dres
tracksuit; also: a chav/hooligan type (slang)
Pronunciation
/drɛs/
Cultural Note
'Dres' (from English 'dress' via 'dres sportowy' = sports dress/tracksuit) has a fascinating double life in Polish. As clothing, it's just a tracksuit. But as slang, 'dresy' (plural) or 'dresiarze' refers to tracksuit-wearing hooligans, usually associated with football ultras, petty crime, and estate culture. The 'dres' archetype is central to Polish social stereotypes — similar to British 'chavs' or Russian 'gopniki.' The association is so strong that some middle-class Poles feel self-conscious wearing actual tracksuits. 'Dresiarstwo' became a whole cultural phenomenon in 2000s Poland.
📝 Example Sentences
Seba wyszedł pod blok w dresie jak zwykle.
Seba went outside the block in his tracksuit as usual.
Nie chodzę tam, bo same dresy się kręcą.
I don't go there because it's full of chavs.