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Polish · Vodka & Toasts

chluśniem, bo uśniem

KHLOOSH-nyem boh OOSH-nyem · /ˈxluɕ.ɲɛm bɔ ˈuɕ.ɲɛm/

Drink up or we'll doze off — the rhyming folk toast.

1/5 Grandma-safe

mild, playful; fine on daytime TV

Literally

"let's splash one down, or we'll fall asleep"

Word-for-word — which is rarely what it means.

How to use it

A rhyming folk toast in deliberately rustic grammar: the round is medicine against sleep, so drink. It's cheeky, old-school, and usually delivered by the self-appointed master of ceremonies somewhere around the third round. From a visitor it detonates delighted laughter — you've quoted the deep repertoire. Grandma-safe 1 (grandpa-approved, specifically). Its natural companion in the genre: "kto nie wypije, ten sto lat nie dożyje" — who doesn't drink won't live to a hundred. Polish folk science at its finest.

Heard in the wild

Panowie, chluśniem, bo uśniem!

Gentlemen — drink up, or we'll fall asleep!

Where it lands

Poland (universal); folksy, said with a grin

Quick answers

What does "chluśniem, bo uśniem" mean?
In Polish, "chluśniem, bo uśniem" means "Drink up or we'll doze off — the rhyming folk toast.". Literally it's "let's splash one down, or we'll fall asleep". A rhyming folk toast in deliberately rustic grammar: the round is medicine against sleep, so drink. It's cheeky, old-school, and usually delivered by the self-appointed master of ceremonies somewhere around the third round. From a visitor it detonates delighted laughter — you've quoted the deep repertoire. Grandma-safe 1 (grandpa-approved, specifically). Its natural companion in the genre: "kto nie wypije, ten sto lat nie dożyje" — who doesn't drink won't live to a hundred. Polish folk science at its finest.
Is "chluśniem, bo uśniem" offensive?
It's on the mild end — 1/5 (Grandma-safe) on the Punch-o-Meter. mild, playful; fine on daytime TV.
How do you pronounce "chluśniem, bo uśniem"?
Say it "KHLOOSH-nyem boh OOSH-nyem" — capitals mark the stressed syllable. In IPA: ˈxluɕ.ɲɛm bɔ ˈuɕ.ɲɛm.

Related in Polish

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.

The same idea, elsewhere

Via concepts like "A rude toast".

how to say "A rude toast" →

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