“Slaďounké cukrbliky”

Hello and welcome to this week’s edition of SoundCzech – the programme in which we explore the Czech language through song lyrics. The phrase that we will look at is “slaďounké cukrbliky” from the Jaromír Nohavica song Cukrářská Bossanova.

Cukrářská Bossanova is a very sweet song, with plenty of references to sweet treats - even the title “Sugary bossa nova” is sweet. Bossa nova is a Brazilian music style, and is replicated in this song.

Sugary indulgence – that is the best way to describe the lyrics of this song too. “Můj přítel snídá sedm kremrolí a když je spořádá dá si repete hruškové cukrlátko." My friend is eating seven cream rolls, and when he has demolished those, he has a second course of pear flavoured candy.

“Všechny cukrářky z celé republiky na něho dělají slaďounké cukrbliky.” All the female confectioners are sweetly battering their eyelids in his direction. So Slaďounké cukrbliky is best translated as a sweet battering of eyelids. Cukrblik takes two words "cukr", which is sugar and "blik", which is wink and combines them poetically.

During the song, Nohavica describes a character who is indulging himself with sweet snacks, all the while getting the attention of a number of women. “Koukej jak mu roste oblost budoucích maminek a já mám podezření že se zakulatí jako míč.” See how his pool of potential mother’s for his children is growing – but I think that he will just get fat or round like a ball.

And that is this week’s SoundCzech. Thanks for listening.