{"id":550,"date":"2010-03-15T10:00:03","date_gmt":"2010-03-15T10:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/?p=550"},"modified":"2014-07-16T19:48:42","modified_gmt":"2014-07-16T19:48:42","slug":"time-to-make-money-russian-style","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.transparent.com\/russian\/time-to-make-money-russian-style\/","title":{"rendered":"Time to Make Money: \u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0440\u0430 \u0440\u0443\u0431\u0438\u0442\u044c \u043a\u0430\u043f\u0443\u0441\u0442\u0443!\u00bb"},"content":{"rendered":"

The other morning my 3-year old asked if we could \u00ab<\/strong>\u0443\u043a\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0441\u0438\u0442\u044c <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u043c <\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043f\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u043e\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [decorate the house with cabbages]. Now, the suggestion comes from a wonderful book we are reading to him now. Particularly, from a story about five bunny rabbits who get bored on one of the cold winter days and decide to decorate their house with everything cabbage – drawings, clay cabbage, etc.<\/p>\n

While it was very cute to hear my \u00ab<\/strong>\u043c\u0430\u043b\u044f<\/span>\u0432\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [little one] call himself \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0440\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0447\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043e\u043a\u00bb<\/strong> [little bunny] and reenact the story, I couldn\u2019t keep from laughing at the use of the word \u00ab<\/strong>\u043a\u0430\u043f\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [cabbage]. You see, in Russia, it is one of the slang words for \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [money]. I immediately imagined covering the living room walls with money wallpaper and making coasters out of loose change.<\/p>\n

While the official name of Russian currency is \u00ab<\/strong>\u0440\u0443\u0431\u043b\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [ruble, from the word \u00ab\u0440\u0443\u0431\u0438\u0442\u044c\u00bb – to chop], the Russian language is full of euphemisms for money as well as for processes of making and paying money:<\/p>\n

\u00ab<\/strong>\u041a\u0430\u043f\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [cabbage] – refers to the green color of dollars.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Example: \u00ab\u0425\u043e\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435 \u0440\u0443\u0431\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c \u043a\u0430\u043f\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u0443 \u0432 \u0441\u0435\u0442\u0438<\/span>?\u00bb<\/strong> [Would you like to make money on Internet?]<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> – this one is tricky. It is not related to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u044b\u00bb <\/strong>[women], whether old or young. Instead, in Old Russia tall stacks of hay in the fields were called \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430\u0431\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/a> Peasants had to \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u043e\u0431\u0438\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [gather] or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0441\u043d\u0438\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [lit: take off] \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> from the fields in order to sell them for money.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Another version of this word\u2019s origin is from a once-popular game called \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0438\u00bb,<\/strong> somewhat similar to the game of marbles.<\/p>\n

\u00a0Example: \u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0435<\/span>\u0445\u0430\u043b \u0432 \u041c\u043e\u0441\u043a\u0432\u0443<\/span> \u043d\u0430 \u043f\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u0443 \u0434\u043d\u0435\u0439, \u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u043e\u043a \u043f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043b – \u0436\u0443\u0442\u044c!\u00bb<\/strong> [I went to Moscow for a couple of days and spent a ton of money!]<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u0430\u0431\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> – when \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> passed from the old Russian into criminal slang, it morphed into \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430\u0431\u043b\u043e<\/span>\u00bb.<\/strong> There\u2019s a joke now that the word was derived from the initials of the prominent Russian oligarch and now a political refugee \u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u043e\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u0441 <\/strong>\u0410\u0431\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u043e\u0432\u0438\u0447 <\/strong>\u0411\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0437\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u0441\u043a\u0438\u0439\u00bb<\/strong> [Boris Abramovich Berezovsky].<\/p>\n

\u00a0Example: \u00ab<\/strong>\u0411\u0430\u0431\u043b\u043e<\/span> <\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0431\u0435\u0436\u0434\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442 <\/strong>\u0437\u043b\u043e!\u00bb<\/strong> [Bablo<\/em> defeats evil!] – Title of the third album of the Russian group \u00ab<\/strong>\u0423\u043d\u0434\u0435\u0440\u0432\u0443<\/span>\u0434\u00bb<\/strong> and also the title of the album\u2019s opening song<\/a>. The lyrics, if you are interested are (in my translation):<\/p>\n

