We know every country has their own idioms, which often make no sense to anyone other than those who have grown up with them, but for those in the know, they make perfect sense!
We are bringing you Russia’s TOP TEN idioms, with a helping hand from renowned artist Nathan James. By the time you’ve familiarised yourself with these, we’re hoping you won’t get overexcited… but you’ll jump out of your pants!
This post may include affiliate links.
Russians Don’t Exaggerate, They 'Make An Elephant Out Of A Fly'
A Russian Won’t Lie To You, He’ll 'Hang Noodles On Your Ears'
You Are Not Just Talented Or Skilled, You Can 'Shoe A Flea'
We have an old tale about how a master could make a horseshoe for a flea. The flea was very small and the master was super neat and was able to make a horseshoe for her. If a person who works with his hands needs praise, then you can say "You are a good master, you can even shoe a flea"
This is a very strange and ambiguous story. There is a story written by a writer Leskov called "Left-handed" about russians. So... One European master made a mechanical steel flea which was able to dance. But the Russian master named left-handed was tasked with doing something better. He made a horseshoe for a flea, each stamped out his brand, and also made nails for them. But the thing is that the flea after that lost the opportunity to dance. In this context, the idiom sounds more like a mockery of a skilful but stupid person.
The Russian master was not only left-handed, he was also one-eyed.
Load More Replies...
There is a story by a famous Russian writer that spoke about a very talented craftsman whose name was Levsha (Lefthander) and who was so talented that he could put a tiny horse (flea, actually) shoe on a flea.
This idiom came from "The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea" of Nikolai Leskov.
It all came from here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Cross-eyed_Lefty_from_Tula_and_the_Steel_Flea
This is from a story, the main character of which was so skilful that he could shoe a flea. Well, that is, it's not shoes, it's HORSESY. Also, he was left-handed and died in poverty in the end. Here is a link to the story) https://archive.org/details/steelflea00hapggoog
The translations and meanings are dumb in my opinion! The author has to be Russian or at least live some time in Russia to understand something!
It's from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tale_of_Cross-eyed_Lefty_from_Tula_and_the_Steel_Flea
It’ll Never Happen – ‘A Lobster Whistles On Top Of A Mountain’
A Russian Person Doesn’t Swear Something Is True… He Will ‘Give You His Tooth For It’
This ia just awful jail slang! ) This slang usually use bad educated and dumb people only ! Sometimes use as a joke about dumb people )
Russians Don’t Show Off… They ‘Throw Dust In Your Eyes’
Some of these sayings are used in other countries of Europe too, here in Croatia as well, so it's not just the "Russian" thing. :)
A Russian Doesn’t Say He’s In A Crowded Place, He Says He’s 'Like Herring In The Barrel'
A Russian Doesn’t Get Overexcited, He 'Jumps Out Of His Pants'
Russians Don’t Have A Snack, They 'Kill The Worm'
Slang too. More exactly that sounds something like this ."To excruciate a little worm to death"
Russians Don’t Say You Have An Interesting Aspect To Your Character, They Say You Have A 'Raisin'
The word used for raisin in this idiom is actually in the diminutive somewhat cutesy form. So if you have something interesting about you, that interesting thing about you is referred to as a baby raisin by this idiom. It is an odd expression, sure, but it is somewhat akin to "the cherry on top" expression in English, which to non-English speakers might seem like a similarly random food item metaphorically used to signify something extraordinary.
Some of the pictures are factually incorrect. In the case of the flea, it's shoes as in horseshoes, from Leskov's "Levsha" (The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea). In the case of the worm, you do not kill the worm by eating it - it's the imaginary worm that lives in your stomach and give you stomach ache when you are hungry, so you throw something in your stomach to quieten it.
As a Russian speaking person these sound really ridiculous when you think about what you're saying. Then again, so do a lot of idioms.
We have very similar ones in spanish. I.e. no herring in the barrel but sardines in a can. All but the one about the raisin sounded quite logical to me lol i may adopt a few.
Load More Replies...
Idioms are the best. They're culturally essential and usually make no sense to people who are not from that culture -even when explained. I'd love to see idioms from other languages!
In iTunes there is an app called "English idioms illustrated". Great stuff, but have to pay if you want to see more. Also giving explanations.
Load More Replies...
I love these, especially when commenters add the idioms used in their countries.
"There's no truth in the feet (legs)" as an invitation to sit down "God's dandelion" about a calm and quiet person (usually old). "A teaspoon per hour" very slowly "To be boiled in your own juice" have almost no contact with the outside world "Let's get back to our rams" let's get back on track, to the point
Load More Replies...
