All Questions
39 questions
2
votes
2
answers
126
views
не в себе BUT как не в себя?
According to Wiktionary, the standard forms are:
не в себе
как не в себя
There's an inconsistency in the endings. Is it correct that one uses себе and the other uses себя?
Google Books Ngrams shows ...
- 914
2
votes
4
answers
355
views
What's the Russian equivalent of "This song slaps!"?
What would be Russian slang equivalent of "This song slaps!" in the sense that it's excellent, really cool, fire?
The word "slap" for us native English speakers brings to mind the ...
- 123
-2
votes
1
answer
248
views
Какие примеры стилистически-морфологических приёмов имитации иностранных и нерусских акцентов, и каких именно, существуют в русском языке? [closed]
Какие примеры стилистически-морфологических приёмов имитации иностранных и нерусских акцентов, и каких именно, существуют в русском языке?
Ну, всякие такие приемы, как пример : "вах, дарагой !&...
- 705
2
votes
1
answer
238
views
When was the expression "фунт презрения" introduced?
I am wondering when the expression фунт презрения was introduced. On Google Books, the oldest occurrence of фунт презрения seems to be in Slezkin's Козел в огороде (1923):
Но только в силу моего ...
31
votes
4
answers
15k
views
If a Russian girl calls herself a thawing pike (тающая щука), what could it mean?
I recently had a video call with a Russian girl, and in the middle of the conversation she called herself тающая щука. That made no sense in the context, so I used a mirror to try to understand what ...
- 11.3k
22
votes
4
answers
6k
views
Is there a Russian equivalent of "red flag"?
In English, the term red flag is used as a metaphor to mean a sign suggestive of a possible danger or problem:
(1) Boyfriend not showing you his home is a huge red flag. (Link)
(2) I've just spent ...
- 11.3k
3
votes
5
answers
3k
views
Why is this Russian expression an idiomatic example of mutually exclusive things?
The Russian idiom "и рыбку съесть, и на хуй сесть", whose literal meaning is "to eat fish and sit down onto a dick too," is an idiomatic way to say that your interlocutor is ...
- 11.3k
26
votes
4
answers
2k
views
How can I understand this puzzling dialogue with "ну я имею в виду вообще"?
My Russian teacher recently had us, his students, listen some audio recordings of what he called "authentic everyday communications of Russians." We had to understand the dialogues and ...
- 11.3k
6
votes
4
answers
478
views
Figurative meaning of в полосочку
I have read in various sources : «жизнь в полосочку» or «через полосочку в клеточку»
Is this roughly equivalent to saying “life is up and down?” I’m having trouble finding an explanation of this ...
- 267
3
votes
6
answers
1k
views
Why do Russians say that all men are billy goats (все мужики козлы)?
I was given a Russian song as a listening exercise, and, as far as I could discern, its chorus is:
И мы не устаем, и с ночи до утра
Мы можем говорить, говорить о мужиках.
Бокал до дна в трудные ...
- 11.3k
4
votes
6
answers
506
views
Is it a mistake to say, "Oвчинки выделка не стоит"(sic!)?
In a recent essay of mine, I accidentally mixed up the grammatical cases in an idiom. Namely, I wrote:
овчинки выделка не стоит
The most common variant of this idiom is:
овчинка выделки не стоит
...
- 11.3k
4
votes
3
answers
505
views
What does "я сейчас в неадеквате" mean?
I just sent a message to a language exchange partner and instantly received the following response:
давай завтра, я сейчас в неадеквате
What does this expression mean? Has he tied one on?
- 11.3k
2
votes
3
answers
1k
views
Origin of the Russian idiom "like a grass snake on a frying pan"?
When Russians say that you are like a grass snake on a frying pan ("как уж на сковородке"), they often mean that you are grilled by tough incriminating questions and desperately trying to save your ...
- 11.3k
2
votes
0
answers
315
views
Meaning and usage of the Russian proverbs that seemingly discourage proactiveness [closed]
The Russian language abounds in wise proverbs, but I am very much confused by some of them, specifically by those that appear to discourage proactiveness. I am at a loss as to how such a good thing as ...
- 11.3k
11
votes
9
answers
1k
views
What does the idiom "что уж там" mean?
I am very puzzled by the idiom "что уж там" and its sister "чего уж там". Let me show you a few sentences:
(1) Давайте везде курить, что уж там, детям в лицо: депутат Госдумы (...
- 11.3k
5
votes
6
answers
551
views
What is the Russian equivalent of the proverb 水清ければ魚棲まず (if the water is clear, fish won't live there)?
The proverb's meaning is that just as fish prefer muddy waters and avoid clear streams, people generally do not associate with those who are too ideal in terms of ethics, manners, and habits. In other ...
- 11.3k
0
votes
8
answers
662
views
What is the Russian equivalent of 干物女 (dried fish woman)?
Literally meaning dried fish woman, the popular slang 干物女 is used to call a woman in her twenties or older who, as nicely summarized in Wikipedia, has many of the following traits:
Her text ...
- 11.3k
3
votes
6
answers
638
views
What is the Russian idiomatic term for Western hypocrisy?
There is a view in Asian countries that the Western culture is hypocritical, and there is even a special term for this - "Western hypocrisy." Roughly speaking, the view is that whilst the Westerners ...
- 11.3k
3
votes
3
answers
658
views
Is there an idiomatic way to tell a Russian to talk quietly?
The short version of my question is: How can I idiomatically ask a Russian to talk quietly, regain his composure and calmness, stop being emotionally intrusive and domineering, and think in terms of ...
