Front/Back Matter 3rd.

ed 1/23/06 9:31 AM Page 1

RUSSIAN
Third Edition

Vladimir Shlyakhov and Eve Adler

Front/Back Matter 3rd.ed 1/23/06 9:31 AM Page ii

Copyright 2006, 1999, 1995 by Barrons Educational Series, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form by photo-
stat, microfilm, xerography, or any other means, or incorporated into any informa-
tion retrieval system, electronic or mechanical, without the written permission of
the copyright owner.

All inquiries should be addressed to:

Barrons Educational Series, Inc.
250 Wireless Boulevard
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http://www.barronseduc.com
ISBN-13: 978-0-7641-3033-5
ISBN-10: 0-7641-3033-1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Shlyakhov, Vladimir.
Dictionary of Russian slang & colloquial expressions = Russkii sleng /
Vladimir Shlyakhov, Eve Adler. 3rd ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references.
ISBN-13: 978-0-7641-3033-5 (alk. paper)
ISBN-10: 0-7641-3033-1 (alk. paper)
1. Russian language Slang Dictionaries English. 2. Russian language
New words Dictionaries English. 3. Russian language Idioms Dictionaries
English. I. Title: Russian slang. II. Title: Dictionary of Russian slang. III. Title:
Russkii sleng. iV. Title: Dictionary of Russian slang and colloquial expressions. V.
Adler, Eve. VI. Title.

PG2752.S57 2006
491.73'21-dc22
2005052401
Library of Congress Control Number 2005052401

Printed in Canada

987654321
Front/Back Matter 3rd.ed 1/23/06 9:31 AM Page iii

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments iv
Preface v
Russian Slang and Russian Lexicography in Our Time v
Chief Sources of the Words and Expressions in this Dictionary vi
Role of this Dictionary in Linguistics and Sociolinguistics vii
Organization of the Dictionary viii
Preface to the Second Edtion xi
Preface to the Third Edition xi
Abbreviations xiii
Dictionary of Russian Slang and Colloquial Expressions 1
Front/Back Matter 3rd.ed 1/23/06 9:31 AM Page iv

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

We are grateful to Middlebury College for generous financial assistance in preparing

the manuscript for publication.
Ivan and Fyodor Shlyakhov helped in collecting youth and army expressions. Olga
Shlyakhov gave invaluable help with Russian stress and punctuation. Toma Tasovac
helped with typing.
Jane Chaplin and Bill and Peggy Nelson gave help and encouragement from start to
finish.
Ray and Shirley Benson of the American Collegiate Consortium read and commented
on the earliest version of the dictionary. Professors Kevin Moss and Sergei S. Davydov
read parts of the manuscript and made many helpful suggestions.
We are grateful to A. Akishina, V. Zanin, and M. Vyatyutnev, all colleagues from the
Pushkin State Institute of Russian, who helped with advice and shared their vast knowl-
edge of slang.
We are grateful to my friend Bill Nelson for his help with the usage examples for the
letters , , , , which he translated with his characteristic sensitivity to nuance.
We are grateful to Marine Corps Captain Kristen Lasica, who, as a student at the
Pushkin Russian Language Institute in Moscow, devoted a great deal of time and energy
to translating the Russian examples into English.
The Pushkin State Institute of Russian generously supported Vladimir Shlyakhov with
leave from teaching duties to work on this dictionary.

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PREFACE
A

Russian Slang and Russian Lexicography in Our Time

Russian, like every language, has a considerable stock of slang and colloquial words
and expressions. Although everyone knows that slang is widely used, the Soviet regime
attempted to outlaw it. Official Soviet linguistic scholarship and censorship made every
effort to prevent the appearance of slang in literary works and in the pages of newspapers
and magazines. For decades, slang was off-limits to dictionaries and no research was con-
ducted in this field.
As a result, Russian lexicography has shown large gaps in this area. For more than half
of the twentieth century, beginning in the 1920s, not a single adequate dictionary of Rus-
sian slang was published, and it has been extremely difficult to find any scholarly literature
on the subject. During the Soviet period the only dictionary of slang available in Russia
was V.F. Trachtenbergs Blatna muzyka (Thieves Cant), published in St. Petersburg in
1908. Aside from Trachtenbergs work, dictionaries of criminal slang, such as the Dictio-
nary of Thieves Cant published in Baku in 1971, were produced only for official police
use.
In Russia, then, twentieth-century dictionaries have excluded the vast areas of contem-
porary youth slang, army slang, criminal slang, childrens slang, and professional slang, as
well as colloquial words and expressionsstreet languagein wide use at all levels of the
population.
Interest in slang has increased considerably in Russia in recent years. One sign of this
interest is the fate of A. Flegons Za predelami russkix slovarej (Beyond the Bounds of
Russian Dictionaries), originally published in London (Flegon Press) in 1973. This dictio-
nary, in spite of its lexicographic defects, became a best-seller when it was reprinted in
Russia in 1991. Russians increasing interest in slang is also evidenced by the appearance
of many collections of youth slang and criminal slang in newspapers and magazines. Since
the beginning of the 1990s, the following works on slang have been published in Russia.
V.V. Makhov, Slovarh blatnogo argona v SSSR (Dictionary of Criminal Slang in
the USSR) (Kharkov: 1991).
F.I. Rozhansky, Hippie Slang: Materials for a Dictionary (St. Petersburg: European
House, 1992).
D. S. Baldayev et al., Slovarh tremno-lagerno-blatnogo argona (Dictionary of
Prison/Labor-Camp/Criminal Slang) (Moscow: Kraya Moskvy, 1992).
V. P. Belyanin and I.A. Butenko, Tolkovyj slovarh sovremennyx razgovornyx
frazeologizmov i prislovij (Explanatory Dictionary of Contemporary Colloquial
Idioms and Sayings) (Moscow: Rossisskij Institut Kulturologii, 1993).
I. Yuganov and F. Yuganova, Russkij argon 60-90-x godov (Russian Slang from the
60s to the 90s) (Moscow: Pomovskij i partnery, 1994).
The most lexicographically professional and complete Russian slang dictionary to date
is V.S. Yelistratov, Slovarh moskovskogo argo (Dictionary of Moscow Argot) (Moscow:
Russkie slovari, 1994).
Thus, recent years have shown marked activity within Russia aimed at filling the lexi-
cograpical gaps of the Soviet years.
At the same time, several useful publications in the field of Russian slang have
appeared in the United States, including such specialized works as D.A. Drummond and
G. Perkins, A Short Dictionary of Russian Obscenities (Berkeley, Calif.: Berkeley Slavic
Specialties, 1973); V. Carpovich, Solzhenitzyns Peculiar Vocabulary: RussianEnglish
Glossary (New York: Technical Dictionaries, 1976); V. Kozlovsky, A Collection of Rus-
sian Thieves Dictionaries (New York: Chalidze Publications, 1983); and I. Corten,
Vocabulary of Soviet Society and Culture (Duke University Press, 1992).
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The present dictionary is based on the recording and collecting of Vladimir Shlyakhov
in the years 1987 through 1994, mostly in Moscow. The author was guided by one chief
principle: all words and expressions, in whatever social stratum of the Russian-speaking
population they may originate, have a claim to appear in the pages of dictionaries. During
the long process of collecting the materials and composing the articles, he was sustained
by his sense of performing a duty, as an inheritor, lover, and scholar of the Russian lan-
guage, to preserve an endangered part of that language and bear witness to its use. The
negative attitude of Soviet scholarship toward slang resulted in significant losses for lexi-
cography; many words of low style have been lost forever. In this dictionary, the author
has striven to record Russian slang of the second half of the twentieth century in a manner
conforming to the standards of scholarly lexicography.
The RussianEnglish version of the dictionary was composed in close collaboration by
Vladimir Shlyakhov and Eve Adler. This work attempts to take account not only of the
realities of Russian slang and colloquial speech, but also of the special needs and interests
of English-speaking students and scholars. Its goal is to provide such readers with a reli-
able and convenient key to this previously inaccessible area of Russian life and language.
In adapting the dictionary for this RussianEnglish edition, special efforts have been made
to render the explanatory material and the usage examples as transparent as possible, par-
ticularly where words and expressions reflect those areas of Russian and Soviet experience
that are likely to be most foreign to English speakers.

Chief Sources of the Words and Expressions in this Dictionary

This dictionary draws on the speech in use in several specific spheres of life, but
includes primarily expressions that have entered into the usage, or at least the passive
recognition, of a wide spectrum of the Russian-speaking population. The chief sources are:
1. Widely used colloquialisms and street language. In many cases, such idioms and
expressions fall into a gray area covered neither by standard dictionaries nor by specialized
slang dictionaries. Special attention has been given to fixed forms of banter, rhyming
phrases, and so on. For example, Ona devuka cto nado. = Shes quite a gal. Cto-to
stalo xolodath, ne pora li nam poddath? = An invitation or suggestion to have a drink
(lit., It seems to be getting a little chillyshouldnt we have a drink?).
2. Criminal slang. A thieves argot, unintelligible to the general population, is for obvi-
ous reasons the distinguishing feature of communication among criminals. In Stalins time
a great many people were condemned to terms in prisons and camps, where they were
compelled to adopt the language in use. Thus hundreds of words of criminal slang have
penetrated the Russian colloquial and written languageperhaps to a greater extent than
in any other language. Today many of these words are no longer felt to belong to criminal
slang, such as alka (drunkard), bali (money), vodra (vodka), vyka (death sen-
tence), devka (traitor), kosoj (drunk), laa (nonsense), and so on.
Of course, other words still belong more strictly to criminal usage, such as ban (train
station), verxi (outer pocket), and skrip (basket).
3. Army slang. Most of those who serve in the army are of course young people, who
are the most receptive to slang and the most fertile in creating new words and expressions.
Many words of army slang have entered the national language, such as salaga (new
recruit), polkan (colonel), lejt (lieutenant), and guba (place of disciplinary punishment).
Words still belonging more strictly to army usage include nurok (a new recruit) and
gasiths (to shirk duty).

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4. Youth slang. Youth slang has become a vast and productive system influencing the
development of contemporary Russian speech. It manifests all the processes that attend the
emergence of new words and expressions. Youth slang interacts with other slangs; it
includes, for instance, a great number of criminals expressions. Many words and expres-
sions from youth slang have come into general use.
In the last ten to fifteen years, youth slang has adopted a great many words from the
west European languages, modifying them in accordance with the rules of Russian word
formation. Some foreign words have kept their meanings, such as fejs (face), baksy (dol-
lars), drinkath (to drink), fajnovyj (fine); others have taken on different shades of
meaning: mejkaths (to turn out all right); frendiths (to be friends with someone).
5. School and university, sports, and musical slang.
6. Obscenities and the expressions and wordplays derived from them.

Role of this Dictionary in Linguistics and Sociolinguistics

The study of slang-word usage reveals the propensity of slang words and expressions to
penetrate from one social sphere into another, and, particularly, into standard Russian.
Youth slang, army slang, and criminal slang are, in turn, open systems. The mutual influ-
ence of different slangs is obvious: each adds to its own lexicon from the stocks of the oth-
ers. Slang is one of the sources of increase to the lexical stock of the Russian language.
The processes of word formation and shifts of meaning that take place in standard
speech proceed very rapidly in slang systems. These processes can be studied and classi-
fied. With this dictionary, linguists can investigate the laws of the birth and spread of slang
expressions in the Russian-speaking milieu.
For scholars and students of Russian language and culture, this dictionary will make it
possible to open or extend important areas of study:
1. The processes by which slang penetrates the standard national language.
2. The processes by which different spheres of slang borrow from one another.
3. The processes of morphological and semantic adaptation of words borrowed from
the European languages.
4. The development of new meanings of words in common use, for example, kole-
bath/zakolebath = lit., to vibrate; colloquially, to irritate, exasperate. Ty men zakolebal
svoimi proshbami, Youve exasperated me with your constant requests (cf. English
vibes).
5. The formation of new slang idioms from widely used proverbs and sayings.
Na baba i zverh beit, Men simply run into a womans traps, from Na lova i
zverh beit, The game simply runs to the trapper.
Vodka na vrag i my e unictoaem, The enemy is vodka, so well utterly consume
it, from the well-known saying of the Stalin years regarding enemies of the people: Esli
vrag ne sdats, my ego unictoaem, If the enemy wont surrender, well utterly con-
sume him.
6. Culture through the prism of words, that is, how culture and everyday life are
reflected in words.
Skommunizdith, to steal, communize, by rhyme-play on spizdith, an obscene
expression for steal, and kommunizm, communism. The expression reflects the sar-
donic popular stance on stealing from plants and factories: there is nothing dishonest in it
since, according to communist doctrine, property belongs to all, that is, to no one.
Glubenik, a KGB agent. From glubokij, deep, and kagebenik or gebenik,
KGB-agent. The expression is based on a jocular interpretation of the abbreviation KGB

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(KGB Komitet gosudarstvennoj bezopasnosti, Committee on State Security) as

standing for Kontora glubokogo bureni, Office of Deep Drillinga place where peo-
ple are occupied in digging, conducting deep investigations.
Prixvatizai, corrupt exploitation of unstable policies on the privatization or dena-
tionalization of plants, factories, and stores. Punning on prixvatith, grab, and
privatizai, privatization. In the absence of stable and enforceable policies, everyone
who had the power started to appropriate, or grab, government propertyMoscow real
estate, factory equipment, and so on by dishonest means.

Organization of the Dictionary

Contents and Organization of Each Entry
A typical entry consists of:
1. The Russian word or phrase, its accentuation, and its chief grammatical forms.
2. Identification of its grammatical category, social sphere, and emotional tone.
3. A definition in standard English, sometimes with suggestions of slang counterparts.
4. A Russian sentence or sentences illustrating the usage of the word or phrase.
5. An English translation of the Russian example. Where possible, corresponding En-
glish slang expressions are suggested. In the many cases where the two languages
and cultures present no such correspondences, the English translations use standard
English or literal renditions of the Russian.

Verbs are listed as imperfective/perfective pairs when possible:

BNITH/POBNITH, crim. To interrogate (lit., to give someone a steam bath). Nas
banili cetyre casa, no my molcok. They grilled us for four hours, but we held our
tongues.
In long verb entries, expressions are organized in the following order: (1) fully conju-
gable expressions, (2) expressions limited to the infinitive, past, present, future, and imper-
ative.

Nouns are listed in the nominative, followed by their genitive ending.

BXTA, -y, f., crim. A dive, den, shabby or illegal establishment (lit., a bay, harbor).
Kto derit tu buxtu? Whos the proprietor of this joint?
In long noun entries, expressions are organized by the case of the noun in the traditional
order (nom., acc., gen., dat., instr., prep.) and in alphabetical order within each case.

Adjectives are listed in the masculine singular, followed by their feminine and neuter sin-
gular endings.
BESPREDLHNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Illegal, immoral (cf. bespredl). Ty cital
bespredelhnu stath o russkix faistax? O nix piut kak o gerox. Have you
read this outrageous article about the Russian Fascists, praising them as if they were
heroes?

Phrases and Idioms

This dictionary not only explains individual words but gives special attention to collo-
quial phrases and idiomatic expressions. How should the user find an idiomatic expression
in this dictionary?
1. If the expression is governed by a conjugable verb, it is listed under the main entry

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for that verb. For example:

dath po arm is listed under davth/dath.
zabivth mozg is listed under zabivth/zabth.
metth ikr is listed under metth/zametth.
In many cases a cross-reference to the relevant verb is provided under another signifi-
cant word in the phrase. For example, a reference to davth is given under ar; to
zabivth, under mozg; and to metth, under ikr.
a. If the verb is optional in the expression, the main entry appears under the noun or
adjective, with a cross-reference from the verb. For example:
(pith/vpith) iz grla is listed under grlo, with a cross-reference from pith/v-
pith.
b. If the verb occurs in a conjugated form (usually imperative) at the head of a fixed
expression, then the main entry is given under the conjugated form, with a cross-reference
from the main listing of that verb. For example:
vozhm s plki pirok is listed under vozhm, with a cross-reference from
brath/vzth.
dli, dognli i ew raz dli is listed under dli, with a cross-reference from
davth/dath.
2. An expression consisting of the nominative form of a noun with an accompanying
adjective is listed under the word beginning the expression. For example:
asflhtova bolznh is listed under asflhtova
ik ptnyj is listed under ik
3. An expression consisting of a declined form of a noun, with or without a preposition
or accompanying adjectives, is listed under the nominative of that noun. For example:
na brovx is listed under brovh
do poroschego vzga is listed under vizg
vs dorgu is listed under dorga
4. A fixed expression not governed by a conjugable verb and including more than a
noun phrase is listed under its first word, regardless of the grammatical class of that word.
Such expressions are, where possible, cross-referenced from a keyword. For example:
glyj Vs nocevl is listed under glyj, with a cross-reference from Vs
na bab i zverh bet is listed under na, with a cross-reference from bab
bez kjfu ntu ljfu is listed under bez, with a cross-reference from kjf
5. An expression containing any of the following obscene nouns is listed under that
noun: govn, pa, pizd, xer, xren, xuj, j.

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PREFACE TO THE SECOND EDITION

Four years have passed since the appearance of the first edition of this work. During this
time, standard Russian has become more receptive to elements of low style. The stream
of slang and colloquial expressions has become very powerful in the mass media and the
literary language.
On television, in political speeches, and in newspapers we now hear and read that some-
body put someone on a hit list (zakazal), that the president was deceived (podstavith), that
there are unsolved murder cases (viscie zakaznye dela), that banks have collapsed
(legli), that profits (navar) are being smuggled abroad (za bugor).
Business language has borrowed from English such terms as kastomer (customer),
diler (dealer), zer (user), broker (broker), sajt (site) and so on.
One cannot fail to notice how many new words and expressions portray Russias politi-
cal and economic situation in dark colors. Besides already familiar terms like
prixvatizai and derhmokrat, we now find bolhoj xlopok (the big grab for priva-
tized property), deputant (combining deputy and prostitute), and pracecnik (money
launderer). Almost all the terms referring to well-known political figures have a negative
character.
Previously, the dominant sources of slang and colloquial expressions were the worlds of
criminals and drunks. Nowadays, the worlds of business, drugs, homosexuality, and prosti-
tution contribute a greater share.
Thus, over the last 10 years, the colloquial and slang elements have expanded the Russ-
ian language with words previously excluded from print and public speech. Speakers and
scholars of contemporary Russian have the unusual opportunity to see the birth and death of
words, and in some cases the revival of forgotten words, condensed from a very short his-
torical period.
This dictionary will be useful for students of Russian as well. The time has passed when
a knowledge of standard Russian could open the doors to the worlds of politics, literature,
and journalism. Today, without a familiarity with the corpus of words presented in this dic-
tionary, without this second language that has not yet reached the pages of textbooks,
access to contemporary Russian political and cultural life will be severely limited.
This dictionary records and explains all the phenomena in the life of the modern Russian
language.

Vladimir Shlyakhov, Eve Adler

Moscow/Middlebury, 1999

PREFACE TO THE THIRD EDITION

Several years have passed since the second edition of this dictionary was published. Dur-
ing this time there have been many events of a violent and warlike character, such as the wars
in Chechnya, Afghanistan, Yugoslavia, and Iraq, as well as the terrorist attacks of September
2001. Words about war and terror have entered our lives and become familiar to us. All this is
reflected in the colloquial language of everyday. That is why the colloquial words and expres-
sions newly collected for this edition are to some extent connected to the world of violence,
war, and suffering the soldiers world. It is a known fact that military slang absorbs words
generously from the worlds of business, politics, race, youth, and organized crime.
Naturally the main corpus of new words was composed of youth, criminal, business, and
computer colloquialisms.
The authors
Moscow/Middlebury 2006

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ABBREVIATIONS

abbr.= abbreviation, abbreviated

acc. = accusative case
adv. = adverb
cf. = compare
collect.= collective noun
crim.= criminal
dat. = dative case
Eng. = English
esp. = especially
euph.= euphemism
f. = feminine
Fr. = French
gen. = genitive case
Ger. = German
Heb. = Hebrew
imperf.= imperfective aspect
indecl.= indeclinable
instr.= instrumental case
interj.= interjection
joc. = jocular
lit. = literally
loc. = locative case
m. = masculine
n. = neuter
neg. = negative
nom.= nominative case
obs. = obsolete
perf. = perfective aspect
pl. = plural
pos. = positive
pred.= predicate, predicative
prep.= prepositional case
sg. = singular
Ukr. = Ukrainian
usu. = usually

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A V GRII VS ESTH, idiom, obs. A
deflating reply to someones claim to
have visited the West (lit., In Greece they
have everything, with the sense Big
deal, So what?).
A EBLO NE TRSNET?, idiom.
Youre being too greedy, youre asking
for or taking too much (lit., But wont
your mouth split?). I ty vse ti
konfety xoceh tolhko sebe vzth,
a ebalo ne tresnet? You mean youre
going to take all that candy just for
yourself? But wont your mouth split?
A ZDNIA NE SLPNETS?,
idiom, rude. See A pa ne slpnets?
under pa.
A OLNI LCE, idiom, joc. From the
words of a popular song: Samolty
xoroo, a oleni luce (airplanes are
okay, but reindeer are better).Pojdm
pekom? Pekom xoroo, a oleni
luce. Poedem na taksi. Shall we go
on foot? On foot is okay, but
reindeer are better. Lets take a cab.
A PO GLOJ MRDE NE XCEH?,
idiom, joc. A threat to hit someone in the
face, to beat up. From a conflation of
Udarith po goloj ope, to hit on ones
bare ass, and morda, face. Tebe vs, da; lit., boarding an enemy ship in bat-
a nam nicego, a po goloj morde ne
xoceh? How come youre taking
everything and leaving nothing for us?
Watch out or youll catch it on your bare
face!
A POTM SUP S KOTM, idiom,
joc. A rhyming nonsense phrase used in
reply to the question What will happen
then? with the sense Its none of your
business or I havent the slightest idea
(lit., And then, cat soup).A cto bu-
det potom, kogda ty vernhs? A
potom sup s kotom. And then what
will happen when you come back?
And then, cat soup.
A TEB PO GUB, idiom. A rhyming
phrase (lit., Youll get it on the lip). You
wont get any, theres none for you! Used
in answer to the question A mne? What
about me?
ABAR, -a, m. Lit., a lampshade. 1.
Head. Uberi abaur, kran ne vidno.
Move your head, I cant see the screen.
2. Buttocks, behind. Skoro tvoj
abaur v dverh ne projdt. [Youre
getting fat] Soon your behind wont fit
through the door.
ABS, -a, m., crim., obs. Twenty kopecks,
a twenty-kopeck piece. Daj emu abas
na xleb. Give him a twenty to buy
bread.
ABZ, -a, m. Lit., paragraph or end of
paragraph. 1. End, death, curtains.
Nu, teperh nam abza, my propali.
Its curtains for us; weve had it now.
2. Damn it! On, abza, tak i ne ot-
dal mne denhgi! He hasnt returned my
money, damn it! 3. Excellent, good, ter-
rific. Nu, kak filhm? Abza! How
was the movie? Awesome!
ABIT, -, f., collect., youth. People
under age 35 who are competing for
entrance to a college (abbr. of abituri-
enty). Gde zdesh spiski abity?
Wheres the applicant list?
ABORD, -a, m. Abortion (from resem-
blance of abort, abortion, to abor-
tle, with reference to the gravity and
irrevocability of the decision to have an
abortion). Cto, reila roath?
Net, pojdu na aborda. So, have you
decided to have the child? No, Im
going to board the enemy ship (have an
abortion).
ABORTROVATHS, imperf. and perf.,
gay. To go to the bathroom (cf. abort,
an abortion). Gde by mono posko-
ree abortirovaths? Where can a
person relieve himself around here?
ABRK, -a, m., neg. A Caucasian; a dis-
honest person, thief, cheater (lit., an
armed horseman of the Caucasus). Na
bazare zdesh abrek na abreke, vse no-
rovt obmanuth. In this market its
just one thief after another, all trying to
rip you off.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 2