+ If you have a lot of experience you can say "I've eaten a dog in this work"
American idioms confused the hell out of me for a great many years, even though I was born here. Adults were always telling me to keep my nose clean for no apparent reason, but I had no idea that what they meant was "stay out of trouble," so I started picking my nose constantly, to the point where it would bleed and I would have scabs in my nose. It was a long time before someone laughingly informed me what was meant by the phrase, at which point I didn't even believe them, because it didn't make any sense to me and they couldn't explain the connection, only that "that's just something people say." I can only imagine growing up in Russia being accused of putting noodles on someone's ear or throwing dust in their eye, and replying that I don't even have any noodles or dust
I am afraid that now the Americans, even less will understand Russian people
Theres maybe 2 which do fit and are used. Rest of it ... never heard of. Btw. Its my motherlanguage
'Dust in the eyes' is not showing off but to trick you, to make you a fool
I dont get it maybe this is what russian people say to each other almost like swearing.The only thing I understand from their perspective is the word suka which is a slang,i know the meaning by the way,used to hearing that when we are (me with my friends) while playing online moba i.e dota2 and sometimes CS.Maybe one can add that too but may disliked as its a slang.
I have read somewhere that a Russian expression for "doing nothing" is (wait for it) "Knocking pears out of a tree with your d**k".
They are not just "killing the worm" but rather "Starving it to death or killing it slowly by similar cruel torture". This one always being puzzles me.
way too simplistic. Probably the same people that were responsible for Hillary's "Reset" button.
Not really sure how you came up with that connection but whatever
Load More Replies... Some of the pictures are factually incorrect. In the case of the flea, it's shoes as in horseshoes, from Leskov's "Levsha" (The Tale of Cross-eyed Lefty from Tula and the Steel Flea). In the case of the worm, you do not kill the worm by eating it - it's the imaginary worm that lives in your stomach and give you stomach ache when you are hungry, so you throw something in your stomach to quieten it.
As a Russian speaking person these sound really ridiculous when you think about what you're saying. Then again, so do a lot of idioms.
We have very similar ones in spanish. I.e. no herring in the barrel but sardines in a can. All but the one about the raisin sounded quite logical to me lol i may adopt a few.
Load More Replies... Idioms are the best. They're culturally essential and usually make no sense to people who are not from that culture -even when explained. I'd love to see idioms from other languages!
In iTunes there is an app called "English idioms illustrated". Great stuff, but have to pay if you want to see more. Also giving explanations.
Load More Replies... I love these, especially when commenters add the idioms used in their countries.
"There's no truth in the feet (legs)" as an invitation to sit down "God's dandelion" about a calm and quiet person (usually old). "A teaspoon per hour" very slowly "To be boiled in your own juice" have almost no contact with the outside world "Let's get back to our rams" let's get back on track, to the point
Load More Replies... + If you have a lot of experience you can say "I've eaten a dog in this work"
American idioms confused the hell out of me for a great many years, even though I was born here. Adults were always telling me to keep my nose clean for no apparent reason, but I had no idea that what they meant was "stay out of trouble," so I started picking my nose constantly, to the point where it would bleed and I would have scabs in my nose. It was a long time before someone laughingly informed me what was meant by the phrase, at which point I didn't even believe them, because it didn't make any sense to me and they couldn't explain the connection, only that "that's just something people say." I can only imagine growing up in Russia being accused of putting noodles on someone's ear or throwing dust in their eye, and replying that I don't even have any noodles or dust
I am afraid that now the Americans, even less will understand Russian people
Theres maybe 2 which do fit and are used. Rest of it ... never heard of. Btw. Its my motherlanguage
'Dust in the eyes' is not showing off but to trick you, to make you a fool
I dont get it maybe this is what russian people say to each other almost like swearing.The only thing I understand from their perspective is the word suka which is a slang,i know the meaning by the way,used to hearing that when we are (me with my friends) while playing online moba i.e dota2 and sometimes CS.Maybe one can add that too but may disliked as its a slang.
I have read somewhere that a Russian expression for "doing nothing" is (wait for it) "Knocking pears out of a tree with your d**k".
They are not just "killing the worm" but rather "Starving it to death or killing it slowly by similar cruel torture". This one always being puzzles me.
way too simplistic. Probably the same people that were responsible for Hillary's "Reset" button.
Not really sure how you came up with that connection but whatever
Load More Replies... 