{"id":31,"date":"2008-09-27T13:09:43","date_gmt":"2008-09-27T17:09:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=31"},"modified":"2014-07-16T18:37:46","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T18:37:46","slug":"word-of-the-week-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%bb%d1%8b%d0%b2%d0%b0%d1%82%d1%8c%d1%81%d1%8f","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/word-of-the-week-%d0%bf%d1%80%d0%b8%d0%ba%d0%b0%d0%bb%d1%8b%d0%b2%d0%b0%d1%82%d1%8c%d1%81%d1%8f\/","title":{"rendered":"Word of the week: \u00ab\u041f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

In my post from last week, “On Free Magazines & Expats in Russia”<\/a>, I used the verb \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f\u00bb<\/strong> without thinking twice about it. I did so even after I searched for a proper translation of the word into English without finding one. My trusted Kenneth Katzner dictionary only translates \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [impf, pf<\/em> – \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong>] as either 1. to pin (to), or 2. colloq.<\/em> to stab to death. Clearly, that was not the meaning I had intended when using the reflexive version of the same verb. I was going for the action that my Russian-Swedish dictionary translates as \u2018joking’<\/em>. Neither stabbing to death nor pinning intended, I assure you! But having come across the trouble of finding a proper English translation of this verb effortlessly for most readers, I had to find the real and true meaning of it. It proved a little harder than I had imagined, since this word is common slang in Russian (try googling \u2018joking’ and you’ll see my point!).<\/p>\n

The first thing I found was this discussion<\/a> on Gramota’s<\/a> forum, where it says:<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0420\u0418\u041a\u0410<\/span>\u041b\u042b\u0412\u0410\u0422\u042c\u0421\u042f, -\u0430\u044e\u0441\u044c, -\u0430\u0435\u0448\u044c\u0441\u044f; \u043d\u0435\u0441\u043e\u0432.<\/em> (\u0441\u043e\u0432.<\/em> \u041f\u0420\u0418\u041a\u041e\u041b\u041e<\/span>\u0422\u042c\u0421\u042f, -\u043a\u043e\u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0441\u044c, -\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0451<\/span>\u0448\u044c\u0441\u044f), \u043d\u0430\u0434 \u043a\u0435\u043c-\u0447\u0435\u043c, \u043d\u0430 \u0447\u0442\u043e \u0438 \u0431\u0435\u0437 \u0434\u043e\u043f. \u0428\u0443\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c, \u043e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c, \u0440\u0430\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u0433\u0440\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c \u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span>-\u043b., \u0441\u043c\u0435\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f \u043d\u0430\u0434 \u043a\u0435\u043c-\u0447\u0435\u043c-\u043b., \u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0435\u043b\u043e \u0440\u0435\u0430\u0433\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c \u043d\u0430 \u0447\u0442\u043e-\u043b.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u0428\u0443\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/strong> – <\/strong>to joke, jest; to play (with); to make fun (of); to trifle (with).<\/p>\n

\u041e\u0441\u0442\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c<\/strong> – <\/strong>to sharpen; to make jokes, to crack jokes.<\/p>\n

\u0420\u0430\u0437\u044b<\/span>\u0433\u0440\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong>\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/span><\/strong>–<\/strong>\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0431\u043e<\/strong> – <\/strong>to play a trick (or a joke) on somebody.<\/p>\n

\u0421\u043c\u0435\u044f<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u0434<\/strong>\u043a\u0435\u043c<\/strong>–<\/strong>\u0447\u0435\u043c<\/strong>–<\/strong>\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0431\u043e<\/strong> – <\/strong>to laugh at somebody\/something<\/p>\n

\u0412\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0435\u043b\u043e<\/strong>\u0440\u0435\u0430\u0433\u0438<\/span>\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c<\/strong>\u043d\u0430<\/strong>\u0447\u0442\u043e<\/strong>–<\/strong>\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0431\u043e<\/strong> –<\/strong> to react happily; merrily; \u2018with great fun’\u00a0on something<\/p>\n

But the best translation for the word – without making any kind of fuss about it whatsoever – I found in the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0422\u043e\u043b\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0439<\/strong>\u0441\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u044c<\/strong>\u0434\u043b\u044f<\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0441\u0442\u043e\u043b\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044b\u0445<\/strong>\u0432\u0437\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u044b\u0445<\/strong>\u00bb <\/strong>[Defining Dictionary for Stupid Grownups].<\/a> There it all is explained simply as:<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043b – \u0448\u0443<\/span>\u0442\u043a\u0430, \u0447\u0442\u043e<\/span>-\u0442\u043e \u0438\u043d\u0442\u0435\u0440\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>[a joke, something interesting].<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f – \u0448\u0443\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c <\/strong>[to joke].<\/p>\n

\u041f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044b – \u0448\u0443\u0442\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u043a\u0438 <\/strong>[jokers.<\/p>\n

And now for a little bit of completely useless [I hope!] yet interesting information as a finishing touch to today’s post. While searching around \u2018runet’ I also found that the meaning of \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong>\u00bb <\/strong>is explained in \u00ab<\/strong>\u0421\u043b\u043e\u0432\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u044c<\/strong>\u0432\u043e\u0440\u043e\u0432\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e<\/strong>\u0436\u0430\u0440\u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u0430<\/strong>\u00bb <\/strong>[Dictionary of thieves’ jargon] as \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u043e\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong>, <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f<\/strong>\u043c\u044b<\/span>\u0441\u043b\u044f\u043c\u0438<\/strong>\u0441<\/strong>\u043e\u0441\u0443\u0436\u0434\u0451<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u044b\u043c\u0438<\/strong>\u00bb <\/strong>[to consult; seek the advice of; to share thoughts with convicts]. I doubt it will come in handy for any reading this but then again, who knows?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"\"

In my post from last week, “On Free Magazines & Expats in Russia”, I used the verb \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u0441\u044f\u00bb without thinking twice about it. I did so even after I searched for a proper translation of the word into English without finding one. My trusted Kenneth Katzner dictionary only translates \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0430\u043b\u044b\u0432\u0430\u0442\u044c\u00bb [impf, pf – \u00ab\u043f\u0440\u0438\u043a\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0442\u044c\u00bb] as…<\/p>\n

Continue Reading<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":32,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[385631,1237,1657],"class_list":["post-31","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-language","tag-russian-grammar","tag-1657"],"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