ABRTNIK 2

ABRTNIK, -a, m., crim., obs. A horse AGDM SUXJN, m., idiom, joc. A dry
thief. U nas v kamere dva abrotnika wine. From Agdam, the name of a wine,
sidt iz ygan. There are two gypsy and suxe, dry wine (by wordplay on
horse thieves doing time in our cell. Saddam Hussein). Pocm sejcas
AV-V, indecl., crim. Oral sex (lit., bow- Agdam Suxejn? How much does
wow, baby talk for the sound of a dogs Agdam Sukhein cost these days?
bark.) Zna, oni tam av-av zanima- !, idiom. A
ts. Theyre making bow-wow over name of any special service, e.g., Federal
there. Security Service (,
, -, f. Compulsory ). Lit., a mum's-
civil liability insurance for vehicle own- the-word agency. , ,
ers. ... .
. I dont see any use in Well, you know very well that he works
having compulsory liability insurance. for a hush-hush agency!
AVTOMT, -a, m., youth. A passing grade AGENTSSA, -y, f., gay, neg. An
earned in the nonfinal semester(s) of a informer (fem. form of agent, secret
two- or three-semester university course agent). Pri toj agentesse mol-
by a student who, because of good perfor- cok! Mums the word when this agent
mance in the course, is exempted from is around.
the end-of-semester passfail examina- AGRSSOR, -a, m., joc. Womanizer, Don
tion (from avtomaticeskij, auto- Juan (lit., an agressor). tot agressor
matic). Tebe xoroo, u teb odni radi bab gotov na vs. This skirt-chaser
avtomaty, a mne vs sessi ew sda- will do anything to get women into bed.
vath. Youve got it easy with all your AG-AG, adv., youth, joc. On sexually
exemptions, but Ive still got to take all intimate terms (lit., a baby-talk expres-
the finals. sion commonly used by adults cooing at
AVTOPILT: Na avtopilte, idiom, babies; cf. agukath, to talk baby talk).
joc. In a drunken stupor (lit., on automatic Vy s nej ue agu-agu ili ew net?
pilot). Domoj pril na avtopilo- Are you sleeping with her yet or not?
te, nicego ne pomn. I must have AGKA, -i, f., youth, neg. A girl, girl-
come home on automatic pilot; I cant friend; a disparaging word suggesting
remember a thing. that the girl is silly. Ty ew xodih s
AVTOPOLKA, -i, f. A (self-service) toj agukoj? Are you still going out
gas station (lit., an automatic watering with that lightweight?
device for cattle). Benzin na nule, gde ADIT, -a, m., neg., joc. (Distorted form
zdesh avtopoilka? The gas gauge is on of idiot, idiot). A silly person. Xva-
zero is there a service station around tit eptaths, adity spath
here? pora. Cut out the whispering, you
VTOR, -a, m., youth. A person in author- ninnies! Its time to go to sleep.
ity over young people (from avtoritet, ZER, -a, m. An Azerbaijani. U men
authority). Cego on komanduet, on u esth odin znakomyj azer, nicego mu-
vas cto, avtor? Why is he giving ik. Ive got an Azerbaijani friend
orders? Is he some sort of authority whos quite a fellow.
among you? AJ M VRTBAL, idiom, students,
, -, m. Diarrhea, the runs rude, pred. A distorted form of v rot
(from and , to ebal, (see under ebath), imitating the
throw down automatically). , sound of English words (I am), in the
sense of the hell with Aj m
? Do milk and apricots really vrotbal takie razgovory. The hell
make one sick? with that kind of talk.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
3 ALKOFN
AJZ, -v, pl., youth, obs. (1970s). Eyes
(from Eng. eyes). Kakie u nego
ajzy? Golubye. What color eyes
does he have? Blue.
JSBERG, -a, joc. A Jew (lit., iceberg,
playing on the -berg ending of many
Jewish surnames). U nix na rabote
sinagoga: Ajsbergi, Vajsbergi, uker-
many. Theyve got a whole synagogue
in their office Icebergs, Weisbergs,
Zuckermans
AKADMIK, -a, m., crim. An experi-
enced recidivist. Ty ew ne govoril s
akademikom, moet byth, on posove-
tuet, kak byth. You havent talked
with the academician yet; maybe hell
advise you what to do.
AKADMI, -i, f., crim. Prison (with
reference to its being a training ground
for robbers). Popadh v akademi
vyjdeh speom. If you go to prison
(the academy) youll come out a spe-
cialist.
AKADMKA, -i, f., youth. Academic
leave (akademiceskij otpusk) taken by
a student because of illness or family cir-
cumstances. On ue mes v akadem-
ke. Hes been on academic leave for a
month now. Brath/vzth akadmku,
see under brath.
AKVRIUM, -a, m., joc. A place of com-
pulsory overnight incarceration and
sobering up for drunks. On opth v
akvarium popal? You mean hes
landed in the aquarium again?
AKVEDK, -a, m. Penis (lit., aqueduct).
Akveduk rabotaet kak sumased-
ij, vtoroj raz bega v tualet. My
aqueduct is working like crazy, thats the
second time Ive been to the toilet.
AKTV, -a, m., youth, neg. The active
partner in homosexual relations; a homo-
sexual. On cto, aktiv, ko vsem mu-
ikam pristat? What is he, an
active or something, coming on to all
the guys like that?
AKTROVATH, imperf. & perf., crim. To
give sick leave from prison labor. Men
aktirovali na dve nedeli. Theyve
given me two weeks sick leave.
Page 3
AKTIRVKA, -i, f., crim. Sick leave
from prison labor, or early release from a
prison term because of illness (cf. akt-
rovath). On po aktirovke ne rabo-
taet ue mes. Hes been on sick
leave for a month now.
AKTULHNYJ, -a, oe, youth. Popular,
fashionable. Na segodn on samyj
aktualhnyj dizajner. Hes the most
fashionable designer these days.
ALEKSNDROVSKIJ ZDIK, -ogo,
-a, idiom, Petersburg, joc. A gay/lesbian
meeting place. From Aleksandrovskij
sad, the Alexander Gardens near the
Admiralty in St. Petersburg, by wordplay
on sad, garden, and zad, buttocks.
LIK, -a, m. A drunkard. On alik
zakoncennyj. Hes a confirmed
drunk.
ALK, -a, m., neg. A drunkard. On pre-
vrawaets v nastowego alka. Hes
turning into a real drunk.
ALKRIK, -a, m., joc. A drunkard. Vse
vy-alkariki. You guys are just a
bunch of drunks.
ALK, -, m., rude. A drunkard. Cto
s nego vzth, on e alka! What can
you expect of him? Hes just a drunk.
ALKMN, -a, m., youth, joc. A heavy
drinker, drunkard (from alkogolh and
Eng. man). Alkmny u magazina
ue s utra krutts. Those alc-
men have been hanging around the
liquor store since the crack of dawn.
ALKONVT, -a, m., joc. A drunkard
(alconaut, by wordplay from astro-
naut). Nu cto, alkonavty, pora v
polt. Well, alconauts, time for take-
off (cf. v polte under polt).
ALKOT, -, f., collect., rude. Drunks, a
group of drunks. A nu, bystro iz
podqezda, alkota proklta, zdesh
vam ne pivna! Get out of the lobby,
you damned drunks. This isnt a bar!
ALKOFN, -a, m., youth, joc. A heavy
drinker, habitual drinker (from alkogolh
and Eng. fan). Sprosi u alkofanov,
gde kupith portvejn. Ask the alco-
fans where to get some cheap wine
around here (referring to local experts
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
ALKNIK
on the sources of liquor).
ALKNIK, -a, m., rude. A drunkard.
On obzatelhno podvedt; na takix
alkunikov ne nadejs. You can be
sure hell let you down; you cant rely on
drunks like him.
ALLX: Allx s kem-l.! idiom. Let
someone have it his own way (lit., Allah
be with someone). Ne xoceh idti v
gosti, Allax s toboj. So you dont
want to pay a visit? Okay, have it your
way. Nu teb k Allxu, idiom. The
hell with you, damn you (lit., To Allah
with you!). Skolhko mono teb
prosith, nu teb k Allaxu! How
many times do I have to ask you, damn
you!
LLES! interj., youth. Thats all! Enough!
(from German alles). Ty vs skazal,
bolhe sluath teb ne mogu, alles!
Youve already said your say. I wont
listen to another word enough!
ALRE, alra, m. (f. alrka, -i),
youth. An Italian. Cto tebe skazal
vcera tot alore? What did that Ital-
ian guy say to you yesterday?
ALTRH, -r, m., crim. A judges bench
(lit., church altar). Kto tam segodn
za altarm? Whos behind the altar
(on the bench) today?
ALHFNS, -a, m., neg. A man living at a
womans expense. Kak ty terpih
togo alhfonsa, on teb razorit!
How can you bear that parasite? Hes
milking you dry!
ALHFONSROVATH, imperf. only, neg.
To live at a womans expense (cf. alh-
fns). I davno on alhfonsiruet?
Has he been Alphonsing long?
ALRA, -y, f., crim. A female member of
a gang. U teb znakomyx alr mno-
go, poprosi kogo-nibudh prodath ti
vewi. You know a lot of molls; ask one
of them to fence these things.
ALSKA, -i, f. A warm coat with a fur-
trimmed hood (from Alaska).
viu, u teb nova alska. I see
youve got a new Alaska.
AMRA, -y, f., crim. A prostitute. to
mesto stonki amar. This is a regular
Page 4
4
beat for prostitutes.
AMBL, -a, m., neg. A strong, thickset fel-
low, thug, muscle-man. Otkryva
dverh stoit ambal. So I open the
door, and theres this big brute standing
there.
AMBLISTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Coarse,
strong, thickset (cf. ambl). Mu u ne
u bolhno ambalistyj. Her husband
is awfully brawny.
AMBLHNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Coarse, strong, thickset (cf. ambl).
Vse druzh u nego ambalhnye cuvaki.
All his friends are real jocks.
AMBRAZRA, -y, f., joc. Buttocks,
behind (lit., embrasure). Ambrazuru
prikroj, gosti idut. Cover up your
ass, were having visitors.
AMBA, -y, m. & f., neg. A dull, boring
person (lit., an amoeba). Opth nado s
tim amboj razgovarivath, ot skuki
sojdh s uma. Talking to that drip can
drive you out of your mind with bore-
dom.
AMERIKN, -a, m., joc. An American.
Delath im tam amerikanam v Bos-
nii necego. The Americans have no
business meddling over there in Bosnia.
, -
, idiom, army.
Heavy seas (lit., American mountains,
referring to a roller coaster).
, ,
. There goes
the wind again, and these heavy seas
everyones seasick.
AMMONL, -a, m., crim. Bread (lit.,
explosives). Ammonal esth, luk esth,
cto ew nado? Weve got bread and
onions what more could we need?
AMORLKA, -i, f., obs., Soviet. Publicly
punishable immoral behavior, usually
drunkenness or sexual irregularities.
Ego nado gnath s raboty za amo-
ralku. Hell have to be fired for moral
turpitude.
AMROM, adv., crim. Quickly. to
nado sdelath amorom, poka nikogo
net. Weve got to get this done fast,
while the coast is clear.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 5
, -, f. A bottle of liquor (lit., an ANDERGRUND, -a, m. (From Eng.
ampule). , underground.) 1. obs. Non-conformist
. I think another few art of the Soviet period. Andergraund
bottles of booze will do for all of us.
AMRCIK, -a, m., crim. The protector
of a gang of women thieves (from Fr.
amour). U teb amurcik esth, nado
pomoch odnomu celoveku. Youve got a
protector can you get help for a guy I
know?
ANAKNDA, -y, f., neg. A nasty,
venomous woman, a scolding wife (lit.,
anaconda).Tvo anakonda rugath
teb ne budet za malhcinik?. Is
your anaconda going to bawl you out for
out stag party?
ANALIZTOR, -a, m., joc. A toady,
ass-licker (from analhnoe otverstie,
anus, and lizath, to lick; punning on
analiz, analysis). On u nas glavnyj
analizator. Hes the head ass-licker in
our department.
ANALOGCNYJ SLCAJ byl. . . ,
idiom, joc. The opening of an expression
of mocking disbelief (lit., something
similar happened). Ty slyal, na
proloj nedele u nas nad Moskvoj
tarelki letali. Analogicnyj slucaj
byl v Afrike s moej korovoj. Have
you heard? We had flying saucers here
over Moscow last week. Oh, yeah?
Something similar happened in Africa
with my cow.
ANANS, -a, m., youth, neg. A masturba-
tor (lit., a pineapple; by wordplay on
onanist, onanist). Pocemu on s de-
vukami ne xodit, v ananasy zapi-
sals, cto li? How come he doesnt
go out with girls? Has he joined up with
the onanists or something?
ANGR, -a, m., joc. Buttocks, behind (lit.,
hangar). Smotri, kakoj ty sebe
angar otrastil. Look how fat your
behind has got!
ANGIDRT TVO PREKISH MR-
GANA, idiom, joc. Euphemistic swear-
word playing on the similarity between
chemical terms and the obscenity edrit
tvo math. Kuda del casy, angid-
rit tvo perekish margana! Where
the anhydrite did I put my watch?!
ue vsem na Zapade nadoel. In the
West this underground kind of art is out
of fashion. 2. Writers or artists con-
sidered counter-cultural, marginal, or
oppositional. Na andergraund sej-
cas ispolhzuet vo vs internet i
rugaet vs i vs. Our counter-culture is
using the internet to denounce every-
thing.
ANDRJ VOROBJ, idiom, joc. A
teasing rhyming phrase for people named
Andrei (lit., Andrei the sparrow).
ANDRJ! DERI XER (XUJ)
BODRJ!, idiom, rude. A teasing
rhyming phrase for people named Andrei
(lit., Andrei, carry your prick more
boldly!)
ANDRPOLH, -, m., joc., obs., Moscow.
The KGB building in Lubyanka Square,
built in the 1970s (by wordplay on
akropolh, acropolis, and Andropov,
Andropov).
ANDRXA! XER TEB V XO, idiom,
rude. A teasing rhyming phrase for
people named Andrei (lit., Andrei, a prick
in your ear!)
ANONMKA, -i, f., obs., Soviet. An
anonymous letter of denunciation. V
poslednee vrem ego zamucili anonim-
kami, piut, cto on spit s ameri-
kankoj. Thereve been some anonym-
kas against him recently saying that hes
been having an affair with an American.
ANTBUS, -a, m., youth. A medication for
alcoholism. Ty e prinimal antabus
i opth za svo, phh sutkami.
There you go drinking round the clock
again, even after your treatment.
ANTNWIK, -a, m., youth, neg. A mas-
turbator. Emu baby do lampocki, vid-
no, antenwik. Women are nothing to
him; apparently hes an onanist.
, -a, m. Vodka (lit., anti-
chills). ,
. Take a glass of
vodka to avoid catching cold.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 6

, -, m. Pills that neu- from the Caucasus; from a Georgian term

tralize the smell of alcohol (lit., anti- of address, pal or buddy). Ty
policeman). - znaeh togo aru? Do you know that
. Take an anti-police pill Caucasian fellow?
and hit the road. ARP, -a, m., crim. & youth, neg. A
ANTIFJS, -a, m. The behind, buttocks cheeky, insolent person. tot arap
(from Eng. face). Takoj antifejs svoego dobhts, naglyj kak tank.
ni v kakie dinsy ne vlezet. A That brazen fellow will always get what
behind like that wont fit into any pair of he wants; hes as pushy as a tank.
jeans. ARXISY, -ov, pl., joc. Scrotum, balls
ANTKA KARTKA!, idiom, (lit., peanuts). Ne otmorozh araxisy,
joc. A teasing rhyming phrase for boys na ulie moroz. Its cold out, dont let
named Anton (lit., Anton is a potato!) your balls get frostbitten!
ANTRAT, -a, m., crim. Narcotics (lit., ARBT, -a, m., youth. Work (from Ger.
anthracite). Ugowajs, to antra- Arbeit). Sejcas arbat koncu i poj-
it. Help yourself to some anthra- dm. Im going to finish work in a
cite. minute and then well leave.
APPART, -a, m. 1. An automobile. Cej ARBZ, -a, m., joc. Lit., a watermelon. 1. A
to apparat stoit vo dvore? Whose potbelly, big paunch. Kogda ty uspel
car is that in the yard? 2. joc. Male geni- takoj arbuz otrastith? When did
tals. Cto-to apparat bolit, nado k you manage to put on such a potbelly?
vracu sxodith. Ive got a pain in the 2. One billion rubles. to ue stoit
apparatus; Ive got to see a doctor. ne limon, a arbuz. With our inflation
, -, f. An applied computer that costs a billion now, not a million.
program. ARBZ RASTT, A KNCIK SX-
. I need to install this NET, idiom, joc. Lit., The melons
very program on my computer. growing but the stem is shriveling. Said
APROPINDS, -a, m., youth, neg. A of an aging man who gains weight and
mess, disaster, trouble. U nego v semhe loses sexual potency.
polnyj apropindos. His family is ARISTOKRT, -a, m., crim. A high-
falling apart. ranking thief. Pusth aristokrat
skaet svo mnenie. Lets hear the
APROPINDSITHS, perf. only,
aristocrats opinion.
youth, neg. To be cheated, tricked.
Budeh prodavath mainu, smotri, ARKNITH/ZAARKNITH. (From
apropindosihs. Make sure you arkan, lasso.) To catch, force, lasso
dont get ripped off when you try to sell into. Men zaarkanili na dve nedeli
your car. rabotath na dace. Theyve roped me
into working at the dacha for a couple of
APTKA, -i, f. A personal supply of nar-
weeks.
cotic drugs (lit., a pharmacy). Kaka u
teb apteka, davaj pojmaem kajf. RKTIKA, -i, f., joc. A bald crown (lit.,
What do you have that we can get high arctic). U teb sama bolha ark-
on? Kak v aptke, idiom. Exactly, tika sredi nas vsex. Youve got the
accurately (lit., as in a pharmacy, with ref- biggest bald patch of all of us!
erence to pharmaceutical scales). Vot ARMDA, -y, f. The army (lit., the
vse denhgi, perescitaj. Xoroo, armada). Nu kto sejcas xocet slu-
zdesh kak v apteke. Heres the money. ith v armade? Nobody wants to
Count it. Good. Youre running things serve in the army today.
as accurately as in a pharmacy. Druth ARMN, -a, m., neg. An Armenian.
s aptkoj, see under druth. ARMKA V PE (PPE)
RA, -y, m. A Caucasian (i.e., a person DEREVKA, idiom, rude. A teasing
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
7 AFGNKA
rhyming phrase for an Armenian (lit., An
Armenian with a piece of wood up his
ass).
ARNLHD, -a, m., youth, joc. A brawny
bodybuilder, a muscular but dumb fellow
(from Arnold Schwarzenegger). U to-
go Arnolhda odin sport na ume. That
jock has nothing in his head but sports.
, regular space cadet, going for months
idiom. A useless job (lit., the wasted
labor team). o ASFLHTOVA BOLZNH, idiom,
. Digging joc. Pavement sickness. Used of one
ditches in this sand is simply wasted
labor.
ARTILLRI, -i, f., crim., joc. Lice
(lit., artillery). U nas artilleri za-
velash, nado v ban sxodith. Weve
got lice; wed better go have a bath.
ARN, -a, m. 1. joc. A tall, thin person.
2. youth. A measure of marijuana.
ASK! interj., youth. Of course! It goes
without saying! (from Eng. ask). Ty
pridh sluath popsu? Ask! Are
you going to the pop concert? Of
course! ith na ske, see under
ith.
ASKTELH, -, m., youth, neg. Someone
who is always asking to borrow things.
tomu askatel xvatit davath
vzajmy. Dont loan any more money to
that moocher.
SKATH/SKNUTH, youth. Cf. ask.
1. To ask for. Askni u nego poltin-
nik. Ask him to loan you fifty rubles.
2. To ask. Pojdm asknem, gde mo-
telh. Lets ask where the motel is.
SKER, -a, m., youth. Someone who habit-
ually borrows money or things (cf. ask).
Ty u nas asker cto nado, dostanh
nemnogo deneg. Youre the master
moocher here, so see if you can raise
some cash for us.
SKI, -ov, pl., youth. Problems, ques-
tions, objections (cf. ask). Kakie
mogut byth aski? Idm v gosti i vs.
What objections could there be? Were
going to the party and thats all there is to
it.
ASKORBNKA, -i, f. A vitamin C tablet
(lit., an ascorbic). Kupi askorbinki, u
Page 7
vsex avitaminoz. Youd better buy us
some ascorbettes we all have a vita-
min deficiency.
ASTRL, -a, m., youth. An eccentric, an
unsociable person who acts strangely
(from astralhnyj, astral). Ty sov-
sem ivh, kak astral, nikogo mes-
ami ne vidih. Youve turned into a
without seeing anyone.
with facial bruises from falling or fight-
ing while drunk. U teb vs lio v
arapinax, to cto asfalhtova
boleznh? Your face is all scratched up
whats wrong, a little pavement sick-
ness?
AT, interj., crim. So long, good-bye.
Nu, ata, uvidims cerez denh. So
long. See you tomorrow.
ATAND! interj., crim. Watch out! A
warning of danger (from Fr. attendez).
Atande! Kto-to idt! Watch out!
Someones coming!
ATS, interj., youth. A warning of danger.
Atas! Milii! zakrical kto-
to. Watch out! The police!, someone
cried.
ATSNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Excel-
lent, extraordinary. U nego atasna
maina. Hes got a fantastic car.
TOMNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Lit.,
atomic. 1. Strong. to atomnye siga-
rety. Those are strong cigarettes. 2.
Excellent, extraordinary. Kogda ty
kupil to atomnoe palhto? When
did you buy that fabulous coat?
UT, -a, m., crim. & youth. Death, end
(from Eng. out). Emu skoro aut
budet, on vsex zaloil. Hes in for it
now hes betrayed everyone. V
ute, idiom. Out cold, unconscious. On
ue v aute, mnogo vypil. Hes out
cold already from all that liquor.
AFGNE, afgna, m. A veteran of the
Afghanistan war. A razve ty ne znal,
cto on afgane? Didnt you know
hes an Afganetz?
AFGNKA, -i, f., army. A type of army
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
AFA
jacket with a lot of pockets. Sigarety
vozhmi tam, v afganke. Get the
cigarettes from my afganka.
AFA, -i, f., crim., neg. A fat face (lit.,
a poster). Nu i afia u nego, rt,
navernoe, xoroo. Look at the fat face
on him evidently hes eating plenty.
Afa vanna, idiom, joc. A good-
for-nothing, incompetent person (lit., a
chewed-up poster). Cto s teb vzth,
afia vanna, tak i znali, cto
ty ne sumeeh dostath vina. You
schlemiel, I should have known you were
incapable of getting hold of a bottle of
Page 8
8
wine.
AROVFL, -i, f., youth. Oral sex.
ta speialist po arovaflm.
She specializes in blowjobs.
ARODRM, -a, m., joc. A large, round,
flat cap worn by Caucasians (lit., an air-
field). Zacem ty tot arodrom
kupil? What did you buy that airfield-
cap for? Arodrm v les, idiom, joc.
A bald spot (lit., a landing strip in the
woods). A u teb arodrom v lesu
povils. Youre getting a noticeable
bald spot.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 9

B
BBA, -y, f., neg. A woman. Baby ego women got together yesterday they
lbt. Dames like him. Kak nad- started up with the gossip.
neh Adids, teb lb bba dast, BAGNIK, -a, m., joc. Rear end,
see under kak. behind (lit., trunk of a car). Uberi svoj
, -, f. A blow, stroke (from baganik, sesth negde. Move your
, the sound of an explosion). behind; theres no room to sit.
- BZA, -y, f., crim. 1. A (thieves) den.
. With Pojdm na bazu, tam vyphem. Lets
that dirty collar, youre in for a slap from go back to base-camp and have a drink.
the sergeant. 2. A powder for throwing into the eyes of
BABXNUTYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Crazy pursuers (typically made of ground
(from babax, the sound of an explosion). tobacco and pepper). Na vskij slu-
On slegka babaxnutyj, ne obiajs caj vozhmi s soboj bazu. Take some
na nego. Hes a little crazy dont be baza with you just in case.
offended by him. BAZR, -a, m., neg. Noise, commotion.
BABXNUTHS, perf. only, youth. To go Koncaj bazar, nicego ne slyno.
crazy. On sovsem babaxnuls. Hes Cut out the noise. I cant hear myself
completely taken leave of his senses. think.
BAB, bab, m., joc. A woman. Ona BAZR-VOKZL, -a, m., collect., joc. Lit.,
babe nicego. Shes not a bad-looking bazaar-station. 1. A mess, a dirty place.
woman. Na bab i zverh bet, see Davaj uberm tot bazar-vokzal.
under na. Lets clean up this pigsty.
BABNIK, -a, m., joc. A womens get- 2. Chatter, empty talk. Nadoel va
together, coffee-klatsch, girl-talk. Oni bazar-vokzal, pora spath. Enough of
ustraivat babenik v sredu. your yakkety-yak, its time to go to sleep.
Theyre having a girl-talk session on BAZRITH/POBAZRITH. Cf. bazr.
Wednesday. 1. To quarrel, argue. Oni ue bazart
BBKI, bbok, pl. Money. Na ti poldn. Theyve been arguing half the
babki nicego sejcas ne kupih. You day already. 2. To talk, converse. O
cant get anything for that money any cm bazarite? What are you guys talk-
more. Otbivth/otbth bbki, see ing about here?
under otbivth. BAZRNYJ, -a, -oe. Cf. bazr. 1.
, -, n. Money, cash (from , Noisy, disorderly. Na takie bazarnye
money). , sboriwa ne xodok. I dont like this
. Nowadays you can nei- sort of noisy gathering. 2. Quarrelsome,
ther die nor be born without money. hostile. Nu raz poli bazarnye raz-
BBOCKA: Nocn bbocka, see under govory, di draki. Once the angry
nocn. words start there are sure to be fistfights.
BABUN, -a, m., joc. A woman. (Playing BAZL, -a, m., youth. An argument, a loud
on bba and babuin, baboon. tot conversation. Za vaim bazlom nice-
babuin strana kak smerth. That go ne slyno. I cant hear a thing over
baboon is ugly as hell. your yelling.
BBUKA, -i, f., homosexual. An elderly BAZLNITH/ZABAZLNITH, neg. To
homosexual (lit., a grandmother). yell, bawl (cf. bazl). Xvatit bazla-
BAB, -, f., rude. A woman. A to nith, ne gluxoj! Stop yelling. Im not
cto za baba? Whos that woman? deaf!
BABH, -, n., collect., neg. Women. BAZLTH/ZABAZLTH, neg. See
Sobralosh vcera odno babh, naca- bazlnith.
lish srazu spletni. As soon as the , -, f. Nonsense, fantasy; ,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 10

BAJKL 10

. , BALABL, -a, m., neg. A babbler, liar.

