Russian hard-to-understand phrazes (folklore)

Thread: Russian hard-to-understand phrazes (folklore)

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  1. s_jazz's Avatar

    s_jazz said:

    Default Russian hard-to-understand phrazes (folklore)

    I've decided to create this thread to explain the meaning of russian folklore phrazes, which you may not find in dictionary (but they're not obscene )
    So, we give a phraze, then literal translation, and then the real meaning.
    Join

    Он (она) без царя в голове (или безбашенный)

    He (she) is without a tsar in his (her) head. (or without a tower)

    He is absolutely thoughtless man, who always does foolhardy acts which may lead to worry.
     
  2. boubou said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by s_jazz View Post
    I've decided to create this thread to explain the meaning of russian folklore phrazes, which you may not find in dictionary (but they're not obscene )
    So, we give a phraze, then literal translation, and then the real meaning.
    Join

    Он (она) без царя в голове (или безбашенный)

    He (she) is without a tsar in his (her) head. (or without a tower)

    He is absolutely thoughtless man, who always does foolhardy acts which may lead to worry.
    s_jazz... ты молодец!!!! Огромное спасибо!
    Очень полезный thread.

    Объясни, пожалуйста, что это значит
    "у меня в холодильнике мышь повесилась"

    Спасибо ещё раз

    -----

    @ any moderator: please, make this thread sticky
    Imagination is more important than knowledge.
    A. Einstein
     
  3. i'm little one's Avatar

    i'm little one said:

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    "у меня в холодильнике мышь повесилась"
    "in my refrigerator mouse died"

    it means that u dont have food in refrigerator(refrigerator is empty)
     
  4. AndaribnMuzibek's Avatar

    AndaribnMuzibek said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by i'm little one View Post
    "у меня в холодильнике мышь повесилась"
    "in my refrigerator mouse died"

    it means that u dont have food in refrigerator(refrigerator is empty)
    i'm little one, let me define concretely : not simply died, but commited suicide (hanged herself) повесилась=hanged herself) because of hunger.
    So"In my refrigerator mouse hanged herself" And in real meaning you were perfect!

    And I want to offer one phrase:
    "У меня (него, неё) крышу сорвало".
    My (his,her) roof was torn off.
    It means : "I (he,she) have (has) got crazy (mad)".
    Good luck!
     
  5. i'm little one's Avatar

    i'm little one said:

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    yeah AndaribnMuzibek u r right,just when im sayin like this for me mouse has already diedbut anyway thanks that corrected me
     
  6. s_jazz's Avatar

    s_jazz said:

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    Ты будто с Луны свалился (упал).

    You seem to have fallen from the Moon.

    These words we say to a person (mostly to a friend) who doesn´t know the news or obvious things.


    Сейчас снег пойдет or
    Сейчас дождь пойдет

    It´s gonna be snowing now
    It´s gonna be raining now

    We use the first phraze in warm season and the second one in cold season when something unusual, absolutely incredible has happened.

    (Boubou, thanks )
     
  7. boubou said:

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    Объясните, пожалуйста, когда говорим
    "сапожник без сапог" и что эта фраза значит?
    Imagination is more important than knowledge.
    A. Einstein
     
  8. i'm little one's Avatar

    i'm little one said:

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    "сапожник без сапог"
    "shoemaker is without shoes"
    it means if u do something,in the end u can stay without anythingso u must beware
     
  9. kolbaskina's Avatar

    kolbaskina said:

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    i'm little one, are you sure?
    That means that if someone doing smth for others (like job or permanent help), he/she doesn't pay attention what happens in this sphere in his/her own's life. If you're watching House M.D. he also has such thought, smth like this - doctors never think they're ill and they never noticed their own troubles with health. In other words you're doing smth for others forgetting about yourself. Well, it's hard to explain, may be my words are not very clear,sorry
    нам ніколи, мабуть, не дійти до межі,
    за якою немає ні смутку, ні страху...

    Bizim gibi delilere her gün bayram
     
  10. Bolonka's Avatar

    Bolonka said:

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    Actually I think the meaning for this is slightly different,, it rather implies that people of certain professions like shoemaker here, have never time for themselves - meaning he makes a lot of shoes but he himself has no good for shoes because he is always lacking time to make it for himself.
    Anyway this is just the way I understand it therefore my opinion can be wrong.
    :P
    Be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it!!!!
     
