Meaning & use
Polish cheers
Last updated
Meanings
phraseplural
The short sayings Polish speakers call out when raising glasses to someone's health or success.
Grammar: Used as a plural noun phrase: people talk about Polish cheers in general, or about one particular Polish cheer.
Patterns
- a Polish cheer
- the most common Polish cheers
- shout a Polish cheer
At the wedding the Polish guests taught us a few Polish cheers before the meal.
She looked up Polish cheers online so she could join in at her friend's birthday party.
The best-known of all Polish cheers is 'Sto lat', which means 'a hundred years'.
phrasefixed phrase
The word 'Sto lat' itself, sung or shouted to wish a person a long life.
Grammar: Usually appears in the fixed form 'Sto lat'; you can say 'sing Sto lat' or 'shout Sto lat' but you do not change the words.
Patterns
- sing Sto lat
- shout Sto lat
- wish someone Sto lat
When the cake came out, everyone sang Sto lat, the Polish cheer for long life.
He didn't know the tune, so he just clapped while the others shouted Sto lat.
In Poland, Sto lat is heard at birthdays, name days and weddings alike.
Common combinations
- a Polish cheer
- Someone at the next table started a Polish cheer and the whole room joined in.
- the most famous Polish cheer
- The most famous Polish cheer is Sto lat, sung to the tune of a simple march.
- shout a Polish cheer
- They shouted a Polish cheer each time a new bottle was opened.
- sing Sto lat
- The children sang Sto lat to their grandmother on her ninetieth birthday.
- a traditional Polish cheer
- A traditional Polish cheer often wishes the guest a hundred years of health.
Synonyms and how they differ
- toast
- A toast is any short speech or wish made before drinking; a Polish cheer is specifically the Polish-language shouts used for that purpose.
- Sto lat
- This is the best-known single Polish cheer, so it is narrower than the general phrase 'Polish cheers'.
Word family
Commonly confused: Polish cheers or polish? Polish cheers or cheers?
Polish cheers vs polish
Without a capital letter, 'polish' means to rub something until it shines, and it sounds the same as 'Polish' in writing only by accident. The capital P marks the meaning 'from Poland'.
Polish cheers vs cheers
On its own, 'cheers' is what English speakers say as they clink glasses; 'Polish cheers' names the Polish-language versions of that custom.
Practice
Which sentence uses the phrase correctly?
Choose one answer.
'Polish cheer' is a countable phrase for a shouted or sung wish, and Sto lat is the famous example, so option A fits. Option B confuses it with the verb 'polish' (to make something shiny) and makes no sense with 'cheers'. Option C treats it as a drink you mix, and option D treats it as money, neither of which matches the meaning.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “Polish cheers”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.