. Ne verh tomu balabolu! Dont
Were sick and tired of your bullshit! believe that liar.
There arent any aliens and there never BALABLITH/POBALABLITH,
were. joc. or neg. To babble, to talk nonsense.
BAJKL, -a, m., crim. Weak tea (from Tebe by tolhko balabolith. You
Lake Baykal, a large, clear lake in just like to run off at the mouth.
Siberia). Zavari caj, da ne delaj BALABLKA, -i, m. & f., neg. Someone
Bajkal, kak v prolyj raz. Put up who babbles a lot. Ne sluaj ty tu
some tea, but dont make Baykal like balabolku! Dont be taken in by that
last time. babbler.
BAK: Zabivth/zabth bki, see under BALKATH/POBALKATH, joc. To
zabivth. talk, have a conversation (from Ukr.
BKENY, -ov, pl. Sideburns (by word- balakath). Otojdm, pobalakath
play on baken, buoy, and bakenbardy, nado. Lets step outside; I need to have a
sideburns). Podrovnj bakeny, oni talk with you.
raznye. Even up your sideburns, one BALAMT, -a, m., neg. Someone who
side is longer than the other. stirs up trouble, a practical joker, a tease,
BAKLAN, -a, m., rude. Penis (lit., an a telltale. Cto ew pridumal tot
eggplant). Baklaan u teb vyros, a balamut? What prank has that joker
uma ne pribavilosh. Youve got an thought up this time?
adult penis but an infantile mind. BALN, -a, crim. Timber, logs. Skoro
BAKLN, -a, m., neg. 1. crim. A hooligan, polt nas balany katath, tam ne
a rude or thuggish person. x vy, bak- saxar. Theyre sending us to roll logs
lany, u vas odni draki na ume. Hey, down the river thats no picnic.
you thugs, brawling is the only thing BALNDA, -y, f., neg. Bad-tasting food,
youve got on your mind. 2. south. A soup. Sama eh tu balandu, kto
provincial; an ignoramus. O cm govo- tak gotovit! Eat that stuff yourself!
rith s takim baklanom, kak ty. Thats no way to cook.
What can a person talk about with a BALD, -, f., crim. 1. Drugs, marijuana
country bumpkin like you! (from baldth). U teb balda neplo-
BAKS, -a, m. A dollar; money (from Eng. xa, gde bral? Your dope is pretty good
bucks). Baksy nuny do zarezu. I where did you get it? 2. The moon.
need some money very badly. Baldy net, nicego ne vidno.
, -, m. 1. A bribe (from Per- Theres no moon; you cant see a thing.
sian). , Bez bald, idiom. Seriously, without
, . If kidding. govor bez baldy. Im not
you want him to help you, youd better kidding about this.
bring him a tip. 2. Army. The explosion BALD, -a, m. Cf. baldth. 1. A drink-
of an enemy shell (lit., gift). ing bout, drinking party. Vcera u nas
, , . byl bald do noci. Last night we
Theres another gift, but its far off drank until the small hours. 2. pred. use.
just aimless shelling. Something excellent or outstanding,
BLA, -y, f., crim. Bread. Sadish, eh; someone impressive or pleasing. U nego
vot bala, salo. Sit down and eat vse konerty splonoj bald!
heres some bread and sausage. All his concerts are terrific.
BALABS, -a, m., crim. Sausage. Pere- BALDNIK, -a, m., neg. A drunkard or
daj svoim, pusth prilt kilo bal- drug addict (cf. baldth). Opth
abasa. Tell the folks to send me a kilo of tot baldnik doma ne noceval.
sausage. That drunk didnt come home again last
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
11
night.
BALDNYJ, -a, -oe. Good, excellent.
Sejcas baldna pogoda, idm
pogulem. The weathers gorgeous
lets take a walk.
BALDNH, -, m., neg. A nickname for
the rightist newspaper Denh, (by word-
play on balda, blockhead). Ot Bal-
den obaldeth mono, vsku cuh
nesut. The Balden can drive you crazy
with all the nonsense they print!
BALDTH/ZABALDTH. 1. To get
drunk. Ty sovsem zabaldel, idi
domoj. Youre completely drunk. Youd
better go home. 2. To be ecstatic, enrap-
tured. ot ego pesen balde. Im
crazy about his songs.
BALDXA, -i, f., crim. The sun (cf. bal-
d 2.). Poka baldoxa svetit, nado
rabotath. Weve got to do the job
while the suns shining.
BALERNA, -y, f., crim. A set of
thieves tools (lit., a ballerina). Vozhmi
balerinu, prigodits. Take the balle-
rina; well need it.
BALERN, -a, m. 1. A male ballet dancer.
On rabotaet v opernom teatre, on
balerun. Hes a dancer with the
opera company. 2. neg. A light-minded,
unserious person. tot balerun ra-
botath ne lbit. That flighty fellow
doesnt like to work.
BALKN, -a, m., joc. A large behind,
large buttocks. U ne ne zad, a balkon.
Thats not a behind shes got its a
balcony.
BALLN, -a, m., business. 1. Credit to be
returned in full (not by installments) (lit.,
balloon). My naberm k srede denhgi,
nado vesh ballon otdath. Well raise
the money by Wednesday, when the
whole balloon comes due. 2. Big belly,
potbelly (lit., container, tank).
, . bananas in your ears! The other said,
Ive got to lose weight; I cant get my
pants up over my potbelly.
BALTJSKIE TRUS. See semjnye
trus.
BALTIMR KML, idiom, youth, joc.
Page 11
BNBER
The name of a Russian brand of cheap
cigarettes. Lit., Baltimore Camel,
giving an English-sounding twist to the
brand-name Belomor-kanal, White Sea
Canal. U men tolhko Baltimor
Kml, budeh? All Ive got are some
Baltimore Camels, would you like one?
BAMBKOVYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Stupid,
foolish (by wordplay on dunduk, fool,
and bambuk, bamboo). Davno ne
slyal takix bambukovyx recej.
Thats the stupidest thing Ive heard in
ages.
BAMN, -a, m., crim. A gathering of
homosexuals. Kogda u gomikov bamon
sobiraets? When are the gays having
their get-together?
BMPER, -a, m., neg. Buttocks (lit.,
bumper of a car). Vesh bamper otsi-
del, poka k vam doexal. The trip to your
place took so long that my behind fell
asleep.
BAN, -a, m., crim. A train station (from
Ger. Bahn). Vstretims na bane v
semh. Lets meet at the station at seven.
BANN, -a, m., youth. 1. A penis (lit.,
banana). Cem ty enwin berh? U
teb krome banana nicego net. How
do you manage to attract women? Youve
got nothing going for you but your
banana. 2. A bad grade (a 1 or 2 in the
five-point system). Kak tebe udalosh
naxvatath stolhko bananov? How
did you manage to get so many poor
grades?
BANNY, -ov, pl., obs. Trousers that
taper at the ankles (lit., bananas). Sej-
cas nikto ne nosit banany. No one
wears those banana pants any more.
BANNY V UX, idiom, joc. Of
someone with poor hearing. Lit., Bananas
in the ears. This is the punchline of the
following joke: One man approached
another in the street: Youve got
What?! Youve got bananas in your
ears! The other took the bananas out of
his ears and said: Excuse me, I cant
hear you. Ive got bananas in my ears!
BNBER, -a, m., crim. A crowbar for
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BNDA
break-ins. Podaj banber, zamok ne
mogu otkryth. Give me the crowbar
I cant open the lock.
BNDA, -y, f., youth. A rock band (play
on Eng. band and Russian banda,
gang). Kto igraet v vaej bande?
Whos playing in your band?
BANDN, -a, m., youth. A neckerchief,
bandana.
BANDERLG, -a, m., joc. A monkey
(from Kiplings Mowgli). Vy, bander-
logi, xoro kricath. Stop carrying on
like a bunch of monkeys!
BANDERLH, -i, f., crim. A roll of bills,
bankroll (lit., a postal parcel) Ty cto,
razbogatel? zametil, u teb ban-
derolej tuki tri. What happened,
you struck it rich? I noticed you were car-
rying three rolls of bills.
BNDERA, -i, f., neg. The madam of a
whorehouse or the female proprietor of a
place for gambling, drinking, and so on;
generally, a woman of dubious respect-
ability. Ctob tu banderu v mom
dome ne videl! I dont want to see that
madam in my house.
BANDTSKA PL DOSTLA,
idiom, joc. Lit., I was hit by a bandits
bullet; used as a banteringly evasive
explanation of a wound. U teb golova
zabintovana, cto s toboj? Ban-
ditska pul dostala. How come
your head is bandaged like that? Oh, I
was hit by a bandits bullet.
BANDRA, -y, f. A big, heavy thing (from
bandura, a Ukrainian musical instru-
ment). Nu i bandura tot kaf, kak
ty dumaeh zatawith ego v dom?
This chest is a back-breaker! How do
you plan to get it into the house?
BNITH/POBNITH, crim. To interro-
gate (lit., to give someone a steam bath).
Nas banili cetyre casa, no my
molcok. They grilled us for four hours,
but we held our tongues.
BNKA, -i, f. A bottle of liquor. Idm
ko mne, u men esth dve banki. Lets
go to my place; Ive got two bottles.
Pod bnkoj, idiom. Drunk. Vcera
ty silhno byl pod bankoj. Yesterday
Page 12
12
you were really stewed. Derth bn-
ku, see derth ves under derth.
Razdavth bnku/bnocku, see raz-
davth.
BNKI, bnok, pl., youth. A womans
breasts (lit., jars, jugs). Posmotri,
kakie u ne banki! Look at the boobs
on her!
BANKR, -a, m., homosexual. 1. A rich
lover. 2. An active homosexual.
BNNA DVKA, -i, f., idiom, homo-
sexual. A homosexual who looks for
partners in public baths.
- , idiom,
army. A bath day (lit., a bath and glass
day, used as a reference to the possibility
of a drink after bathing).
- , -
. Tomorrows a bath day,
weve got to stock up on beer.
BN, -i, f., crim. Interrogation (lit., steam
bath). Zavtra u nego ban, podskai,
cto emu govorith. Hes going in for a
grilling tomorrow. What do you think he
should say?
BAOBB, -a, m., joc. A fool (lit., a baobab-
tree). Nicego ty tomu baobabu ne
vtolkueh, ne tot slucaj. Theres
no way that baobab will understand what
youre trying to say.
BARABN, -a, m., joc. A belly (lit., a
drum). Nabili svoi barabany, mar
spath! Okay, youve stuffed your
bellies, now off to bed!
/. To
serve in the army (lit., to drum).
10 ,
. I served for
ten years as a frontier guard, now Id like
to serve closer to home.
BARABNNA PLOCKA, idiom,
crim., neg. A woman who has a venereal
disease (lit., a drumstick). davno
podozreva, cto ona barabanna
palocka. Ive suspected for a long time
that shes got the clap.
BARABNWIK, -a, m., youth. An
informer, betrayer. My vs ravno
uznaem, kto zdesh barabanwik. Were
going to find out whos the informer
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 13
13
here.
BARN, -a, m., neg. A stupid and stubborn
person (lit., a ram). Ty baranom byl,
baranom i ostals; teb trudno v
cm-libo ubedith. Youve always
been a mule and you still are; its hard to
convince you of anything.
BARNKA, -i, f. Lit., a small bagel. 1. dri-
vers. A steering wheel. On vs iznh
za barankoj. Hes been behind the
wheel his whole life (i.e., hes always
worked as a driver). 2. sports. A zero
score. Vy xoroo vystupili, a u nas
baranka za nevku. You did well,
but we were given a zero by disqualifica-
tion. Krutth barnku, see under
krutth3. Polucth/polucth barn-
ku, see under polucth.
BARNKI GNU!, idiom, joc. A rhyming
phrase used in evasive response to a
question introduced by Nu! (lit., Im
bending bagels). Nu, i zacem ona tebe
nuna? Nu, nu, barabki gnu! What
you you need her for?! Its none of
your business.
BARTHS/POBARTHS, rude. 1. To
copulate. Xvatit baraths, pora za
um braths. Enough screwing around
its time to get down to business.
2. To be deeply occupied with something,
to work on a difficult matter. Ustal
baraths s timi bumagami. Im
exhausted from messing around with
these papers.
BARBS, -a, m., crim., neg. A prosecutor
(lit., a mutt, mongrel). Men opth k
barbosu vyzyvat. Theyve sum-
moned me before the prosecutor again.
BARDK, -k, m., neg. 1. A whorehouse.
Sejcas v Moskve mnogo bardakov.
There are a lot of whorehouses in
Moscow nowadays. 2. A disorderly place,
a mess. Cto za bardak u teb zdesh?
What a pigsty youre living in here!
Razvodth/razvest (ustrivath/
ustrith) bardk, see under razvodth.
BARDCITH/NABARDCITH, neg.
1. To make a mess. Kto zdesh nabar-
dacil? Who made this mess here?
2. To have a wild party, esp. with sex.
Oni bardacat u nego na kvartire.
Theyre having a bash over at his apart-
ment.
BARDCNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. 1. Dirty,
disorderly. Pocemu takoj bardacnyj
vid, pocisti odedu. Why are you
looking so sloppy? Fix up your clothes.
2. Disorganized, absentminded. Celo-
vek on bardacnyj, nicego ne pomnit.
What an absentminded fellow! He never
remembers anything.
BARDACK, bardack, m. The glove
compartment of a car (from , some-
thing completely disorganized). -
, -
, .
I had so much junk in my glove box that I
couldnt find my registration when I got
pulled over.
BARKA, -j, pl., neg. Members of the
rightist nationalistic organization led by
A. Barkashov (by wrorldplay on alk).
BRMA, -y, f., youth, neg. Cheap wine,
home brew. U nas barmy xoth
zalejs! All weve got is cheap wine,
but at least theres plenty of it.
BARMALJ, -, m., school. An un-
pleasant person (lit., Barmalej, the name
of a character in a fairy tale by K.
Chukovsky). tot barmalej ne
ucit, a mucit. That nasty guy is a
torturer, not a teacher.
BARSK, -k, m., crim. 1. A young homo-
sexual (lit., a badger). Ty cto, v bar-
suki zapisals? Whats with you
have you joined up with the badgers?
2. An enemy sharpshooter (lit., a badger).
, .
Our men have been tracking that badger
for two weeks, but they havent managed
to flush him out.
BARXA, -i, f., youth, neg. A woman of
loose behavior, an easily available
woman, a prostitute. Ty znaeh von
tu baruxu? Do you know that floozy
over there?
, idiom.
Recent bloodless revolutions in former
Soviet Republics such as Ukraine and
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BARGA
Georgia (lit., Velvet Revolution, referring
to soft revolutions or revolutions with-
out bloodshed).
BARGA, -i, m., neg. 1. A vendor, mer-
chant. Kupi sigarety u togo barygi.
Buy some cigarettes from that huckster
over there.
BASMC, -, m., neg. An inhabitant of
Central Asia (lit., a bandit).
BASTLI, -ii, f. The skyscraper of
Moscow State University.
BAS, -v, pl., youth. A womans breasts
(lit., bass notes, as on an accordion). U
ne basy cto nado. Shes got quite a
pair of boobs.
BATL, -a, m., youth. A bottle (from Eng.
bottle). U nas kak raz na batl vina.
Weve got just enough money for a bot-
tle of wine.
BTNIK, -a, m., youth. See bton.
BATN, -a, m., youth. 1. A father. Ba-
ton doma? Is your dad home?
2. A passerby, outsider, bystander.
Otkuda tot baton k nam pri-
bils? Where did that guy come from?
Hes not one of us. Kroth batn,
see under kroth. 3. A rubber police
truncheon (lit., a French bagette).
, bali? What do you need money for?
. Youve never BALTH/ZABALTH, crim. To pay.
tasted the long loaf, thats why youre
so brave.
BTON(-DUN), -a, m., youth, obs. A
button-down shirt (from Eng. button-
down). U teb neploxoj baton.
Thats a nice button-down shirt youre
wearing.
BTHKA, -i, m. Ukr. 1. A father. Tvoj
bathka ne boleet? Is your dad sick?
2. A boss, manager. Na bathka po-
vysil nam zarplatu. Our boss gave us
a raise.
BXATH/BXNUTH. To drink. Davaj
za teb baxnem. Lets drink to your
health.
BATH/SBATH. 1. To play (a musi-
cal instrument) (from ba, the sound of
striking). Sbaaj nam cto-nibudh
vesloe. Play us something cheerful.
2. To dance. tot tane sbaa s
Page 14
14
podrugoj. Im going to dance this one
with my girlfriend. 3. To make, prepare
(food). My sejcas sbaaem cto-
nibudh zakusith. Lets make ourselves
something to eat.
BALLA, -y, f., youth. A cheap type of
cigarette. Daj xoth odnu baillu, u
men vse koncilish. Let me just have a
bacilla Im completely out of ciga-
rettes. Balla s nppelem, idiom,
youth, joc. A filter cigarette (from nip-
pelh, a mechanical nipple.) U teb
bailly s nippelem? Daj pokurith.
Do you have filter cigarettes? Lets have
a smoke.
BA, -a, m., youth. Profit, income. Tvoj
ba limon. Your share of the profits
is a million rubles.
BAK, -, f. A head. Cto-to u men
baka trewit. Ive got a splitting
headache. Sek(r) bak kom-l.,
idiom. (Someone) is in hot water, is in
danger of severe punishment (lit., cut off
someones head; a grammarless phrase
mimicking Tatar language). Mne za
to sekir baka. Uh-oh its going
to be off-with-my-head for this.
BLI, -ej, pl. Money. Zacem tebe
Skolhko ty zaball za kostm?
How much did you pay for that suit?
BN, -i, f. 1. A tall building (lit., a
tower). On ivt v bane okolo
rynka. He lives in that tower near the
market. 2. A tall person. On po
sravneni s toj banej prmo kar-
lik. Hes a midget compared with that
tower. 3. Head (lit., tower).
, . Watch
your head; the ceilings are low in here.
B , idiom (lit., to lose ones
tower, head).
, .
About abnormal or crazy behavior.
, , ,
? Whats with
him, has he lost his head, who goes to pick
mushrooms in the middle of the night?
BAN, -a, m., crim. A syringe (lit.,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 15
15
an accordion). Daj mne svoj ban, a
to moj slomals. Let me have your
syringe; mine is broken.
BGATH1/POBGATH po snniku, idiom,
crim. To rob sleeping passengers at night
in railroad stations or trains. On ew
begaet po sonniku? Is he still special-
izing in robbery of sleeping passengers?
BGATH2/SBGATH po-bstromu. See
xodth/sxodth po-bstromu under
xdth.
BEGN, -a, m., business. A messenger in
the stock exchange (lit., runner). Po-
li beguna k Gazpromu, beru bumagi na
10,000. Send a gofer over to Gasprom, I
want 10,000 rubles worth of shares.
BED, -, f., crim. Drugs, narcotics (lit.,
troubles). Beda koncilash, nado ew
prikupith. Were out of dope; well
have to buy some more.
BEZ BULD, idiom. Joking aside, in all
seriousness. Ladno, bez buldy, gde
ty byl vcera? Okay, all joiking aside,
where were you last night, really?
BEZ BUMKI TY KAKKA,
idiom. Without documents youre shit.
Ctoby polucith pasport, u men
net vsex dokumentov. Da, bez buma-
ki ty kakaka. I havent got all the
papers necessary for getting a passport.
Well, without documents, youre shit.
BEZ KJFA NTU LJFA, idiom.
Without fun theres no life (cf. kajf).
Cto s toboj? Kaets, u teb odni
gulhki na ume? Bez kajfa netu laj-
fa. Whats with you? It seems all you
think about is having fun. Without fun
theres no life.
BEZ PL-LTRA NE RAZOBRTH-
S, idiom, joc. Lit., It cant be under-
stood without half a liter (of liquor).
Used in protest at difficulties, complica-
tions. Vy tak naputali v certeax,
cto teperh bez pol-litra ne razo-
braths. Youve made such a mess of
the drawings that now I cant understand
them without half a liter.
BEZ PONTI, idiom. Stupid, ignorant.
On bez ponti v selhskom xozj-
stve. In agriculture hes an ignoramus.
BZDNIK
BEZ PT KAK SPRLI (KAK
SVSTNULI), idiom, joc. Lit., Five
minutes to when-they-stole-it. Used in
reply to What time is it? in the sense I
dont have a watch, I dont know.
BEZ RUBKI BLIE K
MKE, idiom, rude. A rhyming
phrase referring to sexual relations. Lit.,
Without ones shirt one its closer to
Mary, playing on the proverbial
expression Svo rubaka blie k
telu, Ones own property/interests
come first (lit., ones own shirt is closest
to ones body). Nu kak tam u nix, bez
rubaki blie k Make? Whats
going on between them? Is it a case of
The less clothes, the closer to Mary?
BEZ MA I PLI, idiom. 1. With
caution, discreetly (lit., without noise and
dust). tix mafiozi nado vzth bez
uma i pyli. We have to take every
precaution in arresting those mafiosi. 2.
Carefully, accurately, precisely. Vy vs
provernuli bez uma i pyli. You
negotiated that business just right.
BEZALKOGLHNA BORMOTXA,
idiom, obs. A nickname for M. Gor-
bachev (lit., alcohol-free cheap wine).
BEZANDESTND, indecl., pred., youth.
Ignorant, incompetent (from Eng. under-
stand). v fizike bezandestend.
In physics Im an ignoramus.
BEZARBZIE, -, n., joc. Disorder (lit.,
watermelonlessness, by wordplay on arbuz,
watermelon, and bezobrazie, disor-
der). Cto za bezarbuzie vy zdesh
ustroili? Soberite igruki i idite
obedath. What a mess youve made here!
Pick up your toys and come to dinner.
, -, -. Crazy, reck-
less (lit., without a tower). ,
a? I dont get it. Why have teen-
agers become so reckless?
BEZVRKOVYJ, -a. Unemployed
(from Eng. work). I davno ty
bezvorkovyj? Have you been out of
work for long?
BZDNIK, -a, m., youth. Birthday (by
wordplay from Eng. birthday and
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BEZDNNYJ
prazdnik, holiday). U teb segodn
bzdnik? Is today your birthday?
BEZDNNYJ, -ogo, m., crim., neg. A
tirelessly active, unrelenting homosexual
(in prison life) (lit., bottomless). Sej-
cas tot bezdonnyj opth prista-
vath nacnt. Heres that bottomless
pit making advances again.
, -, n. Silliness, stupidity therell be white bread for dinner.
(lit., impassable roads). BLOE NESMLOE, KRSNOE
, NAPRSNOE, VDKA V SRD-
. But this is sheer idiocy! E PRM NAVDKA, idiom, joc.
Were digging trenches in a swamp!
BEZLODNYJ, -a, -oe. 1. Poor,
without resources (lit., horseless). On
vs prodal, teperh bezloadnyj, ni
daci, ni doma. Hes sold everything,
now hes a complete pauper: no house, no
dacha. 2. Without ones car. Segodn
bezloadnyj, vypith mono. Im
not on wheels today, so I can have a few
drinks.
BEZMAZNK, -, pred. use, youth, neg.
Something pointless, useless (cf. mza).
Tuda exath bezmaznk! Theres no
sense in going there.
BEZMZOVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
1. Useless, pointless. to bezmazova
poezdka. This is a pointless trip.
2. Bad, unpleasant. Podruga u teb
bezmazova. Your girlfriend is not a
nice person. 3. Unlucky. U nas sovsem
bezmazovyj denh. Weve had terrible
luck today.
BEZNADGA, -i, f., youth. A hopeless sit-
uation. Nasct enithby u men
polna beznadga. I havent got a
chance of marriage.
BEZNL, -a, m. A non-cash transaction
(by bank transfer, check, credit card, etc.)
(from beznalicnyj, not in cash [cf.
nalicmn]; in Russia it is usual for all
private transactions, even the purchase of
a car or home, to be conducted in cash).
rasplacush beznalom. Ill pay you
on account.
BJY, -v, m., youth, rude. Testicles
(from Heb. beytzim, eggs; cf. ja).
Tebe nado bejy otorvath za tvoi
dela. You deserve to have your balls
Page 16
16
ripped out for what youve done.
Krutth bjy, see krutth ja
under j.
BELNSKIJ, -ogo, m., youth & army.
White bread (by wordplay on belyj,
white, and Belinskij, Belinsky).
Segodn prazdnik, znacit, budet
belinskij na obed. Todays a holiday
A rhyming phase used in praise of vodka
(lit., white wine is timid, red wine is in
vain, but vodka goes straight to the heart).
BLOCKA, -i, f. and m. 1. A fussy person
(lit., a little squirrel). Segodn , kak
belocka, bega vesh denh, to v
detskij sad, to za pokupkami, to na
rabotu. Im running around like a
squirrel today taking the kids to
kindergarten, doing the shopping, and
going to work. Blocka bolhn,
idiom, usu. in womens speech. Mad,
crazy (lit., a sick squirrel). A vs
rabota, stira, ubira, kak beloc-
ka bolhna, ni minuty otdyxa. Here
I am madly working, cleaning, doing
laundry not a minutes rest. 2. Delir-
ium tremens, the shakes (from
, a wordplay on , a
squirrel, and , white).
, , -
. Hes got the DTshes been
yelling commands all night.
BLOCNIK -a, m., crim. A thief special-
izing in stealing linens off clotheslines
(from belh, linens). This specialty has
been particularly lucrative at times of
linen shortages, as in the early 1980s.
to rabota belocnika, unesli vs
belh so dvora. This is a professional
job all the linens have been stolen
from the yard.
BELGA, -i, f., crim. Silver. (Playing on
belyj, white, and beluga, beluga.
Noi iz belugi? Are the knives
silver?
, idiom, army. A
female mercenary sharpshooter in Chech-
nya (lit., white pantyhose; from a rumor
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 17

