kończ waść, wstydu oszczędź

== Polish == === Etymology === Literally, “finish it, save [me the] embarrassment”. Coined by Henryk Sienkiewicz in his 1886 historical novel The Deluge. === Pronunciation === IPA(key): /ˈkɔɲt͡ʂ ˈvaɕt͡ɕ |ˈfstɘ.du ˈɔʂ.t͡ʂɛɲt͡ɕ/ Syllabification: [please specify syllabification manually] === Phrase === kończ waść, wstydu oszczędź (idiomatic) used to ask someone to spare the speaker the embarrassment and end the humiliation, even at the cost of ultimate defeat ==== Usage notes ==== This popular phrase is often erroneously used with disregard for the context in which the words were originally said. Andrzej Kmicic, uttering these words, asked that he – the one uttering them – be spared the shame of losing a battle to his opponent, Michał Wołodyjowski. Thus, it is wrong to address someone with these words with the intention that they – the addressee – should stop disgracing themselves, since they are making numerous obvious mistakes. The phrase does not mean “stop compromising yourself” but rather “spare me further humiliation and let me go away with honor from a situation that makes me look ridiculous”. It is an admission of defeat and a willingness to suffer the consequences, as well as a request for some kind of mercy from the winner. === References === === Further reading === “kończ waść, wstydu oszczędź”, in Polish dictionaries at PWN‎[2] (in Polish)