Russian sayings, idioms and proverbs

[2tallbill]

There are many sayings, idioms and proverbs in the FSU. Some of them are
as wise as anything Ben Franklin put in his Almanac and some are incredibly
funny and yet others are completely indecipherable and you have to be born
and raised in the FSU for them to make any sense at all.

I will post some here and welcome others to do the same. I'll also post some
that I don't understand and maybe one of our members from the FSU will help
us learn what they mean or tell us we are hopelessly doomed to never understand.

[Goombah]

My favorite:  "It is better to have 100 friends than 100 rubles"

[2tallbill]

NOTE to the fluent Russian speakers: I make mistakes all the time,
if you see one by all means please help me correct it.

This one I need to learn, because my wife is forever asking me questions that
only the lord knows. Sometimes she will ask me who some random stranger is
and I will reply, "why that is Frank Knox, he builds pianos from scrap lumber
and can comb his hair with his toes" she will look at me and say "Reeeeeellly?"
(you have to really roll the r) to which I reply that I've never seen the man
before in my life.


Вилами на Vode писано = Vilami na vode pisano
Literal translation: This is written with pitchfork in flowing water.
What is means: Nobody knows whether it will happen or not.



If you are standing around you might hear this one.

V Нога нетто Правды = V nogakh pravdi net. 
Literal translation: There is no truth in feet.
What it means: Take a seat.

[2tallbill]

Excellent Goombah! Thank you for posting

[2tallbill]

Idiom: Bez truda ne vitaschisch i rybku iz pruda
Literal translation: Without effort, you can't even pull a fish out of the pond.
What it actually means: No pain, no gain.

[2tallbill]

The idiom: Хоть кол на голове теши = Khot' kol na golove teshi
Literal translation: “You can sharpen with an ax on top of this head.”
What it means: “He’s a very stubborn person.”

I can't imagine any Russian where that phrase might apply 

[Bounder]

The idiom: Хоть кол на голове теши = Khot' kol na golove teshi
Literal translation: “You can sharpen with an ax on top of this head.”
What it means: “He’s a very stubborn person.”

I can't imagine any Russian where that phrase might apply 

I find the connection back to English interesting as well.  The head that could be used for sharpening any axe would have to be a hard head indeed!  In English, a stubborn person could be described as hard-headed.

[msmob]

Good idea for a thread, Beel


Said it before - but this is my Russian fav..


''You have to eat a tonne of salt together, to really know each other''

[2tallbill]

В гостях хорошо, а дома лучше = V gostyakh khorosho, a doma luchshe

Literal: Being a guest is good, but being at home is better

What it means is “There’s no place like home” or “home, sweet home”

[2tallbill]

Насильно мил не будешь = Nasil'no mil ne budesh'
If you did a direct translation: Love can not be
However what they actually mean: You can't make somebody love you.


Любовь зла – полюбишь и козла = Lyubov' zla – polyubish' i kozla
If you did a direct translation: Love evil -fall in love and goat
Better translation: Love is evil, it will make you fall in love with a goat.
What they really Mean: Often we are blinded by love. You might fall in love with
someone who is completely wrong for you or who doesn’t deserve your love, and
end up suffering.




NOTE : The photo above is owned by Rikki Lynn Photography.

[2tallbill]

брать/взять себя в руки = brat'/vzyat' sebya v ruki
Literal translation: take himself at arms
What it means: “It means ‘to pull yourself together.’”
Or he pulled himself up by his bootstraps


Волков бояться — в лес не ходить. = Volkov boyat'sya - v les ne khodit'
Literal word for word translation: afraid of wolves — in the woods not to go
Better translation If you’re afraid of wolves, don’t go in the woods.

The Western version might be "If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen" 
Bill's version: If you can't take the heat dress in cool comfortable clothes

[jone]

There's a lot of heat in that kitchen.

[alex330]

"You can test a woman when her man losses his fortune. A man is tested when he makes his fortune"

[2tallbill]

В Тулу со своим самоваром не ездят =V Tulu so svoim samovarom ne yezdyat
Literal translation: In Tula with his samovar not go

Nobody goes to Tula with one's own samovar.
(Tula is famous as city where the best Russian samovars are made)

Our similar Western idiom: When in Rome do as the Romans do.

[2tallbill]

Яблоко от яблони недалеко падает = Yabloko ot yabloni nedaleko padayet

direct translation An Apple from apple near falls

What it means an apple doesn't fall far from the tree
Father like son etc.

[Anotherkiwi]

В Тулу со своим самоваром не ездят =V Tulu so svoim samovarom ne yezdyat
Literal translation: In Tula with his samovar not go

Nobody goes to Tula with one's own samovar.
(Tula is famous as city where the best Russian samovars are made)

Our similar Western idiom: When in Rome do as the Romans do.

I was thinking more along the lines of "You don't send coals to Newcastle."

[SANDRO43]

I was thinking more along the lines of "You don't send coals to Newcastle."

Or the even older versions:

Yλαῦκ’ εἰς Ἀθήνα, ἄγγειοι εἰς Σάμος: to bring owls to Athens, vases to Samos.
In silvam non ligna feras insanius (Horace): mad to bring wood to a forest.

There are several variations in all languages for senseless acts, as in Italian (translated): to bottle fog, to brush the sea, to bay at the moon, etc.etc.