Tag Archives: Russian idioms
What Animal Are You Posted by Nadya on Aug 10, 2020
Humanity closely lives with animals under the same sky. It is no wonder that since ancient times, people have become accustomed to comparing each other to animals, birds, and fish. Such comparisons are made to describe a person’s appearance, traits of character, activity, behavior, or feelings. Animal similes in the Russian language In the Russian…
Silver Linings: Five Idioms For Dealing With Shock And Disappointment Posted by Maria on Nov 14, 2016
The results of the presidential election in the US came as a surprise to both supporters and opponents of the President-Elect Trump. For situations like this, along with Brexit, which we covered on this blog, a few Russian idioms may come in handy. How and whether you will use them will depend on your outlook…
Food For Thought: Food Idioms in Russian Posted by Maria on Jul 25, 2016
A good number of Russian sayings feature food. Let us take a look at their literal meaning and idiomatic usage. Scroll to the end of the post to test your understanding and fill in the blanks in authentic contexts. Аппетит приходит во время еды Literally, “appetite comes during the meal.” It is used figuratively to…
Speak of the Devil — Idioms With Чёрт in Russian Posted by Maria on Oct 12, 2015
In the month of October, much of the United States (and other Anglophone countries, I imagine) is getting ready to celebrate Halloween. Some of you may know that this holiday is not universally celebrated in Russia and has even caused some controversy. There used to be a different occasion for dressing up and role-playing…
It’s All Greek to Me: Greek References in Russian Posted by Maria on Aug 24, 2015
Although words of Greek origin may not strike you as something you need to know in Russian, they come up in conversation with surprising frequency. Apart from the numerous Greek loanwords in the area of arts and sciences, there are many Greek references that have entered the Russian lexicon. People First of all, Greek mythology…
A Whole Lot of Nothing: Sayings with Ничего in Russian Posted by Maria on Jun 29, 2015
Ничего́ (nothing) one of these seemingly basic words that you learn in the first months of learning Russian. However, it is also one that appears in a number of idioms and expressions that are not immediately obvious to the learner. 1. Ничего for doing well Ничего is a popular response to the question “Как…
Body Language Posted by yelena on Jul 3, 2012
Thanks to Rob’s most excellent anatomy posts from last week (Part 1 and Part 2), you are now familiar with the Russian names for body parts and internal organs. So let’s review the vocabulary and place it in a different context. Today we are going to travel through some popular sayings and idioms with body…