17 BESPREDL

that such mercenaries wore white panty- bers of such a squad (lit., a birch tree).
hose). Na uliax segodn berzy mnogo.
, . There are a lot of birches patrolling the
Whenever Russian soldiers catch a female streets today.
sharpshooter, they kill her on the spot. BERZKA, -i, f., obs. In Soviet times, a
, idiom. Poorly brewed, store selling goods for hard currency (lit.,
weak tea (lit., white nights, referring to a little birch tree). Berzki zakrylish
period of summertime in Northern Russia v 1988. The beryozkas were closed in
where it remains light outside almost all 1988.
night long). , , , -, m. Girls, chicks (from
, , . , birch tree).
Thats not tea; it doesnt have any color ? Will there be chicks at
to it, let alone taste. The best word for that the party?
is white nights. BERZOVYJ, -a, -oe, obs. Purchased
BLYJ MEDVDH, idiom. A mixture of for hard currency in a beryozka (cf.
vodka and champagne (lit., a white bear). berzka). to berzovyj vidik.
Prigotovh belyj medvedh, xocet- This video player is from a beryozka.
s ophneth. Make a white bear and / , idiom. To
lets get drunk. avoid trouble, to stay calm (lit., to watch
BLHMA, belhm, pl., rude. Eyes (lit., the electric phase).
white spots, cataracts). Belhma u ne , .
zlye. Shes got nasty eyes. Vykty- Dont fight with your wife every day,
vath/vkatith blhma, see under vy- its bad for your nerves.
ktyvath. Ubirth/ubrth blhma, BERMDY, -ov, pl., youth. A type of
see under ubirth. swimming trunks (from Eng. Bermuda
BEMS. 1. interj. Exclamation at something shorts). U teb bermudy cto nado!
unexpected. Stali igrath v karty, Thats a nice pair of Bermudas youre
bems, sto rublej kak ne byvalo. We wearing!
started a card game, and, poof! I lost a BRTA, -y, f., homosexual. The Belorussia
hundred rubles. 2. m., indecl. Tumult, Railroad Station in Moscow, as a meeting
alarm, ruckus. Vcera na tanax takoj place for gays (lit., Bertha).
bems ustroili, milii rastas- BES, -a, m., neg. A boss, director, manager
kivala. At the dance last night there was (lit., devil, demon). Cto to za bes
such a row that the police came. poexal na merse? Whos that
, indecl. 1. Noise, disorder. demon in the Mercedes?
, , - BSKA, -i, f., army. A sailors cap.
. Dont start car- Letom beski belye, zimoj crnye.
rying on! We may still find your papers. In summer they wear white caps, and in
2. Bad luck, trouble. , , winter black.
BESPLTNIK, -a, neg. A passenger on
. And then, shit! A couple of sol- public transportation who hasnt bought a
diers with automatics just ran out of our ticket. Sejcas vse v avtobusax
unit. besplatniki, dorogo platith. These
BERDNA, -y, f., crim. A package sent to days, tickets have become so expensive
a prisoner from relatives or friends. that everybody tries to freeload.
Cto u teb v berdane? Kolbasa BESPLTNO: Za bespltno teb i v
esth? Whats in your package? Is there li ne plnut, see under za.
any sausage? BESPREDL, -a, m., neg. Lawlessness,
BERZA, -y, f., collect. youth, neg., obs. A violence (lit., unlimitedness). U nix v
citizens auxiliary police squad; the mem- rote bespredel. In their unit com-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BESPREDLOVO
plete lawlessness reigns.
BESPREDLOVO, n., indecl., pred. use,
neg. See bespredl.
BESPREDLHNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Ille-
gal, immoral (cf. bespredl). Ty
cital bespredelhnu stath o rus-
skix faistax? O nix piut, kak o
gerox. Have you read this outrageous
article about the Russian Fascists, prais-
ing them as if they were heroes?
BESPREDLHWIK, -a, m., neg. A crimi-
nal, lawbreaker (cf. bespredl). tot
bespredelhwik i ubith moet. That
criminal is capable of murder.
, idiom, Vygoni togo bzduna, dyath ne-
army. A death (lit., an indefinite dis-
charge). , - impossible to breathe. 2. A coward.
. Didnt you togo bzduna v razvedku ne vozhmu.
know he was killed a year back?
BETONOMELKA, -i, f., army, joc. A
helicopter (lit., a cement mixer). ta
betonomealka k nam? Is that heli-
copter coming our way?
BENSTVO MTKI, idiom, neg.
Nymphomania (lit., womb madness). U
ne cto, beenstvo matki, na vsex
muikov kidaets? Whats with her, a
case of womb-madness? Look how shes
throwing herself at all the guys!
BKATH/BKNUTH. 1. To flick
repeatedly, as a cigarette lighter. Xva-
tit bikath, gaz koncits. Stop
flicking the lighter; its running out of
lighter fluid. 2. To spray, as cologne,
insect repellent. Bikni na men
tvoj odekolon. Spray some of your
cologne on me.
BZDELVO, n., indecl., youth, rude. Cf.
bzdeth. 1. Verbal abuse, insult.Na
men tvo bzdelovo ne dejstvuet.
Your insults dont affect me at all. 2.
Report, denunciation.Ch to bzde-
lovo dolo do direktora? Whos the
rat who reported to the director?
BZDETH/NABZDTH, crim. and rude.
1. To fart. Kto zdesh tak nabzdel?
Who laid that fart? 2. To be afraid.
Ne nado bzdeth, tebe nicego ne
budet. Dont be scared nothings
going to happen to you.
Page 18
18
BZDILOVTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Cow-
ardly (cf. bzdeth). Takim bzdilo-
vatym u nas v rote delath necego.
Theres no place for such a coward in
our unit.
BZDNUTH: Ni bzdnuth, ni prdnuth,
see under ni.
BZDNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Cf. bzdeth.
1. Frightening, horrifying. to bzdo-
nyj filhm. Thats a terrifying movie.
2. Unpleasant, repellent. ti bzdo-
nye reci sluath ne xocu. I dont
want to listen to your disgusting talk.
BZDUN, -n, m., rude. 1. One who farts.
cem. Get that farter out of here. Its
Im not taking that chickenshit fellow on
this mission.
BZDYK, interj., youth, neg. Exclamation
about an unexpected and unpleasant
event. A tut, bzdyk, ona trebuet
eniths. And then, out of the blue,
she asked me to marry her.
BZDYM: Ne bzdym! idiom, rude.
Theres nothing to be afraid of. Ne
bzdymo, prorvms! Dont worry
were going to make it!
, , m. Tooth (lit., tusk).
, -
, , . Get a
look at those teeth! Id be surprised if he
brushed them once a month!
BGOVYJ, -a, -oe. Big (from Eng.
big). Kaka bigova daca! What a
big country house!
, -, f. Businesswoman
(usually used ironically or with a negative
connotation).
,
,
. She calls herself a busi-
nesswoman but none of us can figure out
what it is she does all day.
, -, m. Corrupted police-
man (a wordplay on and
, businessman and a cop.
,
. See .
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 19

