Talk:Potrzebie

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There's an inconsistency in the description of the length unit with this name. Here in this article it says it's equal to the thickness of MAD issue #26, but List_of_strange_units_of_measurement#Potrzebie says it's issue #23. I presume that whichever issue it is, there's a copy printed on platinum-iridium pages stored in a vault at bureau international des poids et mesures? :) Bryan 23:50, 23 Mar 2005 (UTC)

26 is the correct issue, and I have fixed the "Strange Units" page. Google image search can turn up scans of the venerable Issue 33 pages where the article first appeared. The image itself is unsuitable for upload to Wikipedia, due to copyright issues, although I suppose someone could inquire with DC comics/MAD magazine to see if they would be willing to allow the use. The curious (or those seeking a source) may find a scanned copy of one of the pages here, and might try using the Wayback Machine if it should vanish. abb3w 14:25, 2 Aug 2005 (UTC)

It doesn't actually mean '"as needed" or "as necessary"'. It's the objective case declination of "potrzeba", a noun which means "need". "w potrzebie" is probably the most common usage of the word, and it literally means "in need". By itself, the word makes absolutely no grammatical sense - which is why I always found it particularly bizarre and jarring while reading MAD magazine. :) I will attempt to fix the description in the article without being too verbose. Confluence