{"id":117,"date":"2008-04-09T10:21:37","date_gmt":"2008-04-09T14:21:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=117"},"modified":"2014-07-16T17:37:41","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T17:37:41","slug":"russian-phraseology-nose","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/russian-phraseology-nose\/","title":{"rendered":"Russian Phraseology: Nose"},"content":{"rendered":"

Even long before the main hero of Nikolaj Gogol\u2019s [\u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u0439 \u0413\u043e\u0433\u043e\u043b\u044c<\/strong>]<\/a> short story \u00ab\u041d\u043e\u0441\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cThe Nose\u201d]<\/a> met his own nose on Nevsky Prospect dressed as a general, the nose had a special place in Russian culture and language. A couple of days ago I was reading my favorite Russian weekly newspaper<\/a> and came across an interview with Hungarian writer Peter Esterhazy<\/a>, in which he (partially) answers the last question, \u00ab\u0410 \u0434\u043b\u044f \u0432\u0430\u0441 \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0437\u043d\u0430\u0447\u0438\u0442 \u0420\u043e\u0441\u0441\u0438\u044f?\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cAnd what does Russia mean to you?\u201d], with the following words: \u00ab\u2026\u043d\u043e \u0432\u0435\u0434\u044c \u044f \u043d\u0435 \u0437\u043d\u0430\u044e, \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0442\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0435 \u0436\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0437\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044c \u0438 \u0431\u044b\u0442\u044c \u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435\u043b\u043b\u0438\u0433\u0435\u043d\u0442\u043e\u043c. \u041a\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0432\u043e \u0437\u0434\u0435\u0441\u044c \u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u0442\u044c. \u041a\u0430\u043a \u0432\u043e\u043e\u0431\u0449\u0435 \u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u043c. \u041a\u0430\u043a \u043c\u043e\u0436\u043d\u043e \u043d\u0430\u043f\u0438\u0441\u0430\u0442\u044c \u0444\u0440\u0430\u0437\u0443 \u043f\u043e\u0441\u043b\u0435 \u0413\u043e\u0433\u043e\u043b\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201c\u2026but I don\u2019t know what it\u2019s like to live here and be an intellectual. How it is to write here. What it is like at all to write in Russian. How it is possible to write a sentence after Gogol\u201d]. At first this comment unsettled to me, since it seemed to me a little bit too categorical, but then I remember his wonderfully grotesque and beautifully strange \u201cNose\u201d and yes, I had to agree. Though amazing and pioneering as this little novella is (it was one of the first pieces of Russian literature I ever read in my life, I think I was sixteen at the time and I loved it straight away) that is not what I had intended to linger on today. I advice everyone who hasn\u2019t read it to read, and to those who have read it to remember it from time to time and, if time allows, to reread it someday. Today I\u2019m going to talk about Russian phraseology again, and this time about the nose, \u043d\u043e\u0441<\/strong> (2nd loc<\/em>. \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0443<\/strong>; pl. <\/em>\u043d\u043e\u0441\u044b<\/strong>)<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Two gentlemen standing by the open-air book store close to \u0418\u0441\u0435\u0442\u044c \u043f\u0440\u0443\u0434 <\/strong>perhaps not discussing \u043b\u0438\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0430\u0442\u0443\u0440\u0430<\/strong> but the wonderful spring \u043f\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0434\u0430<\/strong>.<\/em><\/div>\n


