{"id":108,"date":"2008-03-19T11:45:44","date_gmt":"2008-03-19T15:45:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=108"},"modified":"2014-07-16T17:33:39","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T17:33:39","slug":"russian-phraseology-head","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/russian-phraseology-head\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Phraseology: Head"},"content":{"rendered":"

It is a well-known fact among students of any given language that it\u2019s not when you understand what people say or even when you can answer them in a correct enough way for them to understand you that you have mastered the language. You can not say that you truly know a language until you not only know how to use phraseology, but also do in everyday speech. The phraseology for every language is highly specific, and in many cases sentences using the same imagery may not correspond to the same meaning as in another language. And, of course, vise versa. One of the best ways to start learning, or at least getting acquainted with, phraseology, is taking it bit by bit, step by step, not by meaning but by imagery. That\u2019s why I have decided to divide this series of mine [I promise that I\u2019m going to post at least one post on the subject a week, and also constantly be on the look-out for phraseology used in common speech in Russia, in books, movies, music and magazines] into different parts according to what part of the body is used in the expression. Because Russian, as most languages do, has a vast spectrum filled with remarkable idioms that involve different body parts.The first post, as you might have guessed already, will be about expressions using the word \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/strong> [head]. \u0412\u044b \u0433\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0432\u044b<\/strong> [are you ready]?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Found on a wall in \u0415\u043a\u0430\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0438\u043d\u0431\u0443\u0440\u0433<\/strong> [Yekaterinburg]: \u201dIn this world there is no lie or truth, no good or bad, there is only life and death\u201d.<\/div>\n


\nI decided to start with the head for many reasons, both because it\u2019s on the top of the human body [logically enough] but also because it is in my favorite Russian expression, one that I can simply not live without in Russia. \u041d\u0430 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443<\/strong> \u2013 literally means \u2018on one\u2019s head\u2019 but should be translated into English as \u2018to one\u2019s cost\u2019. Here is a tiny dialogue to illustrate this idiom: – \u00ab\u041d\u0443 \u043a\u0430\u043a \u0442\u044b \u0432\u044b\u0441\u0442\u0443\u043f\u0438\u043b \u043d\u0430 \u043a\u043e\u043d\u043a\u0443\u0440\u0441\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u044d\u0437\u0438\u0438, \u0411\u043e\u0440\u044f?\u00bb<\/strong> [Well so how did it go with your performance at the poetry slam competition, Borya (short form for \u2019Boris\u2019)]- \u00ab\u042f \u043d\u0430 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u044e \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443 \u0432\u044b\u0441\u0442\u0443\u043f\u0438\u043b \u2013 \u043d\u0438\u043a\u0442\u043e \u0434\u0430\u0436\u0435 \u0438 \u043c\u043d\u0435 \u043d\u0435 \u0430\u043f\u043b\u043e\u0434\u0438\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [I went there on my own cost \u2013 nobody even applauded me].<\/p>\n

Often in Russia people will tell you \u00ab\u043d\u0435 \u043b\u043e\u043c\u0430\u0439 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443!\u00bb<\/strong> when you\u2019re trying hard to remember something, or figure something out. What they\u2019re saying is \u201cdon\u2019t break your head!\u201d, but what they mean is \u201cdon\u2019t rack your brains!\u201d. In other words, or in English, you could say that what they\u2019re trying to tell you is that it doesn\u2019t really matter and you should take it easy. To illustrate this idiom, and a couple of others, here\u2019s a little longer dialogue for you to enjoy:<\/p>\n