  11. Bolonka's Avatar

    Bolonka said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by kolbaskina View Post
    i'm little one, are you sure?
    That means that if someone doing smth for others (like job or permanent help), he/she doesn't pay attention what happens in this sphere in his/her own's life. If you're watching House M.D. he also has such thought, smth like this - doctors never think they're ill and they never noticed their own troubles with health. In other words you're doing smth for others forgetting about yourself. Well, it's hard to explain, may be my words are not very clear,sorry
    hehe I think we have posted in the same time, I was trying to say the same thing
    Be careful what you wish for cause you just might get it!!!!
     
  12. i'm little one's Avatar

    i'm little one said:

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    well,the meaning of that phrase is little hard to explain and yes Kolbaskina ur right,and i think we must tack together ur answer and mine and we ll get the clearly meaning of that proverb
     
  13. boubou said:

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    :'(
    It's so difficult to understand when to properly use it!

    Could you please, give an example of a small text of 3-4 lines, using that phrase to get its meaning, maybe?
    Last edited by boubou; 05-08-2009 at 01:32 AM.
    Imagination is more important than knowledge.
    A. Einstein
     
  14. s_jazz's Avatar

    s_jazz said:

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    Boubou, it's very simple )
    (to my opinion, Bolonka's explanation is the best (Kolbaskina's too, but more difficult))
    So...for example, your friend is a teeth doctor, and one day he said he had a teethache; a month later you meet him and ask, has he cured his tooth, and he said "no, I had'nt time". So you say to him: Эх ты! Сапожник без сапог
     
  15. kolbaskina's Avatar

    kolbaskina said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by s_jazz View Post
    Boubou, it's very simple )
    Kolbaskina's too, but more difficult
    Oh, i'm sooo difficult, sorry
    нам ніколи, мабуть, не дійти до межі,
    за якою немає ні смутку, ні страху...

    Bizim gibi delilere her gün bayram
     
  16. tim2286's Avatar

    tim2286 said:

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    I never heard this expression before but s_jazz here's my critique of it :
    a sapozhnik can fix his shoes or boots but a dentist can't fix his own teeth . I actually had a little laugh over this just now imaging a dentist working on his own teeth.
     
  17. s_jazz's Avatar

    s_jazz said:

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    Kolbaskina, sorry, if i said smth annoying...trying to recall English

    Tim2286, reffering to Kolbaskina, "he/she doesn't pay attention what happens in this sphere in his/her own's life", it means, that a doctor doesn't have to cure his tooth himself...But i agree with you, that the example isn't very good, caz i've never met a doctor who doesn't pay attention to his teeth
     
  18. boubou said:

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    Quote Originally Posted by s_jazz View Post
    Kolbaskina, sorry, if i said smth annoying...trying to recall English

    Tim2286, reffering to Kolbaskina, "he/she doesn't pay attention what happens in this sphere in his/her own's life", it means, that a doctor doesn't have to cure his tooth himself...But i agree with you, that the example isn't very good, caz i've never met a doctor who doesn't pay attention to his teeth
    Thank you all boys and girls.
    I'm getting closer to the meaning with your help..
    Here's what I found in Lingvo dictionary

    сапожник без сапог = the shoemaker's wife is the worst shod

    which, from my understanding, is an english proverb. The bad news is that I don't know what it means either


    I just found this:

    A good painter has no time for free will and can't do his work for free.

    I guess you answered correctly in different ways. So.. let's move on to the next phase
    Imagination is more important than knowledge.
    A. Einstein
     
  19. boubou said:

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    Hi,
    here I am again!

    Who will tell me, please, what

    работа не волк

    and

    в лес не убежит

    mean and when they are used (an example for each one???)
    Imagination is more important than knowledge.
    A. Einstein
     
  20. vuoklis's Avatar

    vuoklis said:

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    работа не волк - в лес не убежит is the same unit. it means that you can't skip doing your work becausi it won't just dissappear (like a wolf that runs into the forest). So it's usually used in situations when someone doesn't want to do something obligatory. for example, i don't want to write a paper for university but работа не волк - в лес не убежит, i have to do it.
    there. ) dunno if it helps..