19 BLATAT

I need to find me a dirty cop who will BTHS, imperf. only. To match to, to
take a little incentive and get me my car correspond. Ty govorih, cto ne
inspection certificate without me having trogal ego, no to ne bhts s ego
to stand in line. (In Russia, car inspec- sinkami. You say you didnt lay a
tion certificates are handled by the hand on him, but that doesnt square with
police). his bruises.
BIKER, adv., crim. Quickly (from BITG, -g, m., joc. A man of strong
Heb./Yiddish bekitzer).Davaj ots- build (lit., a type of draft horse). A ty,
da bikier, skoro zdesh budut menty. takoj bitg, xoth by pomog! Why
Lets get out of here quick; the police dont you give me a hand, a big strong
will be here any minute. fellow like you!
BKSA, -y, f., crim. A prostitute. Ty BIC, -c, m., neg. A vagrant (from Eng.
tu biksu znaeh? Skolhko bert? beachcomber). On davno bic, u nego
Do you know that prostitute? How much deneg net. Hes been bumming around
does she charge? for a long time; he has no money.
, -, m. A casual acquain- BICEVTH/ZABICEVTH, joc. Cf.
tance with a woman, a pick-up (see bic. 1. To be a vagabond, live as a tramp,
and ). bum around. Davno bicuete? Have
, , you been bumming around like this for a
. You do whatever you like, Im long time? 2. To be idle, live in idleness.
going to pick up some girls for the night. Ty, viu, bicueh, na rabotu ne
BNBER, -a, m., crim. A thieves crowbar xodih. I see youre a bum; you dont
for forcing doors and windows. Davaj go to work.
binber, okno ne otkryvaets. Let me BICVKA, -i, f., youth, neg. A female
have the crowbar; I cant open the win- vagabond (cf. bic, with play on bicvka,
dow. a hempen rope). Ty kto taka,
BIR, -a, m., youth. Beer (from Eng. beer). bicvka, cto li? What are you, some
BIRK, -, n., youth, joc. Beer (from Eng. kind of tramp?
beer). Birko ew ne zavozili? BICVSKIJ, -a, -oe. Vagabond (cf.
Didnt they ship in any more beer? bic). Nadoela mne bicevska iznh.
BIRLTH/POBIRLTH, youth, joc. To Im tired of this hobo life.
eat. Cto-to birlth xocets. Lets
BLAT, -a, m. 1. Secret thieves language,
have a bite to eat.
thieves cant, argot. A ty tot blat
BISSEKTRSA, -y, f. A bisexual (lit., znaeh? Do you understand this
a bisector, playing on biseksual, bi- argot? 2. Connections, influence, protec-
sexual). tion. U men esth blat v magazine:
, , collect. Long hair dostanu vs, cto nado. Ive got con-
(from the Beatles). , - nections at that store; I can get whatever I
, , need there. Po bltu, idiom. Illegally,
. by circumventing rules or laws through
Even we officers cant wear our hair that personal influence, bribes, and so on.
longyoull have to trim those tresses. Men ustrot po blatu na rabotu,
BTYJ, -a, -oe. Experienced, toughened ne volnush. Im not worried Ive
by experience. On tak prosto na to got connections at work. Blat v grode,
ne pojdt: on bityj. He wont agree idiom, crim. An official who takes bribes
to that so easily hes an old hand. (lit., a connection in town). U teb
BITH po mozgm, idiom, neg. To annoy blat v gorode esth? Mne nuen novyj
(lit., to beat in the brains). Vyklci pasport. Do you have a connection in
tu muzyku, tak i bht po mozgam. town? I need a new passport.
Turn off that music; its annoying me. BLATAT, -, f. collect., neg. Gangsters,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BLATNJ
hooligans, criminals. Opth ta bla-
tata deboirit. There go those
hooligans making a row again.
BLATNJ, -go, m., neg. 1. A criminal.
Ot blatnyx net proxoda. There are
so many criminals around that its impos-
sible to go out on the streets. 2. One who
uses influence, connections, or bribes to
get a job, obtain entrance to college, and
the like. On kzameny sdast, on e
blatnoj. Hell do fine on his entrance
exams his connections are taking care
of him.
BLATOVK, -a, m. See blatnj.
BLAT-XTA, -y, f., crim. A place of ille-
gal or seedy activities, such as gambling,
prostitution, and drinking. Tut nedale-
ko esth blat-xata, tam mono ot-
doxnuth. Theres a den around here
where we can take a break.
BLATGA, -i, m., neg. See blatnj.
BLEVTH/BLEVANTH, rude. To
vomit. Men blevath tnet, kogda
ego slua. I feel like vomiting when-
ever I hear his voice.
BLEVONTN, -a, m., rude. Vomit; any
disgusting, nauseating substance. to
ne sup, a blevontin. This isnt soup;
its vomit.
BLEVTINA, -y, f., rude. 1. Vomit.
Ch v tualete blevotina? Ubrath
nado. Whose vomit is this in the toilet?
It has to be cleaned up. 2. Trash, junk.
ta kniga blevotina. This book
is trash.
BLEKOT, -, f., rude. 1. Vomit. Ne
xodi tuda, tam blekota. Dont go
over there; someone vomited. 2. Trash,
garbage, nonsense. tu blekotu o
nej sluath ne xocu. I dont want to
listen to that trash about her.
BLE K TLU, idiom, joc.. Request to
speak more directly, more to the point.
Lit., closer to the body, by wordplay on
Blie k delu, more to the point. Nu
davaj, blie k telu, cem delo
koncilosh? Come on, dont beat
around the bush, what was the outcome?
BLIN, -, m., rude, euph. 1. An expression
of annoyance, displeasure (lit., pancake;
Page 20
20
by alliteration with bldh). Opth
denhgi zabyl vot blin! I forgot the
money again oh, sugar! Blin
gorlyj, idiom, joc., euph. Damn it (lit.,
burnt pancake). Ty, blin gorelyj,
pocemu ne pozvonil vcera? Why the
hell didnt you call yesterday? 2. Com-
pact disk, CD (lit., pancake).
, ? Whats recorded
on this CD, a movie?
BLIN, -v, pl., crim. Counterfeit bills
(lit., pancakes, from the method of cook-
ing them up). On po-prenemu dela-
et bliny? Is he still cooking up pan-
cakes?
BLOND, -, f., youth. A blond. Po-
dojdi von k toj blonde, sprosi tele-
foncik. Ask that blond over there for
her phone number.
BLONDNKA, -i, f. Vodka. Cto ty
vzl? Blondinku. What did you
buy? Vodka.
, -, m. A bedroom (wordplay
on , boudoir, and , to
have promiscuous sex).
, ,
. Shes got soft music and
dimmed lamps in her bedroomevery-
thing for an intimate atmosphere.
, -, -. Light blue.
, . Dont
put on that blue skirt, the color is not
right.
BLMATH/BLMNUTH, rude. Ukr.
1. To blink the eyes (as in confusion, per-
plexity.) Ne blymaj glazami, govori,
cto nado. Dont stand there blinking
your eyes say what you want. 2. To
blink, flicker (of an electric light, flash-
light, etc.). Smotri, tam fonarh
blymaet. Look theres a light blink-
ing.
BLK, -a, m., youth. A black person,
African (from Eng. black). Na tom
tae naix net, odni blki. None
of our kind live on this floor only
blacks.
BL. See bldh.
BLDKI: Xodth/pojt na bldki, see
under xodth.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 21
21
BLDOVTH/POBLDOVTH, rude.
To whore around (cf. bldh). Nu ty i
lbih bldovath. Youre too fond
of whoring around.
BLDOVTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Sexually
active or overactive (cf. bldh). Mu u
ne takoj bldovityj, ni odnoj
bki ne propustit. Her husband is
such a tail-chaser, he cant let a single
skirt go by.
BLDOXD, -a, rude. Spring fever,
spring as the season of stepped-up erotic
activities (by wordplay on ledoxod, the
breaking up of river ice in the spring, and
bldh). Skoro v mae bldoxod nac-
nts, budet ne do zantij. Spring
fever will begin soon, in May how will
anyone be able to study?!
BLDSTVO, -a, n., rude. 1. Sexual
promiscuity (cf. bldh). Ona bld-
stvom ue davno zanimaets. Shes
been sleeping around for a long time
already. 2. Immorality. S ego storo-
ny tak postupath nastowee
bldstvo. That kind of behavior on his
part is simply immoral.
BLDUVR, -a, m., youth, rude. An
avenue (bulhvar) for promenading, girl-
watching, picking up girls (cf. bldh).
Ty budeh na blduvare? Will you
be out on the avenue looking for a
pickup?
BLDUGN, -a, m., rude. A womanizer,
skirt-chaser (cf. bldh). Zacem ty
men poznakomila s tim blduganom,
on srazu nacal ko mne pristavath.
Why did you introduce me to that skirt-
chaser? He started coming on to me right
away.
BLDUGNTSVO, -a, n., rude. Cf.
bldh. 1. Sexual immorality, sexually
immoral behavior. Skolhko mono
zanimaths blduganstvom? Its
about time to cut out this libertine life!
2. Any kind of immoral behavior; diffi-
cult, obstructive social conditions. Vez-
de odno blduganstvo, nikto ne sci-
taet nas za ldej. Were getting
screwed from every side; no one treats us
like human beings.
BLDN, -n, m., rude. A womanizer,
BLXA-MXA
skirt-chaser. Zacem on tebe nuen
bldun tot? What do you see in that
womanizer?
BLDNH, -hi, f. See bldn.
BLDH, -i, f., rude. 1. A loose woman.
ta bldh spit so vsemi podrd.
That slut sleeps with everybody.
2. Exclamation of extreme annoyance.
Zamolci, ty mne nadoel, bldh!
Shut up, damn it, Im sick of you! Ne
bldh, a golbcik, idiom, rude. Used in
response to the word bldh. Dont talk
that way, dont call me names (lit., [Im]
not a whore but a darling). Vot, bldh,
ty opth cepuxu govorih. Ne
bldh, a golubcik. There you go with
your nonsense again, damn you! Dont
damn me, Im a darling. Portva
bldh, see under portva. Posldn
bldh, see under posldn.
BLDH NERSSKA, idiom, rude. A
stupid person, an idiot (lit., a non-Russian
whore).
BL, -a, m., joc. A beach where girls can
be picked up (by wordplay on pl,
beach, and bldh). Davaj snimem
kogo-nibudh na ble? Shall we go
pick up some girls at the beach?
BLKATH/BLKNUTH, neg. To talk
inadvisedly or out of turn, to chatter, bab-
ble irresponsibly. Ne znaeh tolkom,
v cm delo, ne blkaj. You dont
know what its all about, so dont just
babble.
BLMBA, -y, f. 1. A whatchamacallit,
esp. something round. Cto to za
blmba? to telefonnyj adap-
ter. Whats that thing-a-ma-jig?
Its a telephone adapter. 2. A bump, a
swollen bruise. Kto tebe postavil
blmbu? Who gave you that bump? 3.
A stamp, a seal. Postavh blmbu na
bumagu. Stamp that document.
BLNDNKA, -i, f., rude. A whore,
prostitute (by wordplay on blondnka,
blond, and bldh). Vidih tu
blndinku, tawi e v postelh. See
that blond floozy? You can get her into
bed.
BLXA-MXA, interj. Damn it (an
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BOB
expression of extreme annoyance, euph.
for bldh; cf. blin). Vot, blxa-
muxa, opth avtobus opazdyvaet!
Damn it all, that bus is late again!
BOB, -, m., crim. A cartridge, round of
ammunition (lit., a bean). U teb
skolhko bobov k avtomatu? How
many rounds of ammunition do you have
for your automatic?
BBIK, -a, m., neg. An unknown and
unattractive person (from a widespread
pet name for a dog). Kadomu bobiku
davath vypith ne obzan, ne pri-
vodi neznakomyx ldej v dom. I dont
have to serve drinks to any stray who
happens along! Dont bring strangers to
the house.
BBIK SDOX (I LPKI KVRXU),
idiom. Its all over, its the end (lit.,
Bobik is dead, [with his paws in the air]).
Vs s delami na segodn, bobik sdox,
po domam. Okay, enough of this
business for today. Bobik is dead, lets go
home.
BBKA, -i, f., crim. A shirt. Ty mne
bobku porval, plati! Youve ripped
my shirt youll have to pay for it.
B-B, interj., joc. Painful, sore (imitating
baby talk for bolhno, painful; cf. Eng.
boo-boo). Ty mne sdelal bo-bo,
izvinish. You gave me a boo-boo. Say
youre sorry.
BOBR, -, m., crim. A manifestly rich per-
son, as an object of theft (lit., a beaver).
togo bobra xoroo by podoith v
karty. This beaver would be a good
mark for a card game.
, -, Money (lit., beans). with his work the next morning.
. I am in desperate need Interesno, on opozdaet na rabotu
of money.
BOG: V Bga du math, see under v. Vs
ne slva Bgu, see under vs.
BOGODLHN, -i, f., neg. Lit., a poor-
house. 1. A disorderly, undisciplined
workplace. U vas ne zavod, a bogodelh-
n, kogda xoceh prixodi, kogda
xoceh uxodi. This isnt a factory,
its bedlam, everyone coming and going
at will. 2. A shabby, underfunded office.
Brosaj svo bogodelhn, laborato-
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22
ri perexodi v bank rabotath.
Quit that poorhouse of a laboratory of
yours and go to work in a bank.
BODTHS, imperf. only, neg. To butt in,
interfere (from bodath/bodnuth, to butt
with the horns). Lbih ty bo-
daths, kogda ne nuno. You like to
butt in where youre not wanted.
BODN: S bodun, idiom. Having a hang-
over, suffering from a hangover. Ty,
viu, so stranogo boduna, gde vy
vcera pili? You seem to have an awful
hangover! Where did you guys go drink-
ing last night?
BODCIJ, -a, -oe. Obstreperous, irri-
table. Cto ty segodn takoj bodu-
cij? Why are you so out of sorts
today?
BODGA, -i, f., neg. Nonsense, a bore, a
drag. On nicego interesnogo ne ska-
zal, odna bodga. He didnt say any-
thing interesting, just a lot of hot air.
BODITH/RAZBODITH, youth.
To prepare narcotics for use. Kto raz-
bodit to na vsex? Wholl get this
stuff ready for us to use?
BOEGOLVKA, -i, f. A penis (lit.,
warhead). Boegolovka k bo gotova!
My warhead is ready for battle! (i.e. I
have an erection.)
BOEKOMPLKT, -a, m. Liquor (lit., mil-
itary kit). Boekomplekt v poezd
berm? Are we taking some liquor for
the train trip?
BO, boj, m., pos. A brave fellow,
good soldier; said of one who drinks a lot
without ill consequences, who carries on
posle vceranego? Net, on boe.
I wonder if hell be late to work after
yesterdays party? Certainly not, hes
a real trouper.
BH KORVKA, idiom, crim. Nar-
cotics (lit., ladybug). U kogo esth
boh korovka? Pokurith xocets.
Who has some ladybug? I feel like a
smoke.
BOJ, -, m., crim. Playing cards, a pack of
cards (lit., a battle). U kogo boj esth,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
23
sygraem? Whos got a pack of cards?
Lets have a game.
BOJ-BBA, -y, f., idiom. An agressive,
decisive woman. ta boj-baba vsego
sama dobhts. That battle-ax gets
whatever she sets her mind on.
BOJNA, -y, f. Buttocks, ass (lit.,
embrasure, gun-hole). Vs bojniu
otsidel, poka doexali. The trip was so
long that my ass got numb.
BOK, -v, pl., crim. A watch (lit., sides,
from the rounded shape of a pocket
watch). Kotoryj cas, u teb boka
esth? What time is it? Have you got a
watch?
BOKOVK, -a, m., business. An addi-
tional side contract for spurious
services (from bok, side). Tut boko-
vik nuno pridumath, naprmu
doroga sdelka polucaets. Well
have to come up with a side contract,
otherwise the deal will cost us too much.
BOKSR, -a, m., crim. A police official,
the head of a residential district (lit.,
boxer, prize-fighter). Prixodil bok-
sr, interesovals toboj. The
boxer came by here asking about you.
, -, m. An idiot, a fool (from
, idiot).
. Nowadays jour-
nalists are one idiot after another.
BOLT, -, m., rude. A penis (lit., bolt, as in
nuts and bolts). U men cto-to bolt
bolit. Ive got a pain in my tool.
Zabivth/zabth bolt na cto-l., see
under zabivth.
BOLT TEB V GLTKU, idiom, rude.
Damn you! Up yours! Bolt tebe v
glotku, a ne butylku. No ones going
to give you a bottle, damn you!
BOLTNKA, -i, f. 1. Turbulence, rough
air. Skolhko ni leta, takoj
boltanki ew ne videl. Ive never
seen such turbulence in all my years of
flying. 2. youth. Homemade narcotics.
BOLTTH (CESTH, TREPTH) zy-
km, idiom. To babble, talk nonsense.
Tebe lih by zykom poboltath.
You babble too much.
BOLT-MSTER, -a, m., crim. A penis
Page 23
BOLHJ XAPK
(lit., bolt-master). Cto-to s bolt-
mastera kaplet, ne tripper li? Ive
got a discharge from my bolt-master
maybe its the clap?
BOLTN NAXDKA DL PI-
NA, idiom, joc. Lit., A chatterbox is a
godsend for a spy. This was the caption
of a widely known World War II poster;
used colloquially to mean Dont gos-
sip, I wont gossip, I wont tell.
Ty znaeh, s kem on spit? Bol-
tun naxodka dl piona. Have
you heard who hes sleeping with?
Dont gossip! A chatterbox is a godsend
for a spy.
BOLTKA, -i, f., youth. A narcotic sub-
stance, drug. Oni dostali nemnogo
boltuki. They got hold of a little
dope.
BOLHN DRNH, idiom, crim., neg.
Drugs of poor quality (lit., sick trash).
Ty to gryzlo ne trogaj, bolhna
drnh, proboval. Dont buy that
dope. I tried it its trash.
BLHE SKROSTH MNHE
M, idiom. Its better to go fast. Lit., the
higher the speed, the fewer the potholes.
Used as a retort to the saying Tie
edeh dalhe budeh, The slower
you go, the further you get. Kuda ty
tak gonih? Bolhe skorosth
menhe m. Where are you speeding
like that?! The more speed, the less
potholes.
BLHE SKROSTH MNHE
M I RESSRY PO XUM, idiom,
obs. A rhyming phrase used as a retort to
the preceding entry. Lit., The higher the
speed, the fewer the potholes but your
suspension gets fucked up.
BOLHEVK, -a, m., business. A big,
well-established bank (lit., a Bolshevik,
playing on bolhoj, big). Inkom-
bank bolhevik, emu nikakoj kri-
zis ne straen. Inkombank is a real
Bolshevik no financial crisis can shake
it.
BOLHJ XAPK, bolhgo xapk,
m., idiom, neg. Lit., the big steal, by
wordplay on Bolhoj Skacok, the
Chinese Great Leap Forward. 1. The
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BMBA
Revolution of 1917. 2. The unfair
privatization of the 1990s. Posle bolh-
ogo xapka rodilish novye russkie.
The big steal of state property gave birth
to the New Russians.
BMBA, -y, f., neg. An obese woman (lit.,
a bomb). ena u nego bomba. His
wife is a bomb.
BOMBTH/PROBOMBTH, youth. To
engage in dishonest business, to make
money by deceit. Oni poli na ry-
nok bombith priezix. They went to
the vegetable market to rip off the farm-
ers. Bombth/probombth firm,
idiom, youth. To do business with for-
eigners, to practice extortion, to defraud.
Tam v uglu nai bombt firmu,
xott im sdath ofiersku formu.
Over there in the corner our boys are
doing a bomb job, selling a secondhand
officers uniform.
BOM, -, m., neg. A tramp, vagrant,
homeless person. (Acronym for bez opre-
delnnogo mesta itelhstva, the offi-
cial status of being without a fixed place
of residence.) Sejcas v gorode polno
bomej. Nowadays the city is full of
vagrants.
BNDARH, -, m., crim. A gang leader
(lit., a barrel-maker). Kto u nix sejcas
bondarh? Whos the leader of that gang
now?
BORDLH, -, m., rude. A whorehouse,
bordello; used metaphorically of a place
or situation of disorder. Ne iznh, a
bordelh. This is no a life, its a bor-
dello.
BORDR, -a, m., joc. 1. Buttocks, ass. 2.
Thigh.
BORZTH/OBORZTH, neg. To behave
in a demanding, aggressive, pushy man-
ner (from borza sobaka, a type of hunt-
ing dog). Ty ne borzej, a to bystro
uspokoim. Dont be so pushy or well
find means to calm you down.
BORZJ, -a, -oe, neg. (From borza, a
borzoi-hound). 1. Fast, decisive. U
nego na vse voprosy borzye otvety.
Hes got quick answers to any
questions. 2. Pushy, aggressive. ti
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24
borzye vs delat v naglu. These
borzois are pushy about everything.
BORZOT, -, f., collect., neg. Pushy,
aggressive people. ta tvo borzo-
ta, vse tvoi druki mne strano na-
doeli. Im sick of your pushy friends.
BORS BARBARS, idiom, joc. A
rhyming phrase used to tease people
named Boris. Barbaris is a type of berry
or bush. Boris barbaris, idh v
kino? Boris-berry, are young going to
the movies?
BORS FDOROVIC, m., crim., joc. A
type of glue, sold under the trademark
BF, used as an intoxicant. Ty Borisa
Fdorovica dostal? Did you manage
to get some Boris Fyodorovich?
BORS NA GOVN POVS, idiom,
rude. A rhyming phrase used to tease
people named Boris. Lit., Boris is
hanging from shit.
BORMOT, -, f., neg. Strong, cheap
wine of inferior quality. Posideli,
vypili kakoj-to bormoty. They sat
around and drank some rotgut.
BORMOTXA, -i, f., neg. See bormot.
BROV, -a, m., neg. A fat, healthy, but lazy
man (lit., a boar, pig). Smotri, kakoj
borov, a rabotath ne xocet. Look
what a boar and he wont do any
work.
BOROD, -y, f., joc. A bearded man (lit.,
a beard). Sprosi u borody, gde
magazin. Ask the beard over there if he
knows where the store is.
BORTHS/POBORTHS S UNI-
TZOM, idiom, joc. To vomit (lit., to
wrestle with the toilet). Kaets,
pora poboroths s unitazom, mnogo
vypil. Uh-oh, Ive drunk too much, its
time to wrestle with the toilet.
BORTANTH, perf. only, neg. To refuse,
reject, repel. Men bortanuli s
rabotoj. They refused to give me a
job.
BTALO, -a, n., crim. Lit., a cowbell. 1. A
tongue. Prideri botalo, mnogo
govorih. Hold your tongue. You talk
too much. 2. A chatterbox, babbler.
Ty ne sluaj, cto on treplet,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 25
25
botalo izvestnoe. Dont listen to his
nonsense, everyone knows hes a chatter-
box.
BOTNIK, -a, m., school, neg. A book-
worm, grade grubber, nerd, Goody Two-
shoes. On vrem s nami terth ne
stanet, on e botanik. He wouldnt
waste his time on us hes too much of
a bookworm.
BOTANCESKIJ, -a, -oe, joc. Primi-
tive, backward (lit., botanical). Cto
ty vs citaeh ti botaniceskie
knigi? How come youre always
reading those Neanderthal books?
BTATH/ZABTATH, crim. To talk,
speak. Ty po-russki botaeh? Do
you speak Russian? Btath/zabtath
po/na fne, crim. To speak thieves
cant. On na fene botaet? Does he
speak thieves cant?
BOTV, -y, f. Petty merchandise (lit., the
inedible part of plants). Oni torgut
botvoj: mylo tam vskoe, poroki.
Theyre dealing in trifles all sorts of
soaps and powders.
BOTL, -a. See batl.
BOCRA, -y, f. Belly (from bocka, bar-
rel). V bocare cto-to bolit. Ive
got a pain in my belly.
BOCRY, -ov, pl., crim. A watch. U
teb bocary nai ili ponskie? Is
your watch Soviet-made or Japanese?
B`CKA, -i, m. and f., neg. A fat person
(lit., a barrel). Ty stala bockoj, nado
sesth na dietu. Youve become a
regular barrel, youd better go on a diet.
BKA, i, f. A head. Kak boka posle
vceranego? Hows your head feeling
after last nights party?
BRZER, -a, m., youth. A brother (from
Eng. brother). Kem tvoj brazer
rabotaet? What does your brother do
for a living?
BRAKODL, -a, m., joc. A man who has
daughters rather than sons (lit., a maker
of defective goods). Na brakodel
ue treth doch roaet. That
sloppy workman has already produced
his third daughter.
BRANDAXLST, -a, m., joc. A drunk-
BRATH/VZTH
ard. tot brandaxlyst ne ostano-
vits, poka vs ne vyphet. That
drunk wont stop until hes drunk it all.
BRASLTY, -ov, pl., crim. Handcuffs.
Po tebe braslety placut. Hand-
cuffs are calling out for you (i.e., you are
committing a crime and will be caught).
BRATN, -a, m., pos. Brother. U men
bratan doma ostals. My brother
stayed at home.
BRATV, -y, f., collect. Gangsters (from
brat, brother). Mestna bratva
silhno alit? Are the local hoods
active around here?
BRTKA, -i, m., crim. A small pistol,
ladies gun (lit., little brother). Vot
bratka, vozhmi, prigodits. Take
this little brother; itll come in handy.
BRATK, bratk, m. 1. A gangster. 2. A
pal, friend.
BRTSKOE CUVRLO, idiom, crim.,
neg. An ugly person (lit., a fraternal mon-
strosity). U ne muik bratskoe
cuvyrlo. Her boyfriend is ugly as sin.
BRTY-KRLIKI, -ov, pl., joc.
Friends, buddies (lit., brother rabbits).
Nu, braty-kroliki, cto delath
budem? Well, guys, what should we do?
BRATH/VZTH. To intoxicate, affect with
drunkenness. Cto-to men vodka
segodn ne bert. Somehow Im not
getting high from the vodka today.
Brath/vzth akadmku, idiom, youth.
To take academic leave. Navernoe, on
vozhmt akademku, on vs vrem bole-
et, ne moet uciths. Hell probably
take academic leave hes constantly
sick and cant study. Brath/vzth
vfl, idiom. To perform fellatio (lit.,
to take a wafer). Ona bert vafli?
Does she give blow jobs? Brath/vzth
ngi v zby, idiom. To collect oneself,
get ready to go. Beri nogi v zuby i
davaj v magazin. Get yourself together
and lets go to the store. Brath/vzth
za bry, idiom, neg. To catch someone
red-handed (lit., to take by the gills).
Teb skoro vozhmut za abry, esli
ne perestaneh vorovath. One of
these days theyll catch you in the act if
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BREVN
you keep on stealing. Brath/vzth za
zbry, idiom, joc. To catch, capture,
apprehend, suppress, apply pressure on
(distorted from brath za bry).
ego vzl za zbry, on vs rasskazal. I
put the screws on him, and he confessed
everything. Brath/vzth za xbot, see
brath/vzth za bry. Brath/vzth
za krku, idiom, neg. To catch, appre-
hend (lit., to take by the scruff of the
neck). Kogda ego vozhmut za kirku,
on vs vrem bert vztki. Will they
ever catch him for constantly taking
bribes? Brath/vzth na gltku, idiom,
neg. To shout down, to try to win over by
shouting, without arguments (lit., to take
by the throat). Ty men na glotku ne
beri, vs ravno tuda ne pojdu.
Dont try to shout me down, you still
wont persuade me to go. Brath/vzth
na kmpol, idiom. To butt, hit with ones
head. On ego pravilhno vzl na kum-
pol, inace by ne pobedil. He made
the right move by hitting him with
his head hed have lost otherwise.
Brath/vzth na pont, idiom. To
deceive, cheat. Men na pont ne vozh-
mh. Its not so easy to trick me.
Brath/vzth na pupk, idiom, joc. Lit.,
to take on the navel; from the idea that the
navel is the center of a persons strength.
1. To lift a heavy weight. Ty vozhmh
tot meok na pupok? Can you lift
this sack? 2. To undertake responsibility
for something, have something within
ones power. tu summu na pupok ne
vozhmu. I cant manage this cost.
Vozhm s plki pirok, see under
vozhm. Ne ber v glovu (ber v rot),
see under ne.
BREVN, -, n., neg. A cold, uncaring per-
son (lit., a log, beam). Razve ty kogo-
nibudh poaleeh, brevno nescast-
noe? So you dont care about anyone, do
you, you wretched log?
BRDNI, -ej, pl., neg. Nonsense, ravings.
Cto za bredni, togo ne moet
byth. What nonsense! That cant be
true.
BREXLO, -a, n., rude. Mouth (from
brexath, to bark). Ty kogda-nibudh
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26
zatknh svo brexalo? Cant you
ever shut up your mouth?
BREXTH/SBREXTH, neg. To lie (lit.,
to bark pointlessly, of a dog). Ne
brei, vs ravno v to ne pover.
Theres no use lying about it I dont
believe it anyhow.
BREXN, -, f., neg. Twaddle, idle chatter.
to vs brexn. Thats a bunch of
twaddle.
BRIGDA, -y, f., crim. A gang, a group of
armed gangsters. A cto my moem
protiv brigady sdelath, vot oni i
berut v kioskax, cto xott. Were
helpless against the gang. They just take
whatever they want from the kiosks.
BRIGDA UX! RABTAET DO
DVUX , idiom, joc. A rhyming phrase
used to reproach inefficient workers. Lit.,
The Ugh Brigade only works until 2:00.
BRIGADR, -a, m. 1. A common term of
address to a taxi driver, merchant, and the
like (lit., brigadier). Brigadir, a poce-
mu takie dorogie pomidory? Hey,
chief, how come these tomatoes are so
expensive? 2. A bodyguard (lit., fore-
man).
. , ?
Our company is looking a bodyguard.
Are you interested?
BRTI, -a (pl. briti, -j), m.,
youth. An Englishman or Englishwoman
(from Eng. British). On kto, bri-
ti? What is he, a Brit?
BRI, -a, m., crim. A Jew. S nami sidel
odin bri. There was a Jew serving
time with us.
BROVH: Na brovx, idiom, neg. Drunk
(lit., on ones eyebrows). Oni prili
vcera na brovx. They crawled in on
their faces yesterday.
BROD, -a, m. The main shopping/prome-
nading/meeting street of a town or city
(e.g., Tverskaya Ulitsa in Moscow; from
Eng. Broadway). Pojdm na Brod?
Lets go over to Broadway.
, -, m. A fat man, a fatso (lit., a
broiler).
. That fatso must weigh
about 330 pounds.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 27

27 BUDH

, -, m., army. Bullet- BUGJ, -a, m., crim. A wallet (lit., a

proof vest (lit., armored mattress). bull). Ty ne videl moego buga?
x , Najti ne mogu. Have you seen my wal-
. Everyone got their vest let? I cant find it.
on? Okay, lets roll. BUGR, bugr, m. A foreman, boss (lit., a
, -, f., army. A tank or an infantry hump, hillock, bump). Gde na bugor?
vehicle (lit., armor). Wheres the boss? Za bugrm, idiom.
, . Abroad (lit., on the other side of the
Well take the wounded on the tanks, hillock). Nu, kak tam iznh za bug-
and the rest will follow on foot. rom? So, whats it like to live abroad?
BROSTH/BRSITH: Brosth/br- BUGROVZ, -a, m., joc. A government car
sith kosth, idiom. To conciliate, pacify, (lit., boss-conveyer, from bugr and
pay off (lit., to throw someone a bone). vozith, to convey). Kogo tam bug-
Emu toe nado brosith kosth, dol- rovozy povezli? Whos riding in the
larov sto, ctoby molcal. Well have boss-conveyers?
to pay him off too, a hundred dollars or BDETE RDOM PROXODTE
so, to keep him quiet. Brosth/brsith MMO, idiom, joc. Dont bother me,
plku, idiom, rude. To have sex with a stay away from me (lit., If youre in the
woman (lit., to throw a stick). Ty ej neighborhood, pass by, playing on the
ue brosil palku? Have you screwed conventional phrase Budete rdom,
her yet? zaxodite, If youre in the neighborhood,
BRSITH/PODBRSITH podlnku, drop in).
idiom, neg. To do something secretive BDEH IMTH BLDNYJ VID,
and malicious. Kto e mog taku idiom, neg. Youll look pale; used as a
podlnku podbrosith? Who could threat meaning things will be hot for
have done such a sneaky, nasty thing? you. Vozhmh mainu bez razre-
BRZGI, bryzg, pl., crim. Eyes (lit., eni budeh imeth blednyj vid.
drops). Uberi bryzgi, ne smotri v If you take the car without permission,
karty. Hey, get your eyes off my youll be sorry.
cards. BDKA, -i, f., neg. A big, fat face (lit., a
BRYKTHS/ZABRYKTHS, neg. shed). Nu i budka u teb posle
To refuse, object (lit., to kick [of a kurorta. What a fat face youve got
horse]). Ne brykajs, sluaj, cto after your rest cure.
tebe sovetut. Dont be recalcitrant; BUDH: Budh zdorv! A great deal, very
listen to the advice youre being given. much (lit., Be healthy!). Tam deneg
BRNDVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, obs. New, platt, budh zdorov! They pay a lot
unused (from Eng. brand-new). to there. Budh zdorv, rast bolhj,
sovsem brndovyj baton. This is a ne budh lapj, idiom, joc. An expres-
brand-new button-down shirt. sion used in addressing children when
they sneeze; lit., Be healthy, grow big,
BRLIK, -a, m., crim. A diamond. A
dont be a noodle. Budh zdorv, ne
brliki u teb v kolhe xoroi.
klj!, idiom, joc. So long! Be seeing
Ooh, what nice diamonds youve got in
you! (lit., Be well, dont cough). Budh
your ring!
prwe, i k teb potnuts ldi,
, -, m. Face (lit., tambourine). idiom, joc. Dont overcomplicate things
, . Go wash (lit., be more direct, and people will reach
your mug; its full of soot. out to you). Im, navernoe, na pri-
BUBEN, -v, pl. Balls, crotch (lit., xod ne ponravits? Budh prowe, i k
jingle bells). Ne trsi bubenami, tebe potnuts ldi. He probably
odenhs. Dont go around with your wont be pleased to see us. Dont
bells dangling, put on some pants! make complications; be more direct, and
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BUZ
people will reach out to you. Budh spok!
idiom. Dont worry (abbr. from Budh
spokoen, Be calm). Tvoi denhgi
nikuda ne denuts, budh spok! Dont
worry, nothings going to happen to your
money!
BUZ, -, f., neg. Noise, commotion.
Cto tam za buza, kuda ldi idut s
plakatami? Whats the commotion
over there, where theyre carrying those
placards?
BUZTH/ZABUZTH. To make a com-
motion, to riot, agitate. Rebta buzt,
otkazyvats vyxodith na rabotu.
The fellows are making a disturbance
and refusing to go to work.
BUZOTR, -a, m., neg. A troublemaker,
agitator. Zdesh na zavode buzotram
ne mesto, zdesh rabotath nuno.
Theres no place for troublemakers here
at this plant; weve got work to do.
BUK, -a, m. A store selling used and rare
books. Smotri, v buke nal
pervyj nomer urnala Galkovskogo!
Look what I found in the used-book
store the first issue of Galkovsky s
journal.
BUKKA, -i, m. and f., neg. Lit., a bug.
1. A small, insignificant person. tot
bukaka teb obiaet, ne smei
men. That little insect offended you?!
Come off it! 2. (Moscow) The B
trolley running on the Garden Ring Road.
Na bukake tuda ne doedem. You
cant get there on the Bukashka.
BUKT, -a, m., crim. A set of multiple vio-
lations of the criminal code for which
someone is convicted (lit., a bouquet).
U nego buket: i ograblenie, i nasi-
lie, i vymogatelhstvo. Hes been
convicted of a bouquet: robbery, rape,
and racketeering. Bukt Abxzii,
idiom, joc. A venereal disease (lit., Ab-
khazian Bouquet, a Georgian wine). U
togo parn buket Abxazii. That
boys got the clap. Bukt-dublt,
idiom, crim. Syphilis and gonorrhea at the
same time (lit., a double-barreled bou-
quet). U ne buket-dublet. Shes got
the double-barreled bouquet.
BUKSOVTH/ZABUKSOVTH, joc. 1.
Page 28
28
To hem and haw, mutter, mumble. Cego
ty tam buksueh, govori vs kak
esth. What are you mumbling about?
Just tell it like it is. 2. To scold repeat-
edly or lecture, to harp on or rag on (lit.,
to skid or slip, referring to wheels spin-
ning without gaining traction).
,
, . Chill
out! Ragging on me isnt going to make
me work any faster.
BULD, -, f., youth. Homosexual activ-
ity. Tam u nix bulda, k nim ne xou.
Theres homosexual activity going on at
their place; I wont go there. Bez
buld, idiom. Just as it really is, without
fabrication. tebe govor bez buldy,
tam ue nikogo net, vse razolish po
domam. Look, Im telling you straight
out: theres no one there, everyones gone
home.
BLKI, blok, pl. Buttocks, backside.
Podstavlj bulki, ukol nado
sdelath. Youll have to present your
backside for this injection.
BULH-BLH, interj. 1. To drown (from the
sound of bubbles rising to the surface).
On bulh-bulh i ko dnu! He drowned
went down to the very bottom. 2. To
pour (from the sound of a liquid being
poured from a bottle). Cto vy tam vs
vrem bulh-bulh da bulh-bulh? Why
are you pouring yourself one drink after
another like that? Bulh-blh karsik,
idiom, joc. Gone, disappeared, left (lit.,
the carp went glug-glug, imitating the
sound of drowning). A gde tvoj
enix? Bulh-bulh karasik? Wheres
your fianc? Gone bye-bye?
/, neg. To
speak (lit., to gurgle). -
, .
Cut out the yakking over there, nobody
asked your advice.
BLHKI: Razlivth po blhkam, see
under razlivth.
BUMGA, -i, f., youth. Money (lit., paper).
U teb bumaga na vodku esth? Have
you got money for vodka?
BUMKA/BAMKA, -i, f., joc.
Documents, papers, official authorization
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
29
(lit., little paper). U teb bamaka
esth na vyvoz tovara s bazy? Do you
have authorization papers for shipping
merchandise from the warehouse? Bez
bumki ty kakka, see under bez.
BUM-BM: Ni bum-bm, see under ni.
BNDES, -a, (pl. bundes), m., youth. A
citizen of Germany. Cto tam bundesa
delat? Strot zavod? What are
those Germans doing? Building a plant?
BUNDESVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Ger-
man. Smotri, kupila bundesovye
sapogi. Look at the German boots I
bought.
BNKER, -a, m., youth. A stomach (lit., a
bunker). V bunkere pusto, nado
poesth. The bunkers empty gotta
eat.
BUR: Idt/pojt brom, see under idt.
BURK, -k, m., rude. A penis (from Ukr.
for beet). Popravh plavki, burak
vidno. Pull up your shorts your dick
is showing.
BURDK, -a, m., neg. A paunch, a big
belly. Nael sebe burdk, xodith
trudno. Youve grown such a paunch
that you can hardly even walk any more.
BURTH/ZABURTH. To get drunk (from
buryj, beet-red). Ty sovsem zabu-
rel, pora domoj. Youre completely
drunk; youd better go home.
BURTH/PROBURTH, neg. To per-
suade, talk into something (lit., to drill,
bore). Vy men ne proburite, nikuda
ne pojdu. Its no use trying to per-
suade me. Im not going anywhere.
BRKALY, -ov, pl., neg. Eyes (from
burkalith, an obsolete word for to
look). Otverni burkaly! Dont
look!
//- drunks. Nothing good will come of it.
. To mumble, to babble. BUXRITH/ZABUXRITH. To get
, . What was drunk, be drunk. Oni buxarili vs
it he was babbling about? I couldnt
understand a thing.
BROSTH, -i, f., neg. Insolence, cheek,
pushiness. Tvo burosth xoth kogo
dostanet. Your pushy behavior would
get on anyones nerves.
BRYJ, -ogo, m., army. A mature,
Page 29
BXATHS/BXNUTHS
experienced soldier. Tuda berm tolh-
ko buryx, zelnyx perestrelt
srazu. This is strictly a mission for old
hands greenies would get shot at
once.
BRYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg. Insolent,
pushy, fresh. Ne budh slikom
burym, ne takix videli. Dont be so
fresh. Im not impressed by it.
BSATH/ZABSATH po-crnomu,
idiom, youth. To drink alone. On v kom-
panii ne pht, busaet po-crnomu.
He doesnt drink socially, only when
hes alone.
BU... SDE..., idiom, joc. An expression
indicating readiness to carry out a request
(abbr. from budet sdelano, it shall be
done). Ty pocemu ne sxodil za
xlebom? Minutu, bu. . . sde. . . Why
havent you gone out to buy the bread?
Just a minute, its as good as done.
BUTLKA: Lomth/polomth butl-
ku, see under lomth2.
BUFER, -v, pl., rude. A womans
breasts (lit., buffers). U ne, znaeh,
bufera nicego. Shes got quite a pair of
buffers.
BUFERSTA, adj., f., rude. Chesty,
big-breasted. Ona baba buferista.
Shes really stacked.
BXALO, -a, n. Liquor. togo buxala
na vsex ne xvatit. This wont be
enough liquor for everyone.
BUXLOVKA, -i, f. A party, drinking
party. Segodn u nas buxalovka, ty
pridh? Were having a party today.
Are you coming?
BUXRIK, -a, m., neg. A drunkard. Ne
xodi s timi buxarikami, tolku ne
budet. Dont associate with those
noch. They were drinking all night
long.
BUXTH/ZABUXTH, BUXNTH. To
drink. Oni zabuxali na vesh denh.
They drank all day.
BXATHS/BXNUTHS. To fall, to
throw oneself, to collapse. Vcera
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 30

