5

There's a saying "не фартануло" which means something like "не повезло" or "не получилось".

However, where does it come from? There don't seem to be any related words that come to mind, and there doesn't seem to be a verb "фартануть" in use. (Found a dictionary entry like http://argo.academic.ru/5502/%D1%84%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%83%D1%82%D1%8C which don't refer to the same meaning).

Does "фартануть" have any other uses or relations to other phrases or is it just a single isolated idiomatic expression "не фартануло" ?

3 Answers 3

10

"Фартану́ть" comes from "фарт", which originally means a luck in a card game. Later, the word became common among criminals and finally it's common slang (though using it still somehow refers to knowing how criminals do communication).

In this form, "не фартануло" is much more common than "фартануло". The one would probably say "подфарти́ло" instead of "фартануло".

1
  • I guess it always've been sort of in the grey are of semi-criminal slang though.
    – shabunc
    Jan 19, 2016 at 8:51
5

It came from the name of Roman goddess Fortuna.

2

I believe the word фартануло comes from the word фарт, which means удача, везение.

More info: ru.wiktionary.org, dic.academic.ru, vedu.ru

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.