Znać pana po cholewach, czyli utrwalony w przysłowiach obraz ubioru jako symbolu hierarchii społecznej
Znać pana po cholewach ‘know the master by the boots’, or the image captured in proverbs of clothing as a symbol of social hierarchy

Summary/Abstract: The proverbs analyzed in the present paper are a linguistic testimony of the cultural rôle played by attire in the old Polish society. Documented in dictionaries and often containing archaisms, these proverbs reveal how specific elements of clothing were perceived as signals of social and material status of their owners. Particularly distinct is the image of expensive leather clothing which was used to manifest wealth and position. Decorative caps and shoes, too, have acquired a linguistic illustration of their cultural function. Due to the change of realities (fashion, manners and social diversification), the majority of the analyzed units belong to the historic stock and are unknown to contemporary Polish speakers. Possibly, their archaic lexical form also contributed to their decline.

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