\n
\u00ab\u0427\u0435\u0439-\u0442\u043e \u0433\u043e<\/span>\u043b\u043e\u0441 \u043c\u043d\u0435 \u0443\u0433\u0440\u043e\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0435\u0442 \u0432 \u0442\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0443 <\/strong><\/pre>\n
\u0422\u0430\u043c \u0447\u0442\u043e<\/span>-\u0442\u043e \u043f\u0440\u043e \u043a\u044d\u0448 \u0438 \u043f\u0440\u043e \u043c\u044f\u0441\u043e\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0443 <\/strong><\/pre>\n
Bang-bang, \u0441\u0432\u0435<\/span>\u0436\u0438\u0439 \u0441\u0442\u0435\u0439\u043a, \u0447\u044c\u044f<\/span>-\u0442\u043e \u043f\u0435<\/span>\u0441\u0435\u043d\u043a\u0430 \u0441\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u0430 <\/strong><\/pre>\n
\u0411\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u0435 \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 \u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0431\u044f\u0442 \u0442\u0438\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0443<\/span> <\/strong><\/pre>\n
\u0411\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u0435 \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 \u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0431\u044f\u0442 \u0442\u0438\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0443<\/span> <\/strong><\/pre>\n
\u0411\u043e\u043b\u044c\u0448\u0438<\/span>\u0435 \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 \u043b\u044e<\/span>\u0431\u044f\u0442 \u0442\u0438\u0448\u0438\u043d\u0443<\/span> <\/strong><\/pre>\n
\u041a\u0430\u0431\u0438\u043d\u0435<\/span>\u0442\u043e\u0432 <\/strong><\/pre>\n
\u0411\u0430\u0431\u043b\u043e<\/span> \u043f\u043e\u0431\u0435\u0434\u0438<\/span>\u0442 \u0437\u043b\u043e\u00bb<\/strong><\/pre>\n<\/blockquote>\n
[Someone\u2019s voice is threatening me on the phone<\/p>\n
Something about cash and a meat grinder<\/p>\n
Bang-bang, fresh steak, someone finished his song<\/p>\n
Big money love quiet<\/p>\n
Big money love quiet<\/p>\n
Big money love quiet<\/p>\n
Of office environment.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Bablo<\/em> will defeat evil\u2026]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0413\u0440\u0438<\/span>\u043d\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [greens] and \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0441\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [bucks] – once again, references to American dollars. There is an entertaining theory that the colloquial name of the American dollar, buck, was borrowed by Americans from the \u00ab<\/strong>\u0438\u0441\u043a\u043e<\/span>\u043d\u043d\u043e-<\/strong>\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0441\u043a\u043e\u0433\u043e\u00bb<\/strong> [original Russian] word \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0430<\/span>\u0431\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> (see above and yes, this theory doesn\u2019t appear to hold much water).<\/p>\n
\u00a0Example:\u00a0\u00ab\u041f\u043e\u0442\u0440\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0438\u043b 46 \u0431\u0430<\/span>\u043a\u0441\u043e\u0432 \u043d\u0430 \u0434\u0432\u0430 \u0434\u043e\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0430 \u0441 PR<\/strong>=4.\u00bb<\/strong> [I spent 46 rubles on two domains with Google Page Rank of 4.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0422\u0443<\/span>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [tugriks] – from the name of the Mongolian currency.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Example: \u00ab\u0418\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043c\u0442\u0435 \u0432 \u0437\u0430\u043a\u0440\u043e\u043c\u0430<\/span>… \u0433\u0434\u0435 \u0412\u044b \u0445\u0440\u0430\u043d\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u0435 \u0441\u0432\u043e\u0438<\/span> \u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0433\u0440\u0438\u043a\u0438.\u00bb<\/strong> [Let\u2019s go to the granary\u2026 where you keep your money.] from \u00ab<\/strong>\u0417\u043e\u043b\u043e\u0442\u043e<\/span>\u0439 <\/em><\/strong>\u0422\u0435\u043b\u0451\u043d\u043e\u043a\u00bb<\/em><\/strong> [Golden Calf],<\/em> a wonderful book by Ilya Ilf and Evgeniy Petrov.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Other money words include \u00ab\u0431\u043e\u0431\u044b<\/span>\u00bb<\/strong> [beans], \u00ab\u0444\u0438<\/span>\u0448\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [tokens], \u00ab\u0444\u0430\u0440\u0448\u00bb<\/strong> [ground meat], \u00ab\u0445\u0440\u0443<\/span>\u0441\u0442\u044b\u00bb<\/strong> [crunchies], \u00ab\u043c\u0430<\/span>\u043d\u0438\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [diminutive plural of \u201cmoney\u201d], \u00ab\u0436\u0430<\/span>\u0442\u0432\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [harvest], \u00ab\u0437\u0435<\/span>\u043b\u0435\u043d\u044c\u00bb<\/strong> [greens].<\/p>\n
\u00a0Depending on how you pay for your purchases, your \u0431\u0430\u0431\u043a\u0438 might be \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u00bb<\/strong> [cash; short for \u00ab<\/strong>\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043d\u044b\u0435\u00bb]<\/strong> or \u00ab<\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0437\u043d\u0430\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u043a\u0430\u00bb<\/strong> [credit].<\/p>\n