– \u00ab\u041c\u043d\u0435 \u0442\u0430\u043a \u0441\u0442\u044b\u0434\u043d\u043e, \u043d\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u043f\u043e\u043c\u043d\u044e, \u0433\u0434\u0435 \u043c\u044b \u0441 \u0442\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0439 \u0432\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0435\u0442\u0438\u043b\u0438\u0441\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [I\u2019m so embarrassed, but I don\u2019t remember where we met]
\n– \u00ab\u041d\u0435 \u043b\u043e\u043c\u0430\u0439 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443!\u00bb (\u043c\u043e\u043b\u0447\u0430\u043d\u0438\u0435) \u00ab\u042d\u0442\u043e \u0431\u044b\u043b\u043e \u0432 89-\u043e\u043c \u0432 \u0411\u0435\u0440\u043b\u0438\u043d\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [Don\u2019t rack your brains! (silence) It was in 89 in Berlin]
\n – \u00ab\u041d\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0433\u043e \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435! \u0410 \u044f \u0436\u0435 \u0433\u043e\u0442\u043e\u0432 \u0431\u044b\u043b \u043e\u0442\u0434\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443 \u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0442\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u044d\u0442\u043e \u0431\u044b\u043b\u043e \u0432 91-\u043e\u043c \u0432 \u0412\u0430\u0440\u0448\u0430\u0432\u0435\u00bb<\/strong> [You don\u2019t say! And I was ready to stake my life on that it was in 91 in Warsaw]
\n – \u00ab\u041a\u0430\u043a \u0436\u0435! \u042f \u0436\u0435 \u0438 \u0432 \u041f\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0435 \u043d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0433\u0434\u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u0431\u044b\u0432\u0430\u043b, \u043f\u043e\u044d\u0442\u043e\u043c\u0443 \u0442\u0430\u043c \u043c\u044b \u0441 \u0442\u043e\u0431\u043e\u0439 \u0432\u0440\u044f\u0434 \u043b\u0438 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u043b\u0438 \u0431\u044b \u043f\u043e\u0437\u043d\u0430\u043a\u043e\u043c\u0438\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [What do you mean! I haven\u2019t ever even been to Poland, so that\u2019s why we can\u2019t possible have gotten acquainted there]
\n – \u00ab\u0410 \u0432 \u041f\u0440\u0430\u0433\u0435 \u0431\u044b\u043b?\u00bb<\/strong> [But have you been to Prague?]
\n – \u00ab\u041c\u043e\u0436\u0435\u0442 \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c \u0438 \u0431\u044b\u043b, \u043d\u043e \u043f\u043b\u043e\u0445\u043e \u043f\u043e\u043c\u043d\u044e\u00bb <\/strong>[Maybe I\u2019ve been there, but I don\u2019t remember very well]
\n – \u00ab\u0422\u0430\u043a \u0431\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0435\u0442, \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0436\u043e\u043a. \u0412\u044b\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0438\u0442 \u0432\u0441\u0451 \u0438\u0437 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u044b \u043d\u0430 \u0441\u0442\u0430\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u0438 \u043b\u0435\u0442\u2026\u00bb<\/strong> [That\u2019s the way it is sometimes, my friend. It all escapes one in old age\u2026]<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a little list of Russian expressions using the word \u2018head\u2019:<\/p>\n

\u0412\u044b\u043b\u0435\u0442\u0435\u0442\u044c \u0438\u0437 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u044b<\/strong> \u2013\u2013 to escape one
\n\u0411\u044b\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443 \u0432\u044b\u0448\u0435 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0445<\/strong> \u2013 to be head and shoulders above someone
\n\u0412\u0435\u0448\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443<\/strong> \u2013 to hang one\u2019s head
\n\u0413\u043b\u0430\u0434\u0438\u0442\u044c \u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e-\u043b\u0438\u0431\u043e \u043f\u043e \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u043a\u0435<\/strong> \u2013 to pat someone on the back
\n\u0414\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0443 \u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0442\u0441\u0435\u0447\u0435\u043d\u0438\u0435<\/strong> \u2013 to stake one\u2019s life on it
\n\u0425\u043e\u0442\u044c \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439 \u043e\u0431 \u0441\u0442\u0435\u043d\u0443 \u0431\u0435\u0439\u0441\u044f<\/strong> \u2013 to bang one\u2019s head against a brick wall
\n\u0421\u0430\u043c \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435 \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430 <\/strong>\u2013 one\u2019s own master
\n\u0423 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f \u0433\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430 \u043a\u0440\u0443\u0436\u0438\u0442\u0441\u044f<\/strong> \u2013 I feel dizzy
\n\u0421\u0432\u0430\u043b\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0441 \u0431\u043e\u043b\u044c\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u043d\u043e\u0433\u0438 \u043d\u0430 \u0437\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0443\u044e<\/strong> \u2013 to lay the blame on someone else<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

It is a well-known fact among students of any given language that it\u2019s not when you understand what people say or even when you can answer them in a correct enough way for them to understand you that you have mastered the language. You can not say that you truly know a language until you…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-108","post","type-post","status-publish","hentry","category-language"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=108"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6022,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/108\/revisions\/6022"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}