30

pril s raboty, srazu buxnuls v PECNHE, idiom, joc. Things are good,
postelh i spal 10 casov. When I got the situation is pleasing (a rhyming
home from work yesterday I fell into bed phrase). Nam vcera ikry iz Astraxa-
and slept for ten hours. ni prislali, byvat v izni ogorce-
, idiom, nh, vmesto xleba kuaeh pecenhe.
army. Alarm (lit., a Buchenwald alarm Yesterday we received some caviar from
bell). , Astrakhan. Well, life has its little sor-
. There rows; sometimes you have to eat cake
goes that alarm againthis is the second instead of bread.
night they wont let us sleep. BYDL, -, f., crim., neg. A large woman
BUXL, -, n. See bxalo. or girl. Ch ta bydla tam sidit?
Whose girl is that big dame sitting over
BUXJ, -, -e. Drunk. Ty ue buxoj,
there?
a nam ew v gosti idti nado. Here
you are drunk already, just when were BDLO, -a, n., neg, rude. Silently obedi-
supposed to be going to pay a visit. ent, worthless people (lit., cattle). Cto
u teb obwego s tim bydlom? What
BXTA, -y, f., crim. A dive, den, shabby
do you have in common with those
or illegal establishment (lit., a bay, har-
sheep?
bor). Kto derit tu buxtu?
Whos the proprietor of this joint? BYK, -, m., youth. 1. A strong fellow (lit.,
an ox). Ne svzyvajs s nim, on
BUXTTH/ZABUXTTH, neg. To scold, izvestnyj byk. Dont mess with him.
reprimand. Xvatit buxteth, ne Hes a real ox. 2. A killer or a body-
vinovat. Stop yelling at me! Im not guard in a criminal gang.
the one who did it. ,
BUXTLA, -y, f., neg. A grumbler, griper. . You cant get near
Ne obrawaj vnimani na togo bux- him, with that pair of bodyguards hang-
tilu, on vsegda tak. Dont pay atten- ing around.
tion to that grumbler. Hes always like BYKOVTH, imperf. To bull the market
that. (from byk, bull). ti rebta
/. To beat up (lit., to vsegda bykut, vidih, kak eny
kick a ball). , vzleteli! Those guys are always
, . Youll sur- bulling the market! See how prices have
vivethey just roughed you up a bit. skyrocketed?!
BYVET XE, NO RE, idiom, joc. BYKOVTH/ZABYKOVTH, youth,
Worse things happen, but more rarely. neg. To act rudely, throw ones weight
Used in reply to the dismissive comment around, act superior (cf. byk). Koncaj
Byvaet xue, Worse things happen. bykovath, to ne interesno. Stop
Mne syn naxamil. Byvaet xue. showing off; its not interesting.
Byvaet xue, no ree. My son BYL DA SPLYL, idiom, joc. Lit., He
insulted me. Well, worse things was here and he floated off. Direk-
happen. Worse things happen, but tor byl? Byl da splyl. Was the
more rarely. director here? He was, but he drifted
BYVT V ZNI ZLE off (i.e., I have no idea where he is now).
TKI, skazl petx, slez s BLO B ZA CTO, UBL BY, idiom,
tki, rhyming phrase, rude. Lit.. There joc. Used in ironic justification of unjust
are wicked tricks in this life, said the treatment. Lit., If there had been a
rooster, dismounting from the duck. justification, Id kill him/you. Za cto
Used in sardonic dismissal of other peo- ty ego rugaeh? Cto on takogo
ples complaints or troubles. sdelal? Bylo by za cto, ubil by.
BYVT V ZNI OGORCNH, What are bawling him out for? What did
VMSTO XLBA KAEH he do so terrible? If he had done
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
31
something, Id kill him!
BLO VE, STLO NE, idiom,
joc. A rhyming phrase used in
justification of appropriating someone
elses property. Lit., It was yours, now
its ours. Pododi, to e mo
kniga! Bylo vae, stalo nae.
Hey, wait a minute, thats my book!
It was yours, now its ours.
BSTRYJ: Po-bstromu, adv., youth.
Quickly. to nado sdelath po-
bystromu. This has to be done
quickly. Xodth/sxodth (bgath/
sbgath) po-bstromu, see under
xodth.
BYTOVK, -k, m., crim. Someone con-
victed for domestic crimes. Vcera v
lagerh ew bytovikov privezli. Yes-
terday they brought some more domestic
offenders to the camp.
BYCKOVTH/ZABYCKOVTH,
youth. To smoke only part of a cigarette,
so as to save the butt (cf. byck).
zabyckoval na zavtra paru okurkov.
I saved a couple of butts for tomorrow.
BYCK, byck, m. The butt of a cigarette
(lit., a bullock). Daj dokurith bycok.
Let me smoke the butt. Byck den-
nyj, crim. Home-brewing apparatus, a
still (lit., a dairy bullock). U teb rabo-
Page 31
taet bycok doennyj? Is your dairy
bullock working?
B, f., indecl., neg. A prostitute (from the
first letter of bldh). tu b znath
ne xocu. I dont want to have anything to
do with that whore.
B TE VITAMN I NE
OTRVA, idiom, rude. Used in response
to an inquisitive a?, as if continuing to
recite the alphabet, alluding to the
euphemistic abbreviations b for
bldh, whore, and for elka,
hymen. Lit., B is a vitamin and ts is
no poison, either.
BBIK, -a, m., youth, joc. A baby (from
Eng. baby). A gde tvoj bbik?
And wheres your baby?
BBIS, -a, m. See bbik.
BG, -a, m., youth. A bag, purse, case (from
Eng. bag). Ty bg vzl? Did you
bring your bag?
BKSJD, -a, m., youth, rude. Buttocks,
behind (from Eng. backside). Po-
dvinh svoj bksajd. Move your ass
(i.e., get out of the way).
, abbr. Old, worn out (from
, used). -
, . They
dont supply any new trucks, so we drive
these old jalopies.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
V BGA DU MATH, idiom. A euphe-
mism for b tvo math (see under
ebth).
V GSTI, GLODTH KSTI, rhyming
phrase, joc. Lit., On a visit, to gnaw at
bones. Used in reply to the words
Pojdm v gosti, Lets visit [someone],
in the sense that one cant expect
anything good from such a visit.
V KDOJ STINE ESTH DL
PRVDY, idiom, joc. Lit., Theres a
grain of pravda in every istina (play-
ing on the two Russian words for truth).
Distorted from V kadoj skazke esth
dol pravdy, Theres a grain of truth in
every fairy tale. Used to express doubt
of some assertion.
V PLNYJ ROST, idiom, youth. Fully,
to ones hearts content. My v Soci
otdoxnuli v polnyj rost. We had a
perfect vacation in Sochi.
V ROT TEB PAROXD, idiom, euph.,
rude. Up yours, the hell with you (lit., a
steamboat in your mouth). Cto ty
orh, v rot tebe paroxod? What are
you shouting about? The hell with you!
V SOZPECTH GOVN KACTH,
obs. (Sov.), rude. Lit., To Soyuzpechat,
to pump shit. A rhyming phrase used to
express distaste in reply to a mention of
going to Sozpecath, a network of
kiosks or shops distributing newspapers,
magazines, stationery, etc.
V TEMNOT, DA NE OBDAL, idiom,
joc. Lit., In the dark, but havent had
dinner. Distorted from V tesnote, da ne v
obide, Its crowded, but friendly. Used
to accept an offer of dinner.
VAGN I MLENHKA TELKA,
idiom, joc. Very much, a lot (lit., a wagon
and a little side cart). Ogo, skolhko
fruktov prinesli! Da, vagon i ma-
lenhka teleka. Wow, look at all the
fruit they brought! Yeah, a wagonload
and then some.
VANK, -k, m. 1. An important person,
bigwig, VIP. Ty togo vanka
znaeh? Do you know that big shot?
Page 32
2. youth. Something important, signifi-
cant. Dl men ta novosth
vank! This news is a big deal for me.
VAJN, -a, m., youth. Wine (from Eng.
wine). Daj xlebnuth vajna. Let
me have a sip of wine.
VALNDATHS/PROVALNDATH-
S, neg. To dawdle, dilly-dally, lag.
Xvatit valandaths, pora idti.
Stop dawdling its time to go.
VALTH/SVALTH. To leave (lit., to
dump, unload, as from a truck). On ue
svalil domoj. Hes gone home
already. Val, no tlhko ne v ta-
n, idiom, rude. (Playing on literal
meaning, dump). Dump away, but not
in your pants. Mne pora valith
domoj. Vali, no tolhko ne v tany.
Its time for me to dump off. Okay,
dump away, but not in your pants.
VALTH/VALTH To kill (lit., to
knock, to pull down).
, -
. It wont be easy to kill him
well need about three guys for the job.
VALTH/POVALTH pckami, idiom.
To go in a group, go in packs. V tot
magazin ldi packami valt.
Crowds of people go to that store.
VALTRITH/IZVALTRITH. To beat,
to bruise. Kto teb tak izvalturil,
vesh v sinkax? Who beat you up with
all those black-and-blue marks?
VALJ! idiom. Go ahead, proceed.
Mono vozhmu tvoj slovarh?
Valj! May I borrow your dictionary?
Go ahead.
VALTH/SVALTH vnhku, idiom, neg.
From the name of a childrens game,
Vanhka vstanhka, involving a doll.
1. To feign stupidity, play the fool. Ne
valj vanhku, ty vs prekrasno poni-
maeh. Dont play dumb, you under-
stand perfectly well whats going on.
2. To make a mistake. svall
vanhku, kogda kupil tu mainu. I
made a big mistake when I bought this
car.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
33
VAMP, -a, m., neg. A vampire. to nas-
towij vamp, emu nravits mucith
ldej. Hes a real vampire he likes
to torment people.
VAMPIRLLA, -y, m. & f., joc. A greedy
person. Poka ne navoruet, ta vam-
pirella ne uspokoits. That vampire
isnt happy unless she steals a big haul.
VAN, -a, m., youth, obs. One ruble (from
Eng. one). Ew vana ne xvataet na
sigarety. I need another ruble for ciga-
rettes.
VANTAST, -a, m., crim. A cardsharp.
S nim ne sadish, on vantaist.
Dont play with him hes a card-
sharp.
VNHKA: Valth/svalth vnhku, see
under valth.
VARGNITH/SVARGNITH. To pre-
pare or cook something very quickly.
Svarganh cto-nibudh poesth.
Throw something together to eat.
VREKA, -i, f., rude. A mouth (lit., a
mitten). Zakroj vareku! Shut up!
Razevth/raznuth vreku, see
under razevth.
VARNKA, -i, f. Bleach-stained denim
(fashionable in the 1980s). U nego
kurtka iz varnki. Hes got a
bleached-denim jacket.
VARNKI, varnok, pl. Jeans made
from bleach-stained denim. Klassnye
u nego varnki. Hes got a classy pair of
bleached-denim jeans.
/ , idiom (lit., funkioniruet?
to boil soap, refers to how soap used to be
made). To perform, compose, or produce
a cheesy soap opera or a low-quality
drama.
VARTHS/POVARTHS. Lit., to
boil, to steam. To remain for a long time
in a certain group of people or at a certain
job. varils v ix kompanii goda
tri, vs o nix zna. I hung out with
them for three years, so I know every-
thing about them.
VARG, -a, m. A manager brought into an
organization from outside. (From the
Scandinavian warriors invited to rule
ancient Kievan Rus.) K nam v
Page 33
VAW
institut direktorom pridt varg.
Were having a varyag as the next
director of our Institute.
VASH-VSH: (Na) vash-vsh, idiom, joc.
On friendly terms, on a first-name basis
(from Vas, nickname for Vasily). On
v ministerstve so vsemi vash-vash.
Hes on first-name terms with everyone
at the ministry.
VSHKA, -i, m., crim. A guard, lookout in
illegal games of cards or thimbles (cf.
naprstok). Esli smotreth, kak
idt igra v naprstok, srazu mono
obnaruith vasek, kotorye vysmat-
rivat milii. If you watch care-
fully at a game of thimbles, youll see
some vaskas on the lookout for the
police.
VS, -i, m., neg. A stupid person (lit.,
nickname for Vasily). x ty, Vas,
kto tak delaet? You dumbbell, what
do you think youre doing! Glyj
Vs nocevl, see under glyj. Gulj,
Vs (uj oplki)! see under gulj.
VATRKA, -i, f., youth, neg. A woman
of loose morals (lit., a cheese tart).
Vozhmi paru vatruek i podqezaj
ko mne. Pick up a couple of tarts and
bring them over to my place.
VUCER, -a, m., neg. Lit., a voucher a
very foreign-sounding word introduced
with reference to the unsuccessful plan
for privatization of state-owned property
in 1991. 1. A penis. Kak vaucer, ew
Hows your
voucher still working? 2. Mouth.
Zakroj svoj vaucer, neseh crt
znaet cto! Shut your voucher, youre
spouting rubbish!
VFL: Davth/dath vfl, see under
davth. Brath/vzth vfl, see under
brath.
VAXLK, -k, m., neg. An idler, milksop,
do-nothing. Na vaxlak nicego v
izni ne dobhts. That milksop will
never accomplish anything in life.
VAW, interj., youth. Distorted form of
voobwe, altogether. 1. neg. Oh, come
on! Are you kidding?! Nu, ty vawe,
kak ty poveril? Oh, come on! How
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VDOLBTH
could you have believed such a thing?!
2. pos. Wow! Amazing! Stolhko piva
otxvatil? Nu ty dah, vawe! How
did you manage to get so much beer!
Wow! Good for you!
VDOLBTH, perf., rude. To engage in a
vigorous sex act (lit., to chisel). Kak
ty dumaeh, on ue vdolbil ej? Do
you think hes screwed her yet?
VDRABADN (VDREBADN, VDRE-
BEDNH, VDRYZG). See vdrebeznu.
VDREBEZNU, adv., neg. Extremely
drunk (by wordplay from vdreznu and
vdrebezgi, to pieces, in smither-
eens). On tam vdrebezinu phnyj
leit. Hes lying there dead drunk.
VDREZNU, adv., neg. Extremely, too
much (of degrees of drunkenness; from
drezina, [railway] trolley). On phn
vdrezinu. Hes drunk out of his mind.
VDRUG BYVET TLHKO PUK,
rhyming phrase, rude. Lit., A fart is the
only thing that happens suddenly. A
rhyming phrase used in reply to a
question beinning with Vdrug?,
(what if?). A vdrug on prostu-
dits i zaboleet? Vdrug byvaet
tolhko puk. But what if he suddenly
catches cold and develops pneumonia?
A fart is the only thing that happens
suddenly.
VDUVTH/VDUTH, youth. To smoke nar-
cotics by taking the lit end of a cigarette
into ones mouth and breathing out the
smoke for someone else to inhale.
Xoceh ew vdunu? Do you want
another drag?
VDUPELNU, adv., neg. In a very drunk
condition. Moj s tvoim opth vdupe-
linu prili s polucki. Its a payday
again my husband and yours have
come home drunk.
VDUTH, rude. To have sex with a woman
(lit., to inflate). Ty sobiraehs ej
vduth? Are you going to sleep with
her?
VEDR, -, n. Head (lit., bucket). Stoj,
ne kruti svoim vedrom. Daj priceu
teb. Stop twisting your head around,
Im trying to comb your hair.
Page 34
34
VEK VLHVY NE VIDTH, idiom, joc.
An oath attributed to New Russians
(lit., May I never see a Volvo!, playing
on the criminal oath Vek voli (svobody)
ne vidath, May I never see freedom!).
VEK SVOBDY NE VIDTH, idiom,
crim. On my word of honor (lit., [may I]
never see freedom [if Im lying]). My
tebe ne verim, ne moet byth, cto
vy vdvom vzli takie denhgi. Vek
svobody ne vidath, nam pofartilo.
We dont believe that the two of you
managed to steal that much money.
Cross my heart we did we just got
lucky.
VLIK, -a, m. A bicycle (from velo-
siped).
VELKIJ: Na velkij i mogcij,
see under na.
, -a, m. A bouquet or bunch of
flowers (lit., a broom).
. Put the flowers into water.
VNTILH, -, m., rude. A mouth (lit., a
large tap). Zakroj ventilh, nadoel.
Shut your mouth. Youre boring me.
VENK, -, m., youth. A vein. Ne zna,
kuda koloth, venka ne vidno. I dont
know where to make an injection I
cant find a vein.
VERBANTYJ, -a, -oe, police, crim.
Recruited (from zaverbovannyj). On
davno verbanutyj? Was he recruited a
long time ago?
VERBLD: Ot verblda, idiom, joc. Its
none of your business (lit., from a camel,
used by rhyme play in answer to the ques-
tion Otkuda? From where?). Otku-
da u teb ti casy? Ot verblda.
Where did you get that watch? From a
camel. Doka, cto ty ne verbld,
see under doka.
VERBLDH, -i, f., rude. A prostitute (by
wordplay on verbld, camel, and
bldh, whore). Otkuda vzlash
ta verbldh? Where did that prosti-
tute come from?
, -, f. A wire, a cable (lit., a
rope).
. That cable wont con-
nect to this scanner.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 35