\u00a0And, if you find yourself amongst more or less Americanized Russians, say in New York, San Francisco, or Chicago, you can hear a wonderful Rusglish<\/em> phrase<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab\u0423 \u043c\u0435\u043d\u044f<\/span> \u043d\u0430<\/span>\u043b\u0430 \u043d\u0435\u0442 \u0437\u0430 \u043f\u0430<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0438\u043d\u0433 \u0437\u0430\u043f\u043b\u0430\u0442\u0438<\/span>\u0442\u044c. \u041d\u0430<\/span>\u0434\u043e \u0437\u0430\u0439\u0442\u0438<\/span> \u0432 \u0431\u0430\u043d\u043a, \u043e\u043a\u044d<\/span>\u0448\u0438\u0442\u044c \u0447\u0435\u043a.\u00bb<\/strong> [I don\u2019t have cash to pay for parking. Must stop by the bank to cash a check.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0If this sounds overwhelming, don\u2019t worry. There\u2019s folks wisdom aplenty to provide you some financial advice and guidance. Some of the really good \u00ab<\/strong>\u043f\u043e\u0433\u043e\u0432\u043e<\/span>\u0440\u043a\u0438\u00bb<\/strong> [proverbs] for all tastes and situations include:<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/strong>\u00ab\u0414\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 – \u043d\u0435 \u0433\u0440\u0438\u0431\u044b<\/span> – \u0438 \u0437\u0438\u043c\u043e<\/span>\u0439 \u0440\u0430\u0441\u0442\u0443<\/span>\u0442.\u00bb<\/strong> [Money aren\u2019t like mushrooms; they grow even in winter.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab\u041d\u0430 \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 \u0443\u043c\u0430<\/span> \u043d\u0435 \u043a\u0443<\/span>\u043f\u0438\u0448\u044c.\u00bb<\/strong> [Money won\u2019t buy smarts.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0417\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0432\u044c\u0435 <\/strong>\u0434\u043e\u0440\u043e<\/span>\u0436\u0435 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u0435\u0433.\u00bb<\/strong> [Health is more valuable than money.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u041a\u043e\u043f\u0435<\/span>\u0439\u043a\u0430 <\/strong>\u0440\u0443\u0431\u043b\u044c <\/strong>\u0431\u0435\u0440\u0435\u0436\u0451<\/span>\u0442.\u00bb<\/strong> [A penny saves a dollar.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u041d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0438\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0440\u0443\u0431\u043b\u0435<\/span>\u0439, <\/strong>\u0430 <\/strong>\u0438\u043c\u0435<\/span>\u0439 <\/strong>\u0441\u0442\u043e <\/strong>\u0434\u0440\u0443\u0437\u0435<\/span>\u0439.\u00bb<\/strong> [Having 100 friends is better than 100 rubles.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0414\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0438 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u043f\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u043d\u0443\u0442.\u00bb<\/strong> [Money don\u2019t smell.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab<\/strong>\u0413\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0435 <\/strong>\u043d\u0435 <\/strong>\u0432 <\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u0445.\u00bb<\/strong> [It\u2019s not the money that\u2019s most important.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0\u00ab\u0413\u043b\u0430<\/span>\u0432\u043d\u043e\u0435 \u043d\u0435 \u0432 \u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u0445, \u0430 \u0432 \u0438\u0445 \u043a\u043e\u043b\u0438<\/span>\u0447\u0435\u0441\u0442\u0432\u0435.\u00bb<\/strong> [It\u2019s not the money that\u2019s important, but their quantity.]<\/p>\n
\u00a0P.S.<\/strong> Let me clarify the proper stress in words \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u043c\u00bb, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u043c\u0438\u00bb, \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u0445\u00bb:<\/strong><\/p>\n
\u00a0The proper way of placing the stress is on the second syllable: \u00ab\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u00bb, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u043c\u0438\u00bb, \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e <\/strong>\u0434\u0435\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430<\/span>\u0445\u00bb<\/strong>.<\/p>\n
\u00a0Placing stress on the first syllable, as in \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u043c\u00bb, \u00ab<\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u043c\u0438\u00bb, \u00ab<\/strong>\u043e <\/strong>\u0434\u0435<\/span>\u043d\u044c\u0433\u0430\u0445\u00bb<\/strong> is acceptable, but old-fashioned. Yet in the above-mentioned proverb the stress is preserved on the first syllable! File that one under \u201cexceptions from the grammar rules that drive me crazy\u201d.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\"Old
Recipe for making money Russian-style includes cabbage, beans, ground meat and mysterious bablo.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":39,"featured_media":551,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"content-type":""},"categories":[3,8],"tags":[105,1252,7763,1278],"class_list":["post-550","post","type-post","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","category-language","tag-money","tag-russian-money","tag-russian-money-slang","tag-russian-slang"],"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