\nWhen something is really, really close, both in time and space, Russians will often use the expression \u00ab\u043d\u0430 \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0443\u00bb<\/strong>, which literally means \u201con the nose\u201d, but has the meaning \u2018near at hand; just around the corner\u2019. Every city has its special quirks, in Yekaterinburg people always ask for directions; some because it\u2019s their first time in the capitol of the Urals, others because it is the town tradition to always ask someone how to get from A to B even if you\u2019re only just the slightest bit unsure. For example, here this expression can be used in the following way: \u00ab\u0412\u044b \u043d\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0433\u043b\u0438 \u0431\u044b \u043c\u043d\u0435 \u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430\u0442\u044c, \u0433\u0434\u0435 \u043d\u0430\u0445\u043e\u0434\u0438\u0442\u0441\u044f \u0433\u043b\u0430\u0432\u043f\u043e\u0447\u0442\u0430\u043c\u0442 \u0443 \u0432\u0430\u0441?\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cCouldn\u2019t you tell me where the main post office is located in your town?\u201d] \u00ab\u0414\u0430 \u043e\u043d \u043d\u0430 \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0443, \u0441\u043e\u0432\u0441\u0435\u043c \u0440\u044f\u0434\u044b\u0448\u043a\u043e\u043c!\u00bb <\/strong>[\u201cOh it is right around the corner, you\u2019re almost there!\u201d] On Friday afternoon one way of using the expression can be to walk around the office with a big smile on your lips as you say: \u00ab\u0412\u044b\u0445\u043e\u0434\u043d\u044b\u0435 \u043d\u0430 \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0443!\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cThe weekend is almost here!\u201d] When speaking of something else that is close, but more of an object and therefore often in another context, you could use the expression \u00ab\u043f\u043e\u0434 (\u0441\u0430\u043c\u044b\u043c) \u043d\u043e\u0441\u043e\u043c; \u043f\u043e\u0434 \u043d\u043e\u0441\u043e\u043c\u00bb<\/strong> which can be neatly translated into English as \u2018under one\u2019s very nose\u2019. For example: \u00ab\u0417\u043d\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c, \u044f \u043e\u0447\u0435\u043d\u044c \u0434\u043e\u043b\u0433\u043e\u0435 \u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u044f \u0438\u0441\u043a\u0430\u043b \u0441\u0435\u0431\u0435 \u0436\u0435\u043d\u0449\u0438\u043d\u0443, \u043d\u043e \u043d\u0435 \u043c\u043e\u0433 \u0435\u0451 \u043d\u0430\u0439\u0442\u0438, \u0438 \u043e\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430\u043b\u043e\u0441\u044c \u043e\u043d\u0430 \u0432\u0441\u0451 \u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u044f \u0431\u044b\u043b\u0430 \u043f\u0440\u0430\u043a\u0442\u0438\u0447\u0435\u0441\u043a\u0438 \u043f\u043e\u0434 \u043c\u043e\u0438\u043c \u043d\u043e\u0441\u043e\u043c!\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cYou know, I was looking for a woman for a very long time but couldn\u2019t find her, and then it turned out that she was practically right under my nose the whole time!\u201d] \u00ab\u0427\u0442\u043e \u0442\u044b \u0438\u043c\u0435\u0435\u0448\u044c \u0432 \u0432\u0438\u0434\u0443?\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cWhat do you mean?\u201d] \u00ab\u0414\u0430, \u043c\u044b \u0441 \u043d\u0435\u0439 \u0436\u0438\u0432\u0451\u043c \u0432 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u043c \u0434\u043e\u043c\u0435, \u0435\u0434\u0435\u043c \u043d\u0430 \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0442\u0443 \u043d\u0430 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u043c \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0431\u0443\u0441\u0435, \u0440\u0430\u0431\u043e\u0442\u0430\u0435\u043c \u0432 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0438 \u0442\u043e\u0439 \u0436\u0435 \u0444\u0438\u0440\u043c\u0435, \u043e\u0431\u0435\u0434\u0430\u0435\u043c \u0432 \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e\u0439 \u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0439, \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0442\u043e \u0434\u043e \u043d\u0435\u0434\u0430\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0433\u043e \u0432\u0440\u0435\u043c\u0435\u043d\u0438 \u043d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u0433\u0434\u0430 \u043d\u0435 \u0437\u0430\u043c\u0435\u0447\u0430\u043b\u0438 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433 \u0434\u0440\u0443\u0433\u0430\u2026\u00bb<\/strong> [\u201cWell, we live in the same house, go to work with the same bus, work in one and the same firm, have lunch in the same cafeteria, just that up until recently we never noticed each other\u2026\u201d].<\/p>\n

There is also a lovely adjective derived from this substantive which is used to describe a person with a long or big nose: \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0430\u0442\u044b\u0439 (\u0441 \u0431\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438\u043c \u043d\u043e\u0441\u043e\u043c, \u0441 \u0434\u043b\u0438\u043d\u043d\u044b\u043c \u043d\u043e\u0441\u043e\u043c)<\/em><\/strong>. In general I like noses. I love unusual noses, I think they give character. Russians tend to have good noses, and often big noses, always beautiful noses. I suppose it is because I myself happen to have a tiny and not very distinctive nose that I so much like to see unique noses on other people.<\/p>\n

\u0412\u043e\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u0437\u0430<\/span> \u043d\u043e\u0441 \u2013 to lead (someone)<\/em> on; string (someone)<\/em> along; take in
\n\u0418\u0437-\u043f\u043e\u0434 \u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u043e\u0433\u043e \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0430 \u2013 from under one\u2019s very nose
\n\u041d\u0430 \u043d\u043e\u0441\u0443<\/span> \u2013 near at hand; just around the corner
\n\u041f\u043e<\/span>\u0434 \u043d\u043e\u0441 \u2013 under one\u2019s breath
\n\u043f\u043e\u0434 (\u0441\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u044b\u043c) \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u043c; \u043f\u043e\u0434 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u043c \u2013 under one\u2019s very nose
\n\u041e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0441 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u043c \u2013 to leave (someone) holding the bag
\n\u041e\u0441\u0442\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u0441 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043e\u043c \u2013 to be left holding the bag
\n\u0421 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0430; \u0441 \u043d\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u0443 \u2013 apiece; a head<\/p>\n

\u00ab\u0414\u0435\u0440\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043d\u043e\u0441 \u043f\u043e \u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0440\u0443\u00bb!<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Even long before the main hero of Nikolaj Gogol\u2019s [\u041d\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0430\u0439 \u0413\u043e\u0433\u043e\u043b\u044c] short story \u00ab\u041d\u043e\u0441\u00bb [\u201cThe Nose\u201d] met his own nose on Nevsky Prospect dressed as a general, the nose had a special place in Russian culture and language. A couple of days ago I was reading my favorite Russian weekly newspaper and came across an…<\/p>\n

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