35 VALKA

VERZTH/POVERZTH, neg., rude. 1. VERTKA, -i, f. 1. army. A helicopter

To defecate.Ty ue poverzal? Have (from vertolt). Tuda dobraths
you taken a shit yet? 2. To be frightened. mono tolhko na vertuke. The only
Ne verzaj, prorvms. Dont be way to get there is by helicopter. 2. A
scared. Were going to make it all right. government telephone, direct connection
VERZ, -, n., rude. Behind, rear end. to high government officials. srazu
Mne sdelali ukol v verzo. They gave po vertuke svzals s Kremlm. I
me the injection in my butt. phoned direct to the Kremlin.
VERZXA, -i, f., rude. Behind, rear end. VERX, -v, pl., crim. Outer pockets of
Vs vrem piu, verzoxu otsidel. slacks or jacket. Denhgi v verxa ne
Ive been sitting here writing so long kladi, vytawat. Dont put money in
that Ive worn out my behind. your outer pockets itll be stolen.
VERMTH, -i, f., joc. Cheap wine of poor VES: Derth ves, see under derth.
quality (by wordplay on vermut, ver- VESL, -, n., 1. crim. A spoon (lit., a
mouth, and muth, dregs, mud). paddle). Beri veslo, meci kau. Pick
Zacem vy phte tu vermuth? Why up your spoon and eat your kasha. 2.
are you drinking that rotgut? army. A machine-gun. Veslo bez
VERNK, pred. use, youth, pos. Some- patronov, cto palka. Without ammu-
thing certain, a sure thing (from vernyj, nition, a tommy-gun is just a stick.
true, precise). Poverh mne, to VESTSH, imperf., youth. To go along
delo vernk. Believe me, its in the with, be compliant. Ona nikak ne
bag. vedts na postelh. Shell never
VERTTH1/VERTANTH, crim. To steal agree to go to bed with anyone.
(lit., to turn, twist). Poslednee delo u VTER: Xodth/pojt do vtru, see
svoix verteth. The worst thing is to under xodth.
steal from your own friends. VTKI, vtok, pl., youth, neg. Hands,
VERTTH2/ZAVERTTH zdom, idiom, arms (lit., branches). Kuda ty tneh
neg. To seek attention, flirt (lit., to wiggle svoi vetki, vsem dam buterbrody po
ones behind). Ona ue davno pered oceredi. Dont wave your branches!
nim zadom vertit. Shes been flaunt- Everyone will get a sandwich.
ing herself at him for ages already. VETRVKA, -i, f. A windbreaker; light,
, idiom Hierar- hooded jacket of nylon or other synthetic
chy of political authority, the strict subor- material. Vozhmi vetrovku i sapogi.
dination of all levels of authority (lit., an Take your windbreaker and your boots.
authority vertical). - , -, f. A party.
, , -
. They have centralized the politi- . Going to par-
cal regime, but it hasnt become more ties is not my thing; I have to work in the
orderly. evenings.
VERTIXVSTKA, -i, f., neg. A flir- VECRKA, -i, f. A nickname for the
tatious woman (from verteth xvostom, Moscow newspaper Vecern Moskva.
wag the tail). ta vertixvostka ni VALKA, -i, f., neg. 1. Gallows, death,
odnix brk ne propustit. That flirt calamity (lit., a clothes hanger). Esli
cant pass up any pair of pants. on potrebuet dolg, dl men to
VERTUXJ, -, m., crim. A prison guard. vealka. If he demands his money back
VERTUXTHS/ZAVERTUXTHS, it will be all over for me. 2. A skinny girl
crim. To fuss, be jittery, be nervous. Ne (lit., a coat rack, a hat rack). ,
vertuxajs, sidi tixo, vs budet kak , -
nado. Dont jitter around, sit still, and , . Look at how
everything will be okay. that dress hangs off of her, shes not just
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VATH/POVSITH
skinny, shes a coat rack.
VATH/POVSITH: Vath/pov- VZDRCKA, -i, f., neg. A scolding, repri-
sith lap n ui, idiom, neg. To
deceive, fool (lit., to hang a noodle from
someones ears). Ne veaj mne lapu
na ui, v to vs ravno ne ver.
Dont try to pull the wool over my eyes!
I dont believe a word of it. Vath/
povsith lcki, idiom, army. To pro-
mote in rank (lit., to hang stripes). Emu
ew odnu lycku povesili, teperh on
serant. They hung another stripe on
him, so now hes a sergeant. Vath/
povsith spagtti na i, idiom, joc.
To kid, fool, deceive (lit., to hang
spaghetti from someones ears; formed
on the older idiom vath lap na
i, to hang a noodle on someones
ears). Ne veaj mne spagetti na
ui, zna, gde ty byl. Dont try to
kid me. I know where youve been.
VZBRKIVATH/VZBRYKNTH, neg.
To object, contradict, behave arbitrarily
or unpredictably (lit., to kick). Opth
ona vzbryknula i ne prila, kak dogo-
vorilish. Again shes been undepend-
able she didnt keep our appointment.
VZVOD: Na vzvde, idiom. Drunk (lit.,
cocked [of a gun]). Ne nalivaj emu, on
i tak na vzvode. Dont give him any
more to drink. Hes half-cocked already.
VZDRGIVATH/VZDRGNUTH, joc.
To drink (lit., to shudder, be startled).
Ne xoceh vzdrognuth? Lets have a
drink.
VZDRCENNYJ, -a, -oe, neg., rude.
On edge, testy, nervous (from drocth).
Cto ty segodn takoj vzdrocen-
nyj? Why are you so touchy today?
VZDRCENNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. See
vzdrcennyj.
VZDRCIVATH/VZDRCITH, neg.
To scold, reprimand (lit., to beat up,
abuse). Math ego vzdrcila za
phnku. His mother bawled him out for
getting drunk.
VZDRCIVATHS/VZDRCITH-
S, neg. To worry, fret, be anxious. Ne
nado tak vzdrcivaths, vs ne tak
ploxo. Theres no call to worry like that
Page 36
36
things arent so bad.
mand. Teperh di vzdrcki, lyi
slomal. Im going to get a tongue-lash-
ing now Ive gone and broken the
skis.
VZLTKA, -i, f., army. An aisle between
beds in barracks (from vzltna polosa,
runway).
VZLGIVATH/VZLGNTH, neg. To
be contrary, headstrong. Cto-to ona
vzlgivaet, ne xocet idti v resto-
ran. Shes just being obstinate she
doesnt want to go to the restaurant.
Ne vzlgivaj, uspokojs, ne vozhmu
tvoi denhgi. Relax, dont be so touchy!
Im not going to take your money.
VZRSLYJ VOR, idiom, crim. An expe-
rienced thief. On ne podvedt, on
vzroslyj vor. You can count on him
hes an experienced thief.
VZRYVTH/VZORVTH, youth. To
begin smoking a narcotic cigarette (lit., to
burst). Nu, kto vzorvt pervyj?
Whos going to light this joint?
VZQBKA, -i, f., rude. A punishment.
Mne budet vzqbka ot eny za to,
cto ne prins zarplatu. Im going to
get it from my wife for not bringing home
my paycheck.
VIBRROVATH/ZAVIBRROVATH,
joc. To be upset, worried (lit., to vibrate).
Ne nado vibrirovath, vs budet
xoroo. Dont worry. Everythings
going to be all right.
VIDK, -k, m. A VCR. U teb vidak
esth? Do you have a VCR?
VDETH: Vdeth kog-cto-l. v grob,
idiom, neg. To despise, spit on (lit., to see
someone or something in the grave). V
grobu videl tu rabotu. I despise
that work. Vdeth kog-l. v grob v
blyx tpockax, idiom, neg. To despise
(lit., to see someone in the grave with
white slippers on). tu babu videl v
grobu v belyx tapockax. I despise that
broad. V upr ne vdeth, idiom. To
give the cold shoulder (lit., not to recog-
nize even face-to-face). Ranhe my
byli druzh, a teperh on men v upor
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
37
ne vidit. We used to be friends, but
now he doesnt acknowledge my exis-
tence.
VDIK, -a, m. See vidk.
VIDNIK, -a, m. See vidk.
VIZG: Do poroschego vzga, idiom.
Too much (esp. of drinking) (lit., to a
piglets squeal). Vcera oni napilish
do poroschego vizga. Yesterday they
got squealing drunk.
VLKA, -i, f., business. A profit margin
(lit., fork). Kaka segodn vilka po
dollaram? Whats the margin on
dollars today?
, -, pl. Windows software. many unsolved cases do we have on
? stolen cars?
Do you have Windows on your PC?
VINL, -a, m., youth, south. A (vinyl)
record.
VINT, -, m., youth. A type of narcotic.
polhzu tolhko vint. Vint is
the only kind of dope I use. BYTH NA
VINTX, idiom. To be tense,
nervous.Ty na vintax vs nedel,
tak nelhz. Youve been so wound up
all week, you cant go on like this. Ot
vint, joc. Stand aside! Get out of the
way! Ot vinta! Ne trogajte
mainu! Stand aside! Dont touch that
car! Vdka s vintm, see under vdka.
Idt/pojt vintm, see under idt.
Namtyvath/namotth na vint, see
under namtyvath.
VINTLOVO, -a, n., youth. Police deten-
tion, arrest. Ne xodi tuda, tam sejcas
idt vintilovo. Dont go over there.
Theyre taking everyone into custody.
VINTTH/POVINTTH, youth. 1. To
arrest. Vcera naix mnogo povin-
tili. Yesterday a bunch of our guys
were arrested. 2. To run away, to go
away. . Youre really going to get it from your
Theyve already gone home.
VISKRH, -r, m., youth. Whisky, a bot-
tle of whisky. Znaeh, skolhko
viskarh sejcas po-crnomu stoit?
Do you know the current price of a bot-
tle of whisky on the black market?
VSKI IZ PIPSKI, neg. A rhyming
Page 37
VKLCTHS
phrase used to describe bad liquor (lit.,
whisky from pee-pee-sky).
, -, m. A computer freeze-up.
,
, ? My PC has frozen up
again, I wonder if it has caught a virus
from the Internet.
VISK, pred. use, youth. 1. An uncertain
situation (from viseth, to hang, to
hover; cf. zavisth). U men s rabo-
toj visk. Things are shaky with my
job. S denhgami poka visk. The
money situation just now is precarious.
2. m., crim. An unsolved case. Skolhko
u nas viskov po ugonu main? How
VITAMN V, idiom, business. A bribe
(by wordplay on vitamin V and vztka,
bribe). A skolhko vitamina V
emu dath? How much vitamin V should
we give him?
VITRNA, -y, f. A womans breasts,
bosom (lit., window). U ne vitrina
nicego. Shes got a nice bust.
VKLYVATH, imperf. only, neg. To work
hard and long (lit., to inject). Nam
prilosh vkalyvath s utra do noci.
We had to drudge from morning to
night.
VKATTH PROM`E GLAZ, idiom. To
hit in the face (lit., to roll between the
eyes). Bystro on tebe vkatil
prome glaz, bez razgovorov. He
punched you in the face without any
preliminaries.
VKLIVATH/VKLITH. To hit, beat
up. Tebe vkleith ili sam ujdh?
Do I have to give you a licking, or will
you leave on your own?
VKLJKA, -i, f. Punishment. Za vse
dela budet tebe vklejka ot materi!
mother for the things youve done!
VKLCTH/VKLCTH durak,
idiom. To play the fool, play innocent.
Vklcaj duraka, delaj vid, cto
nicego ne znaeh. Play dumb make
like you dont know a thing.
VKLCTHS, perf. only, youth. To
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VKUSNCIJ
crash, collide. Vcera oni vklcilish
na igule v derevo, ne vpisalish v
povorot. Yesterday they missed a turn
in the road and crashed their Zhiguli into
a tree.
VKUSNCIJ, -a, -ee, pos. Very tasty,
delicious. Kto to prigotovil ta-
koj vkusncij sup? Who made this
delicious soup?
VLNYJ, -ogo, m., joc. A drunk (from
vlanyj, moist).
VLMYVATH/VLOMTH, neg. To beat
up, give a beating. Emu vcera Kolhka
vlomil kak sleduet. Yesterday Kolka
gave him quite a thrashing.
VLEZTH: Cem dlhe vlez, tem blhe
inters, see under cem.
VLEPLTH/VLEPTH, neg. To hit, to
strike; used in any quick, decisive action.
Ucitelh vlepil emu paru. The
teacher smacked him with a failing
grade.
VLETTH/VLETTH. 1. To get into an
unpleasant situation. Opth ty
vletela na druzhx, kotoryj raz oni
teb obmanuli. Again youve got into
trouble through those friends of yours,
how many times theyve deceived you!
2. To get pregnant (see zaletth).
VLIVNIE, -, n., joc. A reprimand, pun-
ishment (lit., enema; cf. klzma). Sej-
cas nam za draku budet vlivanie. Now
were going to catch it for that fight.
VLIVTH/VLITH, joc. To punish, scold
(lit., to give an enema). Emu za progu-
ly sejcas volht. Hes going to get it
for missing work. VLIVTH/VLITH
pod kru, idiom. To scold, to punish
(lit., to pour under the skin). Nu
xvatit vlivath pod kuru, vs ue
ponl. Quit scolding me already! Ive
got the point.
VLIPLOVO, -a, n., youth. An unpleas-
ant, dangerous situation. See vlipth.
VLIPTH/VLPNUTH. To get into an
unpleasant situation. Kaets, my
vlipli, sejcas nas budut bith.It
looks like were in trouble. Theyre going
to beat us up.
VLNDITH (ZALNDITH). See
Page 38
38
vmandcith.
VMZKA, -i, f., youth. A dose of a nar-
cotic. Ew odna vmazka ostalash.
There was still one hit of the stuff left.
VMZYVATH/VMZATH, youth. 1. To
strike, hit. Vmah emu za vs. Beat
him up to get back at him for everything.
2. To give someone a dose of a narcotic.
Komu ew vmazath? Who still needs
a hit of this stuff?
VMANDCITH, perf., rude. To hit, to
beat. See mand. ego vcera vmand-
cil kamnem, a krovh pola. Yester-
day I beat him bloody with a stone.
VMWIVATH/VMASTTH. To do
something opportunely, come to some-
ones rescue (from masth, suit [of
cards]). Ty mne vmastil, cto denhgi
otdal. You saved me in the nick of
time by returning that money.
--, idiom, army. Vio-
lence, blows, slaps to the face (lit., in-
your-face training). -
--,
. Youre just asking for some in-
your-face training by acting so cheeky.
VMOCTH, neg. To hit, bloody (lit., to
make wet). Sejcas vmocu! Now Im
going to bloody your face.
VNAGLK, adv., neg. In a pushy, aggres-
sive, self-serving manner. Ty vs pri-
vyk delath vnaglk. Youre always
acting offensive.
VNARZKU, adv. In a very drunk
condition. Cf. vrzannyj.
VNIMNIE! GOVORT GERM-
NI!, rhyming phrase, joc. Lit.,
Attention! Germany speaking! A
rhyming phrase used in response to the
words Vnimanie! Prou vnimani!
VNCKA, -i, f., homosexual. Lit., grand-
daughter. A greeting used by an old
homosexual to a young one.
VO DAT! An expression of amazement,
admiration. Smotri, kak Slavka
beit, vo dat! Wow! Look at Slavka
run!
VVKA-MORKVKA, idiom, joc. A
teasing rhyming phrase for a boy named
Vladimir (nickname Vova, Vovka).
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
39
Vovka-morkovka, idi k nam igrath.
Vovka-carrot, come play with us.
VODLA, -y, m., joc. A driver (from vo-
dith mainu). On vodiloj rabota-
et? Does he work as a driver?
VODTH LOM, idiom, neg. To be
capricious, difficult (lit., to move ones
string [mouth]. Ne vodi alom, rei-
li rabotath, znacit rabotath bez
razgovorov. Dont be difficult! We
decided to work, and that means work,
not chat.
VDKA: Vdka s vintm, idiom. A bottle
of vodka with a screwcap (considered
more desirable than bottles sealed with
lead caps). Kupi tu vodku s vintom,
ona luce. Buy that screw-cap bottle of
vodka its better. Phnstvovath
vdku, see under phnstvovath.
VDKA BEZ PVA DNHGI NA
VTER, idiom. Vodka should be drunk
with beer (lit., Vodka without beer means
moneys to the wind).
VDKA NA VRAG, I MY E
UNICTOEM, idiom, joc. Vodka
is our enemy, so well utterly consume
it. (This expression is a play on the well-
known saying of the Stalin years regard-
ing enemies of the people: Esli vrag ne
sdats, my ego unictoaem, If the
enemy wont surrender, well utterly con-
sume him.) Zacem vy phte? to
vredno dl zdorovh. Vodka na
vrag, i my e unictoaem. Why do
you drink? Its bad for your health.
Vodka is our enemy, so well utterly con-
sume it!
VDKA TO VITAMN! vozmuath, to become a man, and
SKAZL XO I MIN, joc. Lit., Ho
Chi Minh says: Vodka is a vitamin! A
rhyming phrase used in praise of liquor.
VODOLZ, -a, m., youth, neg. Someone
who wears eyeglasses (lit., an underwater
worker, from the image of wearing gog-
gles or a mask). v oceredi sto von
za tem vodolazom. My place in line is
behind that four-eyes over there.
VODOPROVDCIK, -a, m., joc. Some-
one who urinates frequently (lit., a plumb-
er). Nu ty i vodoprovodcik, polcasa
Page 39
VOZHM S PLKI PIROK
ne posidih. What a plumber you
are! You cant sit still for half an hour
without going to take a leak.
. A plumber (lit., a water
sprite, from a fairy tale in pagan times,
refers to a creature who lives in a marsh).
,
. Call the plumber; our tap is
leaking again.
VODRA, -y, f., rude. Vodka. Vodra u
vas esth? Have you got any vodka?
VOZBUXTH/VOZBUXNTH, rude. To
stir up trouble, be defiant, make objec-
tions (from bux, the sound of a crash; cf.
buxtth). Sidi tixo, ne vozbuxaj!
Sit down and dont make a ruckus.
VZDUX, -a, m., youth. 1. Money (lit., air,
perhaps from the expression denhgi
nuny kak vozdux, money is as neces-
sary as air). S vozduxom u men slo-
nosti. Im having money problems. 2.
m., army. A civilian.
VOZDKA, -i, f. An air gun, pneumatic
gun (from vozdux, air). Pojdm po-
strelem iz vozduki. Lets fire the
air gun.
VOZTH/POVOZTH mrdoj ob as-
flht (ob stol), idiom, neg. To bawl
out, abuse verbally (lit., to push some-
ones face onto the ground, or table).
Xvatit men vozith mordoj ob
asfalht, vse mogut oibaths. Stop
rubbing my nose in it anyone can
make a mistake.
VOZMUDTH, perf., rude. A word used to
deflate the pretensions of young people to
maturity, adulthood. By wordplay from
mudk. Ty, viu, vozmudel, rodi-
telej ni v gro ne stavih. I see
youve grown up into quite a baby,
ignoring your parents like that.
VOZHM S PLKI PIROK,
idiom, joc. A sarcastic response to some-
ones boasts about his achievements (lit.,
Take a cookie from the pantry, i.e., as a
reward.) Ty znaeh, skolhko u men
devuek? Molode! Vozhmi s polki
pirook. Do you know how many girls
Im going out with? What a hero!
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VOKZLHNA D`EVKA
Take yourself a cookie from the pantry.
VOKZLHNA D`EVKA, idiom, homo-
sexual. A homosexual who looks for
partners in train stations.
VOLGRH, -r, m. Owner of a Volga, a
big car used by officials and rich people
(lit., an inhabitant of the Volga region).
Gde zdesh gara volgar, s borodkoj
takoj? Wheres the parking space of
the Volga man you know, that guy
with the beard?
VOLNKA, -i, f. A Volga automobile.
Zdesh proezala goluba volan-
ka? Did a blue Volga pass by here?
VOLK: Vlki pozrnye, idiom, neg.,
rude. Scum, riffraff (lit., vicious wolves).
Opth vy, volki pozornye, obygra-
li phnogo v karty. You scum, again
youve beaten a drunk man at cards.
Sklhko vlka ni korm, a u slon
vs ravn (ja) blhe, see under
sklhko. Tambvskij volk teb tov-
riw, see under tambvskij.
VOLN: Gnath voln, see under gnath1.
VOLOSTIK, -a, m., neg., obs. Someone
with long hair (usually referring to a hip-
pie). V tom kafe odni volosatiki
sobirats. The only people who go
to that caf are hippies.
VOLOSNKA, -i, f., rude. Female geni-
tals (lit., hairy one). Ona volosnku
lbomu podstavlet. Shell put out
for just anyone.
VOLCH, imperf. only, youth. To under-
stand, grasp (lit., to drag). Ty v ma-
ine, viu, sovsem ne voloch. Its
obvious you dont understand a thing
about cars.
/. To rhyming phrase, neg. Said to people with
beat. , too high an opinion of themselves, their
. Why are they beat- looks, their clothes (mainly in childrens
ing him so hard? heyll maim him like
that.
VOLNA, -y, f., crim. A pistol, gun (lit.,
bagpipe). On bez volyny ne xodit.
He never goes anywhere without his
gun.
VOLNITH/PROVOLNITH. To pro-
crastinate, postpone, delay (from volyn-
ka, bagpipes). On provolynil e-
Page 40
40
lyj denh, tak i ne pocinil mainu.
He procrastinated all day and never got
the car fixed.
VOLHT, -a (pl. volht), m., neg., youth.
Abnormality, insanity (pl. only, lit.,
volts). U teb opth volhty?!
Have you taken leave of your senses
again? Volht priletli, idiom.
Someone has gone crazy (lit., the volts
have arrived, after the title of Savrasovs
famous painting Graci prileteli,
The Rooks Have Arrived). Vy cto
vs vrem smetesh, volhty pri-
leteli? Why do you keep laughing
like that? Bats in the belfry? Prikdy-
vaths/priknuths volhtm, see
under prikdyvaths.
VOLHTANTHS, perf. only, neg. To go
crazy (lit., to be electrocuted). Ty
sovsem volhtanuls, govorih takie
vewi rebnku? Have you completely
flipped out, saying such things to a
child?
VOLHTOVTH/ZAVOLHTOVTH,
youth. To shirk, avoid, circumvent work.
U nas ne zavolhtueh! Therell be
no malingering here in this outfit.
VONH PODREJTZNA, idiom, rude.
A bad person, scoundrel (usually of a
woman). (From rejtuzy, womens long
underwear; lit., stench under the panties).
A tvoej, vonh podrejtuzna, ctob
nogi dae ne bylo! Never set foot in
this house again, you piece of filth!
VONCKA, -i, f., neg. A nasty,
disgusting person (lit., stinker). ta
voncka opth rugalash. That skunk
yelled at us again.
VOOBRALA, XVOST PODLA,
speech). Lit., Stuck-up fellow, youve got
your tail between your legs. Vy cto ne
vidite? U men plathe novoe! Voob-
raala, xvost podala. Look at my
new dress! Dont be so stuck-up!
VOR V ZAKNE, idiom, crim. A thief
who observes the thieves code of honor,
the main articles of which are (1) dont
work in prison, (2) dont report to or oth-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 41

