{"id":14968,"date":"2022-01-27T11:00:15","date_gmt":"2022-01-27T11:00:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=14968"},"modified":"2022-01-26T10:04:51","modified_gmt":"2022-01-26T10:04:51","slug":"familiar-unknowns-ii","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/familiar-unknowns-ii\/","title":{"rendered":"Familiar Unknowns II"},"content":{"rendered":"

We continue to cover Russian idioms that make you say \u201cWhat?\u201d <\/em>even though you are 99% sure you have heard them before. For Part I see here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"quiet

\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430\u00a0Julia Volk<\/a><\/strong>:\u00a0Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

\u041a\u0430\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c \u0432 \u043b\u0435\u0442\u0443<\/a><\/strong><\/h4>\n

Definition: to be forgotten or to be long gone, to disappear.<\/p>\n

No, unfortunately we are not talking about summer (\u043b\u0435\u0442\u043e<\/strong>). Nor is this idiom about someone\u2019s age, even though to say \u201cI\u2019m 25\u201d in Russian would be \u041c\u043d\u0435<\/strong> 25 <\/strong>\u043b\u0435\u0442<\/strong>. With this idiom, we are going south-west of Russia, to ancient Greek myth where \u0440\u0435\u043a\u0430<\/strong> \u041b\u0435\u0442\u0430<\/strong> (river Lethe)<\/a> <\/strong>symbolizes the river of forgetfulness in Hades\u2019 underworld. What about \u2018\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong>? According to Wikipedia,<\/a> it\u2019s an archaic word for \u043a\u0430\u043f\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c<\/strong> or fall as in a drop. Its more poetic meaning is to disappear into the unknown and there are three variations of this idiom that all mean the same thing: \u201c<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u0432\u0435\u0447\u043d\u043e\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong>\u201d, \u201c<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u0432\u043e\u0434\u0443<\/strong>\u201d, <\/strong>\u0438 \u201c<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043d\u0443\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u043b\u0435\u0442\u0443<\/strong>\u201d. <\/strong>In other words, this beautiful phrase evokes images of literally falling into \u2018a place\u2019 (usually body of water) of oblivion.<\/p>\n

\u041f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u0432\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0430\u043a<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Many idioms originated from phrases that used to be literal and \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u0432\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0430\u043a<\/strong> is believed to be one of those. Its current figurative meaning is to find yourself in a complex or tricky situation. Before that, it was \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0430\u043a<\/strong>, in which \u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0430\u043a<\/strong> was a rope making machine. Imagine if your hair or clothes got all tangled in those twisting ropes \u2013 it would be very difficult to get untangled!<\/p>\n

\u042f \u043d\u0435 \u0445\u043e\u0447\u0443 \u043e\u043f\u044f\u0442\u044c \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0441\u0442\u044c \u0432\u043f\u0440\u043e\u0441\u0430\u043a \u043d\u0430 \u0433\u043b\u0430\u0437\u0430\u0445 \u0443 \u0432\u0441\u0435\u0439 \u0448\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044b!<\/em><\/p>\n

I don\u2019t want to make a fool of myself again before the whole school!<\/em><\/p>\n

\"king

Drawing of a \u2018<\/em>\u043f\u0443\u043f<\/em> \u0417\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438<\/em>\u2019 by author\u2019s little sister, Azil\u2019<\/em><\/p><\/div>\n

\u041f\u0443\u043f<\/strong> \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Have you ever met a person who thought they were the center of the universe? \u041f\u0440\u043e<\/strong> \u0442\u0430\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/strong> \u0447\u0435\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0435\u043a\u0430<\/strong> \u043c\u043e\u0436\u043d\u043e<\/strong> \u0441\u043a\u0430\u0437\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong>: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0422\u043e<\/strong> \u0436\u0435<\/strong> \u043c\u043d\u0435<\/strong>, <\/strong>\u043f\u0443\u043f<\/strong> \u0437\u0435\u043c\u043b\u0438<\/strong> \u043d\u0430\u0448\u0451\u043b\u0441\u044f<\/strong>!\u00bb <\/strong>which would roughly mean \u00abDo you think the world revolves around you?\u00bb<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0443\u043f<\/strong> might seem very familiar to you if you have learned some Russian body parts vocabulary. What is the Russian word for \u2018bellybutton\u2019? \u041f\u0443\u043f\u043e\u043a<\/strong>! \u041f\u0443\u043f\u043e\u043a<\/strong> is a diminutive of \u043f\u0443\u043f<\/strong>, which figuratively means \u2018the center of something\u2019 or \u2018a navel\u2019. Ancient Greeks believed \u2018navel of the universe\u2019 to be in Delphi, where they even put a holy stone called the omphalos<\/a>. In my opinion, that phrase packs double the sarcasm because calling a narcissist \u201cthe bellybutton of the earth\u201d in Russian hints at them having a bunch of bellybutton lint. For more Greek references in Russian read this wonderful blog by Maria<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"axe\"

\u0424\u043e\u0442\u043e \u0430\u0432\u0442\u043e\u0440\u0430\u00a0samer daboul<\/a><\/strong>:\u00a0Pexels<\/a><\/strong><\/p><\/div>\n

<\/h4>\n

\u0422\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0430 \u0432 \u0442\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0443<\/strong><\/h4>\n

Definition: do something to a T or spot on; exactly right; precisely correct<\/p>\n

Monty Python\u2019s Lumberjack song<\/a> has never fit a Russian idiom so perfectly! The most popular theory about the origins of this idiom is that \u2018\u0442\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0430<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong> from the word \u2018\u0442\u044e\u0442\u044f<\/strong>\u2019<\/strong> meant \u2018a hit or a blow\u2019. When \u0434\u0440\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0441\u0435\u043a<\/strong> \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u0434\u0430\u043b<\/strong> \u0442\u043e\u043f\u043e\u0440\u043e\u043c<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u043e\u0434\u043d\u043e<\/strong> \u0438<\/strong> \u0442\u043e\u0436\u0435<\/strong> \u043c\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043e<\/strong>, <\/strong>\u043b\u044e\u0434\u0438<\/strong> \u0433\u043e\u0432\u043e\u0440\u0438\u043b\u0438<\/strong> \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e\u043d<\/strong> \u043f\u043e\u043f\u0430\u043b<\/strong> \u0442\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0430<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u0442\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0443<\/strong>\u00bb<\/strong> (a lumberjack hit his axe in the exact same spot twice, people would say, \u201cHis axe blow was spot on\u201d). Today, people use \u0442\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0430<\/strong> \u0432<\/strong> \u0442\u044e\u0442\u0435\u043b\u044c\u043a\u0443<\/strong> for all sorts of precise actions.<\/p>\n