15 Nice Russian Expressions You’ve By no means Heard Of – #information
He’s additionally a deacon of the Russian Orthodox Church, knowledgeable translator, and choir director on the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville, NY, the place he lives. Right here is his bio from his weblog, the place he writes about many elements of Russia. We extremely advocate following it and subscribing to his electronic mail checklist to get unique materials.
He has a superb Pinterest web page, and you may observe him on Fb. Right here is an archive of his work printed on Russia Insider.
I’m having a good time entering into the thrilling bits of my new novel. Bear-riders have appeared, my most important character is in the midst of an enormous dilemma, two different characters have misplaced their households, and one other is getting himself caught in some very darkish, dangerous enterprise (it might or might not contain giants. Or dragons. Or each!)
My second novel, I’m be sincere, is a tad darkish. So at the same time as I’m writing it, really feel the necessity to lighten it up a bit. In my first novel, sudden bits of comedy got here from secondary characters. I’m making an attempt to do the identical on this one. There’s one character, a form of royal bodyguard named Bhuk, who’s modeled on a man I labored with within the kitchens of a monastery in north Russia (true story).
Bhuk can hardly say a single sentence with out having some form of folksy expression in it. It’s a really Russian factor. So I believed it could be attention-grabbing to seek out and translate among the extra colourful Russian expressions and discover out what they really imply. Right here we go:
The hidden meanings of Russian people sayings: half 1.
- Иван родства не помнящий—Ivan who doesn’t bear in mind his household
Actually, it means somebody who doesn’t prefer to observe traditions or guidelines. An innovator (not in a great way). The historic that means is that this. Throughout Tsarist occasions, police needed to take care of runaway prisoners, serfs who have been making an attempt to flee laborious masters, troopers who couldn’t end boot camp, numerous sectarians, and different wanderers with no official papers. These individuals typically hid their actual names and locations of residence. If requested about their names, all of them name themselves “Ivan,” and claimed they didn’t bear in mind their households.
- Толочь воду в ступе—To beat water in a mortar
It means “to beat the air,” to waste time doing one thing ineffective. The hidden that means has to do with the supposedly miraculous properties of water. From pagan occasions, Russians have been in awe of water. Folks used to whisper blessings on water and look forward to miracles. However what if somebody already mumbled one thing over the water? Particularly if that somebody swore when he dropped a jug of it? Water remembers every part!
So the outdated pagan druids discovered a strategy to “erase” the unfavorable info from water. They used to beat water in a vessel for a very long time. After a couple of days of torturing the water, the water was able to be whispered over and used for magical rites. The druids would use the supposedly magic water for barter. However finally, individuals realized that the water didn’t do something particular. So after a very long time, it grew to become an expression that means “to waste your time.”
- Шут гороховый—A pea-green jester
It’s a derogatory expression: “silly fool,” or “moron.” The picture of the jester of Medieval Europe is well-known—sporting motley, a hat with donkey ears, holding a rattle in his hand (the rattle was typically a bull bladder crammed with dried peas). He would all the time start his performances by rattling the peas. In Russia, jesters preferred to embellish themselves with dried stalks of pea crops. Throughout the people celebrations earlier than Lent, an effigy of a pea-green jester was carried round on the streets.
- Тянуть канитель—To spin gold thread
Actually, it means to do humdrum work. To work a very long time at a monotonous process. So why do it’s worthwhile to spin gold thread? Steel threads, whether or not of silver or gold, have been utilized in decorations of clothes and rugs. To make it “sewable,” you needed to make it extraordinarily skinny by beating it and pulling it via smaller and smaller holes. The method was laborious and really, very boring.
- Делить шкуру неубитого медведя—To divide the pelt of a residing bear
An English equal could be “to rely your chickens earlier than they hatch.” The older model of this phrase is “to promote the pelt of a residing bear.” The that means is fairly clear—you shouldn’t construct plans earlier than you realize they’re going to return via. The supply of the bear picture is definitely from a French fable known as “The Bear and Two Companions” by Jean de La Fontaine. The story considerations two fur merchants who make a discount for the pelt of a bear they haven’t killed but. Hilarity ensues. Right here’s the complete fable on-line.
- Съесть Собаку—To eat a canine
The phrase now means to undergo bitter expertise, and are available out the wiser. However initially, the phrase was ironic. Right here’s the complete model: “He ate the canine, however choked on the tail.” The expression was used to snort at somebody who had completed a really tough job, however tripped up on the finish over some trifle.
