Crossword knowledge 4

Clue: Sznur do detanacji ładunki. - Cord to detonate a charge.

Answer: Lont.

Not a word I'm likely to use every day.  It's not often I handle explosives, but how about the English idiom: to have a short fuse, to describe a quick temper?  Is there a Polish equivalent?  As far as I can see, yes, the phrase seems to be used word for word.  I read a report of an argument between journalist and TV personality, Szymon Hołownia and Marta Lempart, co-founder of Strajk Kobiet. The report quoted Hołownia as saying "Sam miewam krótki lont..." which translates as "I have a short fuse myself...".  Lont, being fuse and krótki being the adjective short.

Women's strike

Strajk Kobiet - women's strike- was started in protest to the erosion of women's rights (notably the move to ban abortions) in Poland since PIS gained power in 2015.  The law around abortion in Poland was already very strict. The number of illegal abortions estimated at being ten times higher than legal abortions. Abortion was only allowed in cases of rape, incest or when there was serious threat to a woman's health or the foetus had severe and irreversible damage.  Strajk Kobiet was a response to a move towards a total ban with no exceptions. The last time I read about the issue (in 2020) the only change was to allow abortion if the baby would be undoubtedly dead at birth or shortly after.


Clue: Autor programu "Piórkiem i węglem" - Autor of "With Pen and Charcoal"
Answer: Zin.
Wiktor Zin
Wiktor Zin, an architect - architekt -  is probably most famous in Poland for hosting the television series Piórkiem i węglem where Zin lectured about architecture and illustrated his lectures with charcoal drawings.  The word piórko for fountain pen, is the diminutive form of pióro and is also a word for feather and quill, which I find linguistically beautiful. 

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