{"id":1120,"date":"2010-07-13T10:00:19","date_gmt":"2010-07-13T10:00:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=1120"},"modified":"2014-07-17T13:22:09","modified_gmt":"2014-07-17T13:22:09","slug":"there-is-more-to-sundress","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/there-is-more-to-sundress\/","title":{"rendered":"There Is More to Sundress"},"content":{"rendered":"

Time flies and it\u2019s already mid-July. Can you smell the winter frost in the air? With the thermometer stubbornly in the 90ies (Fahrenheit), I personally can\u2019t. And yet, while the summer is in full swing, there are many signs pointing to the approaching winter. I have at least 3 of these signs in my own closet. I\u2019m not talking about sweaters, snow boots or fur hats either, but about sundresses.<\/p>\n

Now, before you decide that the heat finally got to me and I need a day off in the freezer section of my local grocery store, hear me out. The Russian word for sundress is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u00bb.<\/strong> Of course, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> can also be translated as \u201cpinafore\u201d.<\/p>\n

If you have a picture in mind of a traditional Russian dress, you will most likely see some richly embroidered long scarlet-red pinafores worn over white shirts with billowing sleeves (like the one above courtesy of “\u041c\u0443\u0437\u0435\u0439 \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u0438<\/a>“). If you don\u2019t have this picture in mind then just Google \u201ctraditional Russian dress\u201d.<\/p>\n

Interestingly, a term \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u0438\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [word-of-mouth, lit. pinafore radio] used to imply idle gossip, typically by women-folk (oh so unfair, considering that originally \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [pinafores] were part of men\u2019s costume). Of course, nowadays the term \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u0438\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> is getting a facelift and a positive spin and means \u201cword-of-mouth\u201d as it relates to viral marketing. You can listen to the song \u00ab\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u0438\u043e\u00bb <\/strong>here<\/a> and then try singing it yourself, karaoke-style, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Either way, the idea behind \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u0438\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> is informal, conversational, exchange of information. The downside it is when \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0434 <\/strong>\u0442\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u043f\u0435\u0442\u0441\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [people shoot breeze], the once-useful information transforms into \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043d\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [utter malarkey].<\/p>\n

Since \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [malarkey] exists, there must be something or someone generating it, right? Well, someone who routinely delivers fresh loads of \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043d\u044f<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> into your ears is called \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u00bb <\/strong>(use this word with extreme caution since it is rude; if in doubt, replace with \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u0440\u0430\u043d\u044c\u0451<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [malarkey] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0432\u0440\u0443\u043d\u00bb<\/strong> [liar]). But even if you don\u2019t have anyone this unpleasant in your surroundings, you likely have \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> – an object that serves as means of just-in-time delivery of nonsense. It can be a TV set, but most of the time when Russians mention \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> they refer to the radio.<\/p>\n

Speaking of radio\u2026 Do you know who invented it? In my \u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u043e\u043b\u0433\u043e\u0433\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u0441\u043a\u0430\u044f <\/strong>\u0448\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u0430 \u2116130\u00bb<\/strong> [Volgograd public school #130] the correct answer was, and probably still is, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0410\u043b\u0435\u043a\u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0434\u0440 <\/strong>\u041f\u043e\u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [Alexander Popov<\/a>] and not Guglielmo Marconi. Although, I\u2019m not sure either of them would be thrilled to know they fathered \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

Somewhat related to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0440\u0435\u0445\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> is \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u043e\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u043b\u044c\u043d\u0438\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [mobile phone]. Obviously, it was invented by another Russian, Moscow engineer \u00ab<\/strong>\u041b.<\/strong>\u0418. <\/strong>\u041a\u0443\u043f\u0440\u0438\u044f<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u0432\u00bb<\/strong> [L.I. Kupriyanov<\/a>] who demonstrated the first working mobile phone in 1957.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

1957, by the way, was the official launch year of the massive housing developments that became known as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0445\u0440\u0443\u0449\u0451<\/span>\u0432\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [Khrushchev\u2019s housing] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0445\u0440\u0443\u0449\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [Khrushchev\u2019s slums]. Many of these awful and much dilapidated buildings are still standing and appear quite regularly in the photos on EnglishRussia.com. Moscow, however, commenced a systematic demolition of its \u00ab<\/strong>\u0445\u0440\u0443\u0449\u043e<\/span>\u0431\u044b\u00bb<\/strong>. Reportedly, the last<\/a> of these panel housing units will become a museum.<\/p>\n

If it does, then it will be one of the most unusual Russian museums. Others<\/a> include \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0443\u0437\u0435<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0438\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u0438\u0438 <\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0439 <\/strong>\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0434\u043a\u0438 <\/strong>\u0441 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u0433\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0430\u0446\u0438\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u043c <\/strong>\u0437\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> [museum of Russian vodka, complete with a tasting room] in Uglich and \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0443\u0437\u0435<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0435\u043d\u043e\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [museum of felt boots] in the town of Mishkin.<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u0412\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0435\u043d\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [felt boots] are just about the most famous Russian footwear. Related to the word \u00ab<\/strong>\u0443<\/span><\/strong>\u0432\u0430\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [a sluggish and clumsy person], they are used to describe someone who\u2019s not the sharpest tool in the shed to put it mildly – \u00ab<\/strong>\u0442\u0443\u043f\u043e<\/span>\u0439, <\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043a <\/strong>\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0435\u043d\u043e\u043a\u00bb.<\/strong> But they are also quite possibly the only footwear with a song of its own.<\/p>\n

If you take a closer look at each and every YouTube version of this song, you\u2019ll soon notice an interesting pattern – all female singers wear \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u0430\u0440\u0430\u0444\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [pinafores], which brings me back to the sundresses I mentioned earlier. You see, I told you, the winter is just around the corner!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

Time flies and it\u2019s already mid-July. Can you smell the winter frost in the air? With the thermometer stubbornly in the 90ies (Fahrenheit), I personally can\u2019t. And yet, while the summer is in full swing, there are many signs pointing to the approaching winter. I have at least 3 of these signs in my own…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":1122,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[10044,10045,1248,1284,10046],"class_list":["post-1120","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","tag-russian-costume","tag-russian-dress","tag-russian-language","tag-russian-summer","tag-10046"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t