- 11.3k
13
votes
7
answers
5k
views
Russian equivalents of 能骗就骗 (if you can cheat, then cheat)
On this SE there have been many interesting questions about Russian equivalents of various idiomatic expressions and proverbs of the French language and other languages, and I decided to make my own ...
- 11.3k
6
votes
3
answers
483
views
What is the logic of the expression "только и всего"?
Some time ago I watched the excellent Russian movie "The Horde" with English subtitles and got intrigued by a few expressions from there, with one of them being "только и всего." The movie is on ...
- 11.3k
9
votes
3
answers
1k
views
What is the precise meaning of "подсел на мак"?
Some months ago I saw a Russian gomokunarabe player saying in an online chat to his compatriot,
А я подсел на мак.
I cannot recall the context. I can only recall that their chat looked highly ...
- 11.3k
8
votes
2
answers
3k
views
The origin of "за двумя зайцами погонишься"
За двумя зайцами погонишься, ни одного не поймаешь.
We have the same proverb, 二兎を追う者は一兎も得ず, which is considered borrowed from somewhere, so I am curious whether we borrowed it from the Russians or ...
- 11.3k
15
votes
3
answers
2k
views
"Отведать тунца" - what does this idiom mean?
I frequently play gomokunarabe, a Japanese strategy game, on an international server and sometimes face Russians as opponents, as a variant of this game is apparently popular in Russia and known as &...
- 11.3k
6
votes
5
answers
3k
views
When and why did Asian and Southern people start to be called "чурки"?
Wiktionary gives eight different meanings as well as the etymological origin of the word "чурка": Meanings 1-4 are various small pieces of wood or metal, Meaning 5 is a simpleton or ...
- 11.3k
5
votes
3
answers
346
views
Тhe idiomatic expression "на три господа бога"
While reading a Russian book about the Russo-Japanese War, I saw the idiomatic expression на три господа бога:
Тут, брат, все сделано на три господа бога.
I performed a Google search and found some ...
- 11.3k
1
vote
0
answers
164
views
Translating the untranslatable: Are there good translations of Russian wordplay jokes about Stierlitz? [closed]
The Russian wordplay jokes about Stierlitz - the Russian James Bond - are among the funniest, but are considered untranslatable. But are they really untranslatable? Being a big fan of my language and ...
- 1,467
-4
votes
1
answer
225
views
Meaning of “ни в зуб ногой - ни в жопу пальцем” [closed]
What does the mean expression “ни в зуб ногой - ни в жопу пальцем” ?
- 152
5
votes
2
answers
276
views
How do I infer the meaning from "Стол на месте"?
I am learning Russian using Duolingo as a resource. One of the questions in an exercise was to translate the following into English:
Стол на месте
I (maybe naively) interpreted it as Table/Desk ...
- 269
2
votes
2
answers
122
views
Не справиться as an idiom
"Только силой с этим явлением [terrorism] не справиться, тем более, что смерть террористов не пугает".
I was intrigued at the usage of the infinitive справиться here. Normally the third person plural ...
- 2,593
2
votes
4
answers
1k
views
What do these mean: pupushik and pupushonok?
A man used the first and a woman used the second, to each other. What exactly do they mean? Are they naughty terms of endearment or harmless, cute ones?
:-)
Context: Armenian man and Ukrainian woman ...
- 21
7
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Russian equivalents of English idiom "what a ..."?
E.g. What a beautiful day! or What a jerk!. The phrase doesn't have in general any positive or negative connotation, but is just a general exclamation about the perceived (large) magnitude of ...
- 3,071
15
votes
5
answers
4k
views
What are Russian equivalents of the English idiom "spread yourself too thin"?
What are Russian equivalents of the English idiom "spread yourself too thin", which is often used in:
"Try not to spread yourself too thin."
From The Free Dictionary:
spread yourself too thin
...
- 557
1
vote
2
answers
194
views
Понимаешь по-английски? [duplicate]
Is it
Ты хорошо понимаешь по-английски?
or
Ты хорошо понимаешь английский?
I have seen (1) in some Russian books I came across through an online search, but literally it does not make sense (...
- 557
4
votes
2
answers
668
views
Синонимичны ли контекстуально слова "жареный" и "опасный"?
Семецкий, чуя, что дело пахнет жареным, сказал, что будет спать в дальней комнате, потому что оттуда лучше вид. Вид, как же! Поверил я в этот вид, наверняка он просто рассчитывал удрать, спрыгнув вниз,...
- 1,400
2
votes
3
answers
382
views
Странная форма прилагательного "дорогой"
Но как-то разбрасываться таким знакомством нам не приходилось. Живой человек, к нам расположенный, и не мутант – это дорогого стоит в чужом городе.
Почему здесь используется родительный падеж? Я не ...
- 1,400
3
votes
3
answers
15k
views
Значение выражения "как Тузик грелку"
На «Автово» сумасшедший дом. Или был сумасшедший дом но с этой станцией вовсе ничего до конца не поймёшь. Только перед «Автово» ещё и «Кировский завод», а там есть «Кировская бригада», с которой не ...
- 1,400
3
votes
2
answers
246
views
analogue of "being elected dogcatcher"?
In the US we say that someone "couldn't even be elected dogcatcher" to indicate that the person is very unpopular or unqualified; the position of dogcatcher is imagined to be the lowest kind of ...
- 4,996
8
votes
5
answers
837
views
Russian equivalent of expression "you know"
Sometimes I feel the need to fill a gap, while conversing, with something that in English would be filled with "you know" in the sense described by thefreedictionary.com:
Used parenthetically in ...
- 3,093