Archive for 'language'
Eat me! Drink me! Off with his head! Posted by Rob on Apr 26, 2013
As we all know, shortly after the inquisitive Alice falls вниз по кроличьей норе, she discovers a little glass table with a tiny golden key on top of it, along with an enticing bottle of something that turns out to be shrinking potion: К бутылке была привязана бумажка, а на бумажке крупными красивыми буквами…
I get knocked down, but I get up again… Posted by Rob on Apr 24, 2013
In last week’s post, I mistakenly used the verb сваливать/свалить with the meaning “to physically knock down” — which seemed logical to me because, after all, the root verb валить means “to topple” and the noun валежник refers to “fallen tree branches.” Regular reader Fitzmat corrected me that сваливать/свалить, despite its etymology, is not generally…
Time for a little spring cleaning (Emphasis on “a little”) Posted by Rob on Apr 19, 2013
Here in the Washington DC area, весна немного опоздала в этом году (spring was a little late this year) — I mean, we were still having a steady spell of ненастье (chilly wet weather) right through the end of March, followed by several unpleasantly знойныe ночи (sultry hot) nights in April. А теперь на дворе…
How to Curse like a Russian Posted by yelena on Mar 22, 2013
Ok, the usual disclaimer goes here: if you are easily offended, do not read this post. Parental advisory recommended. Using any of these words in public is considered mild hooliganism and is punishable by law. The three whales of русский мат (Russian curse words) are the three rude words for a male sexual organ, female…
Bumper-sticker wisdom in Russian Posted by Rob on Mar 19, 2013
Are you getting tired of telling the driver behind you to Save the Pygmy Hippos? Or maybe you’re thinking that it’s time to scrape off that Re-Elect Carter 1980 bumper-sticker? Well, allow me to offer 10 Russian остроты (“aphorisms; witticisms; quips”) that’d be perfect for a custom-made bumper-sticker. Or a (нагрудный) значок (“pin-on lapel button”)…
Three Whales and Other Russian Phrases for Counting to Ten Posted by yelena on Mar 13, 2013
I am trying to figure out a way to talk about the три кита русского мата (the three whales of the Russian obscenity) without crossing the line yet without having to use so many *** that it makes the post unreadable. If you have any ideas on how to do this, let me know. In…
How to Curse Like a Russian Kindergartner Posted by yelena on Mar 7, 2013
Today, my friends, is the day to learn some Russian curse words. The signs are all here – the Chelyabinsk meteor, the asteroid flyby, the unbelievable видео с авторегистраторов (dashcam videos). These videos alone make you want to curse a blue streak. However, keeping in mind that just like the great and mighty Russian language…