Polish · 8 phrases
Vodka & Toasts
The table has a liturgy: na zdrowie with eye contact, the setka (a 100 ml unit of friendship), the rhyming folk toasts, and the morning's kac gigant. The drinking verbs come from the same profane roots as everything else — najebany, napierdolić się — because in Polish, excess and profanity share a prefix.
chluśniem, bo uśniem KHLOOSH-nyem boh OOSH-nyem Drink up or we'll doze off — the rhyming folk toast. kac gigant KAHTS GEE-gahnt A monster hangover. na zdrowie! nah ZDROH-vyeh Cheers! — the standard toast (and also 'bless you' after a sneeze). no to cyk noh toh TSIK Down the hatch / here we go — the onomatopoeic pre-shot toast. setka SEHT-kah A double shot of vodka — the standard Polish unit of serious drinking. najebany nah-yeh-BAH-nih Hammered / shitfaced. napierdolić się nah-pyehr-DOH-leech sheh To get absolutely wrecked. opierdolić oh-pyehr-DOH-leech To chew someone out — 'opierdol' is the bollocking itself; also, to wolf food down.