Archive for 'Culture'
Familiar Unknowns II Posted by bota on Jan 27, 2022
We continue to cover Russian idioms that make you say “What?” even though you are 99% sure you have heard them before. For Part I see here. Кануть в лету Definition: to be forgotten or to be long gone, to disappear. No, unfortunately we are not talking about summer (лето). Nor is this idiom about…
Familiar unknowns Posted by bota on Jan 17, 2022
In my blog about idioms with the word ‘white’ (белый), I got a great comment about two Russian words чернила и белила (black ink and white paint). (Thank you @samonen! Have I mentioned we love to read your comments?) Белила reminded me of the phrase “белены объелся”. And before you ask, белила и белена are…
Spooky Russian podcasts Posted by bota on Jan 6, 2022
Чего́ вы бои́тесь? (What are you afraid of?) And I don’t necessarily mean the grown up kind of fears like not getting along with your in-laws, identity theft, or small talk. I mean the deep childhood fears of the mysterious, unknown, and overall spooky. Мо́нстры под крова́тью? Леге́нды? Вампи́ры? И́ли мо́жет да́же привиде́ния? (Monsters under…
Back to the USSR: Some products that you can find even today Posted by ryan on Dec 29, 2021
A notable anniversary just passed us; 30 years ago, в декабре́ 1991-го (девяно́ста пе́рвого) го́да СССР официа́льно прекрати́л своё существова́ние in December 1991, the USSR officially ceased to exist, creating 15 new nations. To make a post about the legacy the Soviet system left on this giant chunk of Eurasia would be too long for…
White roses, knees, and ravens Posted by bota on Dec 21, 2021
When you think of Russian winters, you imagine early mornings with untouched сугро́бы (snowdrifts), краси́вые узо́ры на стёклах авто́бусов (pretty frost patters on the windows of buses), and serene forests of snow-covered pines and birch trees. Вокруг белым–бело́! (It is white everywhere!) To be fair, this Russian white winter fantasy varies greatly depending on where…
Make-up and Drag in Russia Posted by bota on Dec 14, 2021
Whether you are doing some holiday shopping or would like to avoid saying, “you know that thing that does this to your eyelashes”, these make-up related Russian vocabulary and phrases are here to help. Basics Unlike in Soviet Union times, modern Russian markets have широ́кий ассортиме́нт косме́тики (many choices of make-up) from all over the…
Russian Lullabies Posted by bota on Dec 3, 2021
Не зна́ю, как вы, но в декабре́ мне о́чень хо́чется спать! Whether it’s the end-of-the-year blues or the fact that we only get about 8 hours of daylight – either way, I envy my childhood years when sleep was something I was encouraged to do. If only I could have those afternoon naps in kindergarten…