What exactly do these words mean? How can you correctly use them in speech?
I know that "портак" is some sort of a prison tattoo, but then what does "напортачил" mean?
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5 Answers
Портачить is a dictionary word:
ПОРТАЧИТЬ
-чу, -чишь; несов. (прост.). Плохо, неумело или небрежно делать что-н., портить. || сов. напортачить, -чу, -чишь.
Kobyakov in Бессмертный дар argues that портачить originates from порт ("linen fabric"), having the same root as портной, портки, портянка and пороть, which is a remote cognate to English "fare" (both originate from PIE *per, "to pass through").
He explains that the serf tailors often spoiled their masters' fabric so this previously neutral word came to mean "to bungle, to spoil".
However, he does not provide any sources for that, and this explanation seems quite implausible to me, since the word did not come into any significant use until 1930's.
answered Nov 19, 2012 at 12:27
Напортачил means that someone has failed to do his work right, maybe has spoiled expensive materials. When you напортачил, you have to apply too much effort to correct your mistake, sometimes it is even impossible.
Напортачить comes from портак because a spoiled tattoo is a very good example. Also, prison tattoos are low-quality.
Напортачить is strictly colloquial. Some colloquial synonyms are накосячить, налажать, набедокурить. An idiom наломать дров has the same meaning, but is more widely used. Use наделать ошибок in most cases and see Quassnoi's comment for good examples.
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2Can you provide an example sentence? I'm asking because I'd like to see it being used in a sentence. :)– AlenannoNov 19, 2012 at 11:30
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Usually we prefer longer and more elaborated answers on short answers. If you can improve your answer by adding detail, context, examples, and backing up with references, this would increase your answer's quality. Poor answers risk being down-voted and subsequently removed.– Quassnoi ♦Nov 19, 2012 at 11:51
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No, it is not related to tatoo. Tatoo meaning is a very limited one, I hever heared of it. -1– AnixxNov 22, 2012 at 17:45
Note that in prisoners' slang портак (tattoo) is often pronounced and spelt as партак
In the army slang портак is a short name for портупея ("shoulder belt, Sam Browne Belt"):
— Подтянуть портаки!
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What about напортачил? Please include it in your answer (and let me know via comment). :D– AlenannoNov 22, 2012 at 11:23
"Портак/партак" is also a bad quality tattoo in general. Tattoo artists use this word not only for prison or army tattoos but for the bad ones too. To see the examples, type "портак" in the Google search box and browse the pictures.
It is definitely connected to the word "портной" (tailor). It is well known that if you cut the material you cannot undo it. If you sew a bad suit you also hardly can improve it.
