've been _par*ą *w parytet._

Jacquesvd, remember to provide as much context as possible.


----------



## robin74

majlo said:


> I believe it should've been _par*ą *w parytet._


I don't think it should have. "para w parytet" as in "para w gwizdek".


----------



## kknd

Besides things mentioned above one can find here some pun (equivocation) on _para_ meaning: steam but also a pair.


----------



## jacquesvd

majlo said:


> I believe it should've been _par*ą *w parytet._
> 
> Jacquesvd, remember to provide as much context as possible.


 
@Majlo
It's the title of an article in Przekrój and it does say 'para w parytet'.

I gave the subtitle which explains what it is all about and it is a plea to have more women on the election lists, actually saying that if the parties didn't come to it by themselves they would have to be forced to. So, I understand the word 'steam' here metaphorically as making pressure to get to parity, in short 'Push for parity'

@Robin 74      

'para w gwizdek' I would understand to be 'steam in the whistle' or should it be 'to the whistle'. This little 'w' regularly poses me problems.


----------



## majlo

robin74 said:


> I don't think it should have. "para w parytet" as in "para w gwizdek".



I see. I was unaware of this construction. Does this work with other words? For instance, "Para w Kaczyńskiego"?
Also, what is "para w parytet" supposed to mean?


----------



## jacquesvd

Agiii said:


> In my opinion you're right.
> 
> Para means in this context: being mad, furious, strong emotions.
> 
> But it's not a usual expression.


 
Thank you. What do you think of  kknd's suggestion of interpreting it as 'pair'? I had excluded this but now I think it could be a play of words to say that man and woman (a pair) should be treated equally (parity).

I find it's almost easier to read long sentences than these short headers, especially since prepositions like 'w' can have  different meanings.

I'm so happy this word forum exists because how else could I understand Przekrój's writing that often uses words that are not in the dictionary like zaprzanstwo, which however I understood thanks to this forum in another title of Przekrój 'Zaprzanstwo czy Arczydzielo.' I don't have the diacritic
signs on this keyboard, so the accent on the n is now missing.


----------



## robin74

majlo said:


> I see. I was unaware of this construction. Does this work with other words?


"para (poszła) w gwizdek" is a fixed expression in Polish. I'm not sure how well it would work with other words. To me, "para w parytet" is a clear reference to this particular phrase.



> Also, what is "para w parytet" supposed to mean?


"pressure for parity", originally suggested by jacquesvd, plus word plays (that "para" sounds similarly to "parytet" and that it also means "pair") sounds about right to me.



> 'para w gwizdek' I would understand to be 'steam in the whistle' or should it be 'to the whistle'. This little 'w' regularly poses me problems.


It's "(in)to the whistle". It's like in Latin. "w" with accusative (like here) indicates movement in the direction of a given object. "w" with locative (or ablative in case of Latin) indicates being inside a given place (so here it would be "w gwizdku", not "w gwizdek".)


----------



## Thomas1

robin74 said:


> "para (poszła) w gwizdek" is a fixed expression in Polish. I'm not sure how well it would work with other words. To me, "para w parytet" is a clear reference to this particular phrase.
> 
> 
> "pressure for parity", originally suggested by jacquesvd, plus word plays (that "para" sounds similarly to "parytet" and that it also means "pair") sounds about right to me.[...]


I agree with that. I would, however, add that "para w gwizdek", apart from meaning a lot of effort put into something, means that the aim has not been achieved in spite of all the attemps that were made. To my mind, _push for parity_ means only a (sincere) effort, but it doesn't say anything about the result.

Imagine a whistle on a steam locomotive, to make it emit a sound a lot of steam is blown into it, and the shrill sound is indeed quite sonorous and carrying. It does certainly draw people's attention. However, after the steam is stopped being blown into the whistle, it's all gone into the air and practically nothing is left, except that people may remember the sound.

I will hazard a guess that the author of the article predicts that the whole debate about giving equal opportunities to both sexes on political stage will have much attention in media and will end up in a slanging match without much result from it. Sort of much ado, but that's just the spin.


----------