- Кричать во всю Ивановскую—To scream over all Ivanovskoe
Actually: “to scream bloody homicide.” Contained in the Moscow Kremlin, the sq. that has the well-known bell tower of Ivan the Nice is named “Ivanovskoe”. In outdated occasions, sextons would announce all public legal guidelines, paperwork, and different official enterprise regarding Moscow and all different cities. These sextons had very loud voices, apparently.
- Выносить сор из избы—To hold the rubbish out of the hut
Actually: “to air soiled laundry”. This one additionally goes again to pagan rites. The factor is, rubbish was by no means carried out of the hut. It was burned within the range. Why? Folks believed {that a} magician might discover out a household’s secrets and techniques by smelling their rubbish. If he actually wished to hurt them, he might even bury the rubbish in a cemetery (not good!)
- Делу время и потехе час—There’s a time for work, and a time for play
This one may appear apparent, however there’s an attention-grabbing historic episode right here. In seventeenth century Russia, the preferred means for a noble to spend his free time was looking with falcons. Even Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich cherished it—he hunted virtually day-after-day, aside from winter. He even printed a algorithm for correct falconry.
On this rulebook, the hunt was praised as an occupation that was excellent at banishing sorrow and misfortunes. Nevertheless, finally the Tsar determined that individuals had began having fun with it tooa lot, and authorities enterprise was struggling. So on the finish of his rulebook, he added a warning: “Don’t forget the enterprise of presidency: there’s a time for work, and a time for play.”
- Куда Макар телят не гоняет—The place even Makar gained’t take his cows
Actually: very, very far-off. Right here’s one model of this saying’s provenance. Peter the Nice was touring via Riazan’. He preferred to speak to the frequent individuals incognito. It so occurred that on a sure day, each peasant he met simply occurred to be named “Makar”. The Tsar was shocked by this, then was reputed to say, “From today forth, you shall all be known as Makar!” From that point, the identify “Makar” was used as a catchphrase for “peasant man.”
- Танцевать от печки—To bounce from the range
Unusually sufficient, this expression means “to behave all the time in the identical means, by no means altering based mostly on newly acquired information.” Comic story. A sure man named Sergei Terebenev returned to Russia after a protracted absence. When he returned, filled with nostalgia, he recalled his childhood recollections of taking dance courses.
So he’s standing on the range, his ft in “place three.” His dad and mom and servants are standing round watching him. The trainer offers the command: “One, two, three.” Sergei does step one, however loses his beat, and his ft get twisted up.
His father says, “O, what a large number! Properly, get again to the range, begin dancing once more!”
- Зарубить на носу—To hack on the nostril
This one sounds extra violent than it really is. It means to recollect one thing perpetually. The picture that involves thoughts is a poor schoolboy that’s standing in entrance of an indignant trainer who threatens him with a finger many times. The poor boy imagines it’s an axe hacking away at his nostril. However that’s not it in any respect. Truly, a “nostril” is a small wood board notched by illiterate peasants as a means of remembering essential duties.
- Семь пятниц на неделе—Seven Fridays per week
This describes an individual who always adjustments his thoughts. Somebody you may’t belief. In outdated occasions, Friday was market day. Everybody shopped on a Friday. Friday was the day that the products arrived, and cost was organized for the adopted market day (Friday). Whoever didn’t come via with the cost was branded with this expression: “For that man, it’s seven Fridays per week!”
However there’s a unique clarification too. Employees have been often allowed to go away early on a Friday, so a lazy bum was additionally given this expression. For him, day-after-day was a time off, so to talk.
- Вилами на воде написано—Written on water with a pitchfork
Actually: “a really uncertain occasion.” There are literally two explanations for this expression. “Vila” (the Russian phrase for pitchfork) can also be one other identify for Russian mermaids, harmful spirits who have been stated to drown younger males (additionally they present up in chapter 3 of my new novel). When you noticed them writing on the water, you may make certain that what they wrote would come true.
The second that means refers to pitchforks as ritual objects utilized by druids. The three factors of the fork have been stated to represent the essence of the god Triglav (actually, three-headed one). Druids would use them to “draw” runes on water as a part of their magic rites. In fact, when nothing occurred, individuals began to offer the motion its reverse that means.
- Отрезанный ломоть—A cut-off piece of bread
This refers to somebody who has develop into unbiased—a daughter given to a husband who lives very far-off, or a son whose began his circle of relatives and by no means comes to go to his dad and mom.
Curiously, in outdated occasions bread was by no means minimize, as a result of it symbolized life. It’s best to solely ever break items off. So the expression “cut-off piece of bread” is an actual historic oxymoron.
Keep tuned subsequent week for extra linguistic insanity from the Russians! The unique Russian article may be discovered right here.
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