41 VPERTHS

erwise cooperate with prison authorities, mazh dostath, volki zavelish. Ive
and (3) obey orders of criminal authori- got to get some ointment, Ive got crabs.
ties. On vor v zakone, on rabotath ne VOH: Skakth, kak voh na gre-
budet. Hes a law-abiding thief; his bek, see under skakth. drna
code forbids him to work. voh, see under drna.
VORK, -a, m., youth, obs. Work (from Eng. , idiom. Contrary to ones
work). Segodn neoxota idti na wishes, involves negative feelings. See
vork. I dont feel like going to work .
today.
VPRIVATH/VPARTH, neg. To palm
VORKOVTH/ZAVORKOVTH. To off (defective goods). Smotri, tam
work (from Eng. work). Kto segod- mogut vparith falhivye dollary.
n vorkuet na kuxne, moet posudu? Watch out that they dont palm off any
Whos on dish-washing duty today in counterfeit dollars on you.
the kitchen.
VPATH, perf. To beat, to punish (from
VRON(K), -a, (-nk), m. A dark blue path, to solder). Vidno, silhno
police cr (lit., a crow). tebe vpali, ele xodih. It looks like
VOR`ONA, -y, f. An absent-minded person. they really beat you up, you can hardly
Opth ty ne to kupil, vorona. walk. Vpath po cajniku, idiom. To hit
Again youve bought the wrong thing, in the head or in the face. Tak i
you featherbrain. xocets vpath tebe po cajniku kak
VOROTTH/OTVOROTTH rlo, sleduet. Oh, how Id like to smack you
idiom, neg. To turn up ones nose at in the face!
something, reject. Eh, ne voroti VPATHS, perf. only, neg. To crash
ryla, bolhe net nicego. Youd bet- (from path, to weld, solder). Sej-
ter not turn up your nose at the food cas tuman, zaprosto mono vpaths
its all there is. vo vstrecnu. In this fog you could
VOROTNK: Poprvh vorotnk, easily crash into an oncoming vehicle.
vrath meet, see under poprvh. / ,
VOSHMIDERST, -a, m., neg. A neg. To reprimand, to call on the carpet
member of the generation of the 1980s, (lit., to fuck). See .
alluding to the New Russians (by -
wordplay on vosemhdest, 80, and . He likes to bawl people
pederast, pederast). Sredi vishmi- out for no special reasonjust in case.
derastov malo pordocnyx ldej. VPERD, DRUZH, A ZA VMI.
There arent many honest people of the GRDH POSTO ZA VIMI
80s generation. SPINMI, rhyming phrase, joc. Used
, idiom, in response to an exhortation to do some-
army. To turn ones head from side to thing difficult or demanding, mimicking
side (lit., to turn ones skull). the exhorter. Lit., Forward, friends, Im
, behind you! Ill lay down my life for you
!. Whos that rub- behind the cover of your backs! Nu
bernecking over there? Youve been cto, vperd, ew nemnogo, i my zakon-
called to attention! cim tot remont. Vperd, druzh,
VKATHS/PROVKATHS, a za vami. grudh posto za vai-
neg. To waste time, take a long time, mi spinami. Come on, fellows, were
dawdle (lit., to pick nits). Koncaj vo- almost done with this job. Forward,
kaths, opazdyvaem. Stop dawdling, friends, Im behind you! Ill lay down my
or well be late. life for you behind your backs.
VOLK, -v, pl., crim. Crabs, pubic VPERTHS, perf. only, neg. To enter
lice (from voh, louse). Nado by unexpectedly, to burst in without permis-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VPLIVATHS/VPILITH/VPILTHS
sion or invitation. My ne znali, cto
tam zasedanie, vot i vprlish. We
didnt realize there was a meeting in ses-
sion, so we just burst in.
VPLIVATHS/VPILITH/VPILT
HS. 1. To run into, meet unexpectedly
(pilith, to saw). Budeh uxodith s
raboty, smotri, ne vpilish v nacalh-
nika. If you slip out of the office be care-
ful not to run into the boss. 2. To collide
with something in a car. On na svoej
maine vpilils v stolb. He ran into
a pole with his car. 3. To beat up, to hit.
tebe sejcas tak vpil, svoix ne
uznaeh. Im going to hit you so hard
you wont recognize your own mother.
VPSKA, -i, f., youth, obs. A place to
spend the night (cf. propska). Kak
nasct vpiski, na dve noci nuna.
What about a pad? I need a place for two
nights.
VPSYVATH/VPISTH, youth. To
permit someone to live or spend nights in
ones apartment. On nas vpiet na
paru dnej? Will he put us up for a cou-
ple of days?
VPSYVATHS/VPISTHS, youth.
To fit, match; to meet no objection; to be
opportune. My v kompani vpiem-
s? Will we fit in with that group?
, idiom. Not in full swing, things to him explained twice.
half-heartedly (lit., half-legged).
. If you study Eng-
lish half-heartedly nothing will come of
it.
VPRAVLTH/VPRVITH mozg,
idiom. To correct, set right. Emu mozgi
ne vpravih, raz reil uexath, zna-
cit, uedet. Dont try to set him
straight; once hes decided to go, hell
go.
VRATRH, -, m., joc. A bouncer in a
restaurant or bar (lit., goalkeeper) Tuda
tak prosto ne vojdh, nado
zardith vratar. Its not easy to get
in there, well have to bribe the bouncer.
VRZANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Drunk.
Ew utro, a on ue vrezannyj idt.
Its still morning, and hes already going
Page 42
42
around drunk.
VREZTH/VRZATH. To drink a large
amount of alcohol. On vrezath oj kak
lbit! How he likes to swill it down!
Vrzath po stopriku, idiom. To
drink a shot-glass each. Davaj vreem
po stopariku. Come on, lets have just
a little drink. Vrezth/vrzath po
smoe ne xoc, idiom, joc. To strike, to
punish. Krizis vrezal nam vsem po
samoe ne xocu. The economic crisis has
hurt everyone.
VRUBTH/VRUBTH. To turn on, turn up
(from rubilhnik, an electric switching
mechanism). Vrubi muzyku posilh-
nej! Turn up the volume of the music!
VRUBTHS/VRUBTHS. 1. To
understand. Cto-to ne vrublsh, o
cm razgovor. I really dont understand
what youre talking about. 2. To crash
into something. Oni v motoikle vru-
bilish v derevo. They ran into a tree on
their motorcycle.
, -. m. A person whos quick on
the uptake (lit., Vrubel, a famous Russian
artist, a wordplay on and
to understand.
,
. See
. He quickly understood
everything, our Vrubel doesnt need
VRUBN, -a, m., youth. Understand, grasp.
U teb vrubona net, a to vs
prosto. You dont get it at all, and yet
its so simple.
VRUNK, vrunk, m., joc. A radio set,
radio receiver (a Sovietism from vrun, a
liar, alluding to the assumption that offi-
cial radio news is all lies). Vklci
vrunok, skoro novosti. Turn on the
lie-machine; its time for the news.
VSIVATH/VSADTH. 1. To beat, to
hit. 2. To have intensive sex with a
woman. Vot komu nado vsadith,
vidih, kak na muikov smotrit?
Theres a woman you should screw
look how she ogles all the men.
Vsivath/Vsadth po tkve (po
pli, po bnu), idiom, neg. To hit in
the head (lit., to plunge in the pumpkin
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
43
[bald spot, jug]). Vcera emu vsadili
po tykve, popal v bolhniu. Yester-
day he got such a bash in the head that he
landed in the hospital.
VSSYVATH/VSOSTH, army. To
understand (lit., to suck in). Cto-to
ne vsosu, cto ty xoceh. I dont
understand exactly what you want.
VS NE SLVA BGU, idiom. Things
arent right, somethings wrong (lit., not
everything is to the glory of God).
Opth u teb vs ne slava Bogu: to
ty denhgi poterla, teperh zabole-
la. Again somethings the matter with
you first you lost the money, now
youre sick.
VS PONE PSA, idiom, neg. It
doesnt matter, its all the same (lit., its
all below the belt; euph. for p xuj).
Vai problemy men ne volnut,
mne vs to ponie posa. I dont
care about your problems; to me its all
the same.
, idiom. Everything is O.K., VSPRSKIVATH/VSPRSNUTH.
all is going as it should, all is well (lit.,
everythings on the right path). new purchase (lit., to besprinkle). Ty,
? . Well slyal, mainu kupil? to delo
how are your studies going? All is
well.
VS RAVN VOJN, idiom. Theres
nothing to lose, you might as well (lit.,
therell be war anyhow). Davaj pos-
lednie, kupim vodku, vs ravno vojna.
Come on, lets buy some vodka with the
rest of the money we might as well.
VS SXVCENO (u kog-l.), idiom.
(Someone has) good (Mafia) connec-
tions, reliable protection. U nix v tom
magazine vs sxvaceno. The people in
that store have reliable connections.
VS TECT, VS IZ MEN, idiom,
joc. Lit., Everything is flowing from me.
By wordplay from the phrase Vs tect,
vs izmenets, Everything is in flux,
everything changes. 1. A deflating
response to the phrase Vs tect, vs
izmenets. 2. I need to take a piss.
VSE TRDATH TRI UDOVLH-
STVI, idiom. A good time, a lot of
fun (lit., all thirty-three enjoyments).
Page 43
VSTAVLTH/VSTVITH
Pojdm v ban, polucim vse trid-
ath tri udovolhstvi: i poparims
i pivka pophm. Lets go to the steam
bath. Well have a great time there,
steaming ourselves and having some
beer.
VSEM DAVTH, TAK SLOMETS
KROVTH, rhyming phrase, joc. Used
in refusing a request, with allusion to sex-
ual refusal; lit., if I give to everyone, the
bed will collapse. Daj nemnogo
pecenh. Vsem davath, tak slo-
maets krovath. Let me have some
cookies. If I give some to everyone,
the bed will collapse.
VSEX PEREEBTH NELHZ, NO K
TOMU STREMTHS NDO,
idiom, rude. Lit., You cant fuck them all,
but you ought to try.
VSOSTH, perf. To drink (lit., to suck in).
Ty ue svoj stakan vsosal, ostavh
drugim. Youve already had your drink,
leave some for the others!
To drink in celebration of a holiday or a
nado vsprysnuth! I hear you just
bought a new car thats something we
have to drink to!
VSTAVJ, VSTAVJ, DRUK, S
POSTLI NA GORK! rhyming
phrase, joc. Lit., Get up, get up, buddy,
from bed to the potty! A rhyming phrase
that means Time to get up! (Derived
from pioneer camp life.)
VSTAVTH/VSTATH sranh, idiom,
rude. To get up early (by wordplay on
sranh and rano, early). Nado zavt-
ra vstath sranh i srazu na rybalku.
Ive got to get up shit-early to go fishing
tomorrow.
VSTAVLTH/VSTVITH. 1. To have
sex. Kaets, ty vstavil vsem,
komu mono. You seem to have been to
bed with everybody. 2. To hit, to beat.
Kak by nam ne vstavili za nai
utki. Im afraid, were going to get it
for our jokes. Vstavlth/vstvith
pistn, idiom. To scold, to punish. (Cf.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VSTREVTH/VSTRTH
under pistn). Tebe vstavili pis-
ton, esli malo, mono povtorith. If
thats not enough punishment for you, we
can do it again. Vstavlth/Vstvith
fitlh, idiom. To scold, bawl out (lit.,
to replace the wick of a lamp; with sexual
connotation). Tebe za to takoj
fitilh vstavt, ne obraduehs.
Youre going to get such a tongue-lash-
ing for this, you wont enjoy it!
VSTREVTH/VSTRTH, neg. To inter-
fere, to interrupt. Ne vstrevaj v razgo-
vor. Dont butt in on our conversation.
VSTRNUTHS, perf. only, joc. To meet,
get together. Vstrenulish oni daveca
i nalakalish. Recently they got
together and had a lot to drink.
, -, f. Oncoming traffic. dont butt in.
. VTRIVATHS/VTRITHS, joc.
Dont cross the line into oncoming traf-
ficthere will be a big fine.
VS DORGU. See under dorga.
VSKOMU VOWU SVOJ FRUKT,
idiom, joc. Everything in good time (lit.,
Every vegetable has its fruit, playing on
Vskomu ovowu svo vrem, Every
vegetable has its season). Nakone-
to on reil eniths. Vskomu
ovowu svoj frukt. So he finally
decided to get married. Well, every
vegetable has its fruit.
VTIRTH/VTERTH v ku, idiom,
neg. To insist repetitively (lit., to rub into
someones skin). Xvatit vtirath v
kou o enax, ne xocu bolhe o nix
slyath. Stop harping on the cost of
living; I dont want to hear any more
about it.
VTIRTHS/VTERTHS, youth. To
inject a drug. Ty xoceh ew
vtereths, na segodn xvatit. You
want another shot, but youve had enough
for today.
VTORJ STAKN ROSSI, idiom,
joc. Yeltsins right-hand man (lit., The
second glass of Russia). A kto sejcas
u nas vtoroj stakan Rossii? Whos
Yeltsins second these days?
VTORK, -a, m. Old tea, tea made from
used tea-leaves. Tam vtork ostals,
Page 44
44
pogrejs. Theres some old tea there,
have some and warm yourself up.
VTRSKIVATHS/VTRSKATHS,
joc. To fall in love (lit., to crack). On v
ne srazu vtreskals. He suddenly
fell head over heels in love with her.
VTYK, -a, m., neg. A reprimand, punish-
ment. Davno vtyk ne polucal?
Youre really asking for it!
VTYKTH/VOTKNTH. To scold, rep-
rimand. Mne vcera votknuli za opoz-
danie. Yesterday they bawled me out
for being late.
VTYKTHS/VOTKNTHS, rude.
To interfere in someone elses business,
meddle. Ne tvo delo, sidi i ne
vtykajs! Its none of your business
To fall in love. Kogda on uspel v ne
vtriths? When did he manage to
fall in love with her?
VLHVA, -y, f., rude. A womans thick
pubic hair. U ne vulhva zapu-
taths mono. She has such thick
pubic hair you can get stuck in it.
VMNYJ, KAK VTKA, idiom, neg.
(Lit., Clever as a duck). Regional variant
of mnyj, kak tka Foolish, dumb.
Nu, ty vumnyj, kak vutka, zacem
phh kofe na noch? You fool, why
do you drink coffee at night?
VSMERTH, adv. Extremely, very much
(lit., to death). Vcera vse ustali vu-
smerth. Yesterday everyone got dead
tired. Vsmerth katths, idiom,
crim. To drink ones fill, drink to ones
satisfaction. V subbotu vusmerth
katalish, spirta bylo, skolhko xo-
ceh. On Saturday they drank their fill
there was all the alcohol you could ask
for.
VXUCIVATH/VXUCITH, rude.
1. To have sex with a woman. Pora ej
vxucith. Its time to get her into bed.
2. To hit. Emu vxucili kamnem v
spinu. They hit him in the back with a
brick.
(NO) VCER, I PO PTH, idiom, joc.
An ironic reply to regrets about inflation
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
45
(lit., But that was yesterday, and it only
cost five rubles). Zr my ne kupili
letom stiralku. Da, to bylo
vcera i po pth. We should have
bought the washing machine last
summer. Yes, it would have been
cheaper, but thats already history.
VVNIK, -a, m., army. Longjohns,
underwear for extra warmth, often a jog-
ging outfit. Bez vivnika na postu
xolodno. Its cold on sentry duty with-
out a pair of longjohns.
VIVOT, -, f., coll., neg. Insignificant
people (lit., lice). Zacem tebe ta
vivota, ne druzh oni tebe. What
are you doing with those nonentities?
Theyre not suitable friends for you.
VVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Bad, dirty,
cheap. Konert kakoj-to vivyj,
sovsem ne ponravils. That was a
lousy concert, I didnt like it at all.
VQEBTH, imperf. only, rude. Cf. b-.
1. To have sex with a woman. Ty e
kogda-nibudh vqebh? Arent you
ever going to fuck her? 2. To hit.
Otojdi, a to vqebu. Get out of here
or Ill hit you. Vqebth po smye
ja, idiom, rude. To have sex with a
woman (lit., to fuck her up to ones balls).
Taku nado vqebath po samye ja
i zabyth. With that sort of woman you
should just fuck her and forget about
her.
VQEZTH/VQXATH, To understand
(lit., to drive in). ne vqexal, pov-
tori. Would you repeat that? I didnt
get it.
VY NE LBLI, VAM NE PONTH,
idiom, joc. You cant understand what
you havent experienced (lit., You
havent loved, so you cant understand).
Xoroo by sejcas zimoj otdoxnuth
v Italii. Pravda, vy ne lbili, vam
ne ponth. How nice it would be to
spend the winter vacation in Italy. Of
course you wouldnt understand, youve
never been there.
VY PSNEJ XOTTE, IX ESTH U
MEN, idiom, joc., imitating illiterate
speech. Lit., You want songs? Ive got
some. 1. I have my opinion, I have
Page 45
VYGLIVATH/VGULTH
something to say. Nu skai, cto ty
dumaeh ob tom? Vy pesnej
xotite, ix esth u men. Tell us what
you think. You want to know? Ill
tell you! 2. I can provide what you want.
Ty prins bilety v Bolhoj?
Vy pesnej xotite, ix esth u men.
Have you brought tickets for the
Bolshoi? You want? I have.
VBLDOK, vbldka, m., rude. Cf.
bldh. 1. An illegitimate child, bastard.
Ona svoego vybldka v detdom
otdala. She put her bastard in an
orphanage. 2. Idiot, scum. s tim
vybldkom znaths ne budu, on men
ue sto raz podvl. I wont have any-
thing to do with that bastard, hes let me
down a thousand times already.
VBLDY, -a, m. See vbldok.
VYBRSYVATH/VBROSITH (v
produ), idiom, obs. To put deficit
goods on sale, to make available for sale
previously unavailable merchandise (lit.,
to throw out). Idi skoree, tam vy-
brosili letnie tufli. Youd better
hurry theyve just started selling a
shipment of summer shoes.
VBROS, -a, m., joc. The political party
Vybor Rossii (Russias Choice) (lit.,
emission).
VVERNUTH rabtu, idiom, crim. To
rob an apartment. Davno vidno ne by-
lo, cto delal? Da nedavno vyver-
nuli rabotu, peresiivali. I havent
seen you for a long time. Whatve you
been up to? We robbed an apartment
recently and then went underground for a
while.
VYGIBNISTYJ, -a, -oe, youth,
neg. Vain or conceited, having too high
an opinion of oneself. Budeh takim
vygibonistym, za seb ne otveca.
Dont act so stuck-up or Ill be tempted
to smack you.
VYGORTH/VGORETH. To be
successful, to turn out well. U nego s
lotereej nicego ne vygorelo. Hes
had no luck with the lottery.
VYGLIVATH/VGULTH, joc. To
butter up (lit., to walk [a dog]).
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VYDAVTH/VDATH
svoego efa davno vyguliva, xocu
vzth bolhoj otpusk. Ive been
buttering up my boss for a long time
because I want to apply for a long leave.
VYDAVTH/VDATH. 1. To perform.
Kogda on vyphet, on vydat bal-
dnye anekdoty. When he drinks he
tells very funny stories. 2. To speak out,
declare straight out. A nu, vydaj emu
vs, cto ty o nm dumaeh. Well, tell
him straight out exactly what you think of
him.
VYDVIGTHS/VDVINUTHS.
To leave, pull out, move out. Nam pora
vydvigaths, a to opozdaem na rabo-
tu. Well, weve got to move along now
or well be late for work.
VDOXNUTH, perf. To feel relief, to be
relieved. Vydoxni, vs ue kon-
cilosh. Its over, you can relax now.
VYDRCIVATHS/VDRCITH-
S, neg. 1. To be capricious, contrary,
uncooperative. Ne vydrcivaths,
odevajs i poli v gosti. Dont be
obstreperous. Get dressed and lets go
out. 2. To annoy, torment, offend. On
lbit vydrcivaths nad slabymi.
He likes to torment weak people. 3. To
be boastful, to act conceited. On stal
artistom i nacal vydrcivaths
pered druzhmi. He became an actor
and started putting on airs with his
friends.
VEBATH I VBROSITH, idiom,
rude. Worthless, useless (of things or
people) (lit., fit to be fucked and thrown
out; cf. b-). Zacem mne ta kurtka,
vyebath i vybrosith. What do I need
that coat for? Its just a piece of junk.
VYBISTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Stuck-up,
capricious, willful (cf. b-). S nim
nelegko razgovarivath, slikom
vybistyj. Its hard to talk to him,
hes so stuck-up.
VYEBN, -a, m., rude, neg. A prank, trick
(cf. b-). Mne tvoi vyebony nado-
eli. Im sick and tired of your tricks.
VEBONA, -y, f., rude, joc. A pothole
(from vyboina, pothole, by wordplay
on vebath, to fuck; cf. b-). Na
Page 46
46
doroge odni vyebony. This road is full
of fucking potholes.
VYBYVATHS/VEBNUTHS,
rude. To be willful, abusive (cf. b-).
Ne vybyvajs, nam pora exath.
Dont be obstreperous, its time for us to
go. On privyk nad vsemi vyby-
vaths. Hes in the habit of abusing
everybody. N xuj vybyvaths,
idiom, rude. Dont be naughty, dont play
pranks (cf. xuj). Ne xuj vybyvath-
s, ri, cto dat. Dont carry on like
that. Just eat what youre given.
VYIVATHS, imperf. only, neg.
1. To be capricious, uncooperative. Ne
vyivajs, terpeth kaprizy ne
budu. Dont mess around. I wont put up
with any nonsense. 2. To be offensive,
disrespectful. On vs vrem vyiva-
ets, a ena vs emu prowaet. Hes
constantly acting obnoxious, but his wife
keeps forgiving him.
VYEZDNJ, -go, obs., Soviet. A Soviet
citizen having the right to travel abroad
(hence, officially certified as loyal and
reliable). Kogda to on stal vyezd-
nym, ranhe on za graniu ne ezdil.
When was he declared travel-certified?
He never used to travel abroad.
VYIRTH/VRATH (butlku,
polltra), idiom, rude. To drink a bottle
of liquor. Ty ue s utra vyral bu-
tylku ostanovish. Youve already
gulped down a bottle since this morning
its time to stop.
VYKTYVATH/VKATITH blhma,
idiom, rude. To stare, look hard at some-
thing (lit., to roll ones whites). Ty cego
belhma vykatila: muikov, cto lh,
ne videla? What are you staring at?
Havent you ever seen a man before?
VYKDYVATH/VKINUTH: Vyk-
dyvath/vkinuth trk, idiom, neg.
To behave strangely, pull a stunt. Vot
kakoj on vykinul trk: brosil enu,
detej i uexal na sever. He pulled quite
a stunt suddenly left his wife and chil-
dren and went north. Vykdyvath/
vkinuth frtelh, idiom, neg. To
behave unpredictably, to pull a stunt.
On moet vykinuth lboj for-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 47

47 VYPNDRIVATHS/VPENDRITHS

telh, ne nadejs na nego. Hes capable VYNOSTH/VNESTI nogmi vpe-

of any stunt; you cant rely on him. rd kog-l., idiom. To bury someone
VYKOBNIVATHS, imperf., neg. To (lit., to carry someone out feet-first).
be capricious, to be difficult. Ne Vse vy dte, kogda men vynesut
vykobenivajs, skazal, cto idh s nogami vperd. Youre all waiting for
nami, idi. Dont be difficult! You said them to carry me off to my grave.
youd come with us, so come. , -. Unconscious (lit.,
VKOLOTH MORGLY, idiom, rude. dropped out). ,
To punish, to beat (lit., to puncture some- . Dont bother him, hes
ones eyes). Cf. morgly. Budeh stoned out of his mind.
alovaths, vykol morgaly. If you VYPADLOVO, -a, n., youth. A shock, a
tell on me, Ill smash your face in. big surprise. Dl men ego smerth
VKRASITH DA VBROSITH, vypadalovo. His death was a big shock
idiom, neg. Said of something junky or to me.
worthless (lit., paint it and throw it out). VYPADTH/VPASTH v osdok,
U teb lampa nastolhna vykra- idiom. Lit., to precipitate out. 1. To lose
sith da vybrosith. Your table lamp is consciousness. Smotri, on ue vy-
a piece of junk. pal v osadok, sovsem pith ne umeet.
VYKRUTSY, -ov, pl., neg. Tricks, Look, hes already out cold appar-
whims, capricious behavior. Kak ty ently he doesnt know how to drink. 2.
nadoel so svoimi vykrutasami. Im To go into hiding. Teb davno ne
sick of you and your tricks. vidno. Vypal v osadok na nedel. I
havent seen you in a while. I went
VYKUPTH/VKUPITH, crim. To underground for a week.
steal, as by picking pockets (lit., to ran-
som). A to u nego vykupil, zdesh , -, -. Outstanding,
denhgi, casy. Heres what I stole from unusual, unbelievable (from , to
him some money and a watch. fall, meaning to fall out of order, to stand
out, always used in a positive sense).
, imperf. To give ,
oneself airs, to be capricious, to be fretful. . Its amaz-
, , ing to meet you like this in the subway
? Quit being so after not having seen you for ten years!
capricious, just tell us whether you are
VYPENDR, -a, m., neg. 1. Capricious-
coming with us or not.
ness, naughtiness. Koncaj svoj vy-
VNESTI (PONEST), perf. 1. To beat pendr, vstavaj i idi na rabotu.
up. Tam za uglom naix nesut. Our Stop being naughty; get up and go to
boys are being beaten up around the corner work. 2. Boasting, bragging. Mne ix
there. 2. To win, to score. My vynesli vypendr po povodu zagranki nado-
ix so sctom 3:2. We beat them 3 to 2. el. Im sick of their boasting about their
VNOS, -a, m., youth. A loss at cards or trip abroad.
sports. Vynos sostols, nai bolh- VYPNDRIVATHS/VPENDRITH-
e ne igrat v futbol na perven- S, neg. 1. To be contrary, capricious,
stvo. Our team lost the game, so they unreliable. Ne vypendrivajs, ty
wont be playing in the championships. sama obewala, a teperh ne delaeh.
, idiom. To be out cold, Dont be so irresponsible! You prom-
dead drunk (lit., the carrying of a body to ised, and now youre not delivering! 2.
the cemetery). To mock, ridicule. Xvatit vypendri-
, vaths nad nami. Stop laughing at us.
. Our Volodya got really 3. To boast, show off. Ona lbit vy-
smashed yesterday to celebrate his pro- pendrivaths svoimi svzmi. Shes
motion to captain. always bragging about her connections in
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
VYPIVN
high places.
VYPIVN, -a, m. Liquor. Kakoj u nas
vypivon esth? What do we have to
drink? 2. A (drinking) party. U nas
budet vypivon v subbotu, ty pri-
dh? Were having a party on Satur-
day. Will you come?
VYPIVXA, -i, m. and f., neg. A
drunkard.
VYPZIVATHS. See vyby-
vaths.
VYPLIVATHS, imperf., neg. 1. To
work hard, to slave. Mne nadoelo
vypilivaths elyj denh na solne.
Im exhausted from working in the sun
all day. 2. To be capricious, un-
cooperative.
VYPSYVATH/VPISATH, youth.
To evict, kick out, forbid someone to live
in ones apartment. Segodn nas vypi-
ut, nado iskath, gde ith. Today
theyre going to kick us out; well have to
look for another place to live. Vyp-
syvath/vpisath (dvuek . . .). To
ask (girls) out on a date. Davaj vypi-
em paru cuvix na vecer. Lets ask a
couple of girls out for the evening.
VYPLIVATHS/VPULITHS,
joc. To flee, leave quickly (from pul,
bullet). Vypulivaems otsda,
poka ne pozdno. Lets get out of here
before its too late.
VRVATH NGI IZ ZDNIY,
idiom, rude. To beat, to punish (lit., to
tear someones legs from his buttocks).
Budeh xodith k nej, vyrvu nogi iz
zadniy. You go near her and Ill tear
your legs off.
VRVI GLAZ, idiom, joc., neg. Very sour
(lit., tear-your-eyes-out). Gde ty vzl
tu gadosth? Ne vino, a vyrvi glaz!
Where did you get that nasty stuff?
Thats not wine, thats rotgut.
VYRUBTH/VRUBITH. 1. To turn off,
switch off. Vyrubi svet, glazam
bolhno. Turn off the light, its hurting
my eyes. 2. To knock unconscious,
knock out. On ego vyrubil s pervogo
udara. He knocked the guy out with a
single punch.
Page 48
48
VYRUBTHS/VRUBITHS. To
lose consciousness (lit., to be switched
off). Posle pervogo udara on vyru-
bils. He lost consciousness after the
first punch.
VYRUBN, -a, m., youth. 1. Astonish-
ment, amazement. Takoj vyrubon po-
lucih ot filhma, dalhe nekuda.
That movie is a real knockout! 2.
Extreme exhaustion. Ne mogu dae
sideth, vyrubon posle raboty nas-
tupil. Im so exhausted after work that
I cant even sit up.
VSEROK, vserka, m., rude. A worth-
less person (lit., a turd, a piece of shit).
Esli ty, vyserok, ew raz sda
pridh, smotri u men togda! You
piece of shit! If you show up here again
Ill really let you have it!
VYSIRTH/VSRATH, rude. To get,
acquire (lit., to shit). Gde tebe vysru
novye botinki? Where do you expect
me to get you new boots do you think
I can shit them? Cto teb, vsru?
idiom, rude. How do you expect me to get
it? A response to someones complaining
or nagging. U men net vodki. Cto
tebe, vysru? I have no vodka; what do
you want me to do, shit it?
VYSIRTHS/VSRATHS, rude.
To defecate. Dolgo teb ne bylo,
vysrals nakone. It took you a long
time to shit.
VYSKREBTH/VSKRESTI. To per-
form an abortion on someone (lit., to
scrape out). E segodn dolny vy-
skresti. Shes supposed to be having
an abortion today.
VYSKREBTHS/VSKRESTISH,
youth. To leave. Pora nam iz togo
goroda vyskrebaths. Its time for us
to get out of this town.
VYSTKA, -i, f. A tall building, sky-
scraper.
VYSSYVTHS/VSSATHS, rude.
To empty out ones bladder. Posle
piva nikak vyssaths ne mogu. When
I drink beer I just cant stop pissing.
VYSTAVLTH/VSTAVITH. To
pressure or deceive someone into spend-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 49

49 VZTH/POVZTH

ing money. Nado by ego vystavith VXLOP, -a, m. Breath reeking with
na poddacu. Lets try to get him to pick liquor (lit., exhaust from an automobile).
up the tab for the drinks. Na vxlope, idiom. Exhausted, worn
/. out. dela to ue na vyxlope,
To spend money in order to throw a party nado otdoxnuth. Im already running
(from , to prepare a on empty, I need to take a rest.
table with dishes, food, and drinks). VXOD, -a, m. Connections, influential
, acquaintances. U teb esth vyxod na
. I shelled out 2 Gs host- gorsovet? Do you have connections on
ing a celebration party when I was the city council?
awarded my medal. VYXODTH/VJTI v tir, idiom.
VYSTUPLA, -y, m. and f., neg. 1. A To retire, leave the scene, become obso-
troublemaker, hooligan. tot vystu- lete or superfluous. Ew god porabo-
pala ne uspokoits, poka ne podert- taet, a potom vyjdet v tira.
s s kem-libo. That hooligan always Hell work for another year, and then
has to be fighting with someone. hell be pensioned off.
2. Someone who likes to make speeches VYCISLTH/VCISLITH. To
before an audience. tot vystupala deduce logically, figure out, calculate.
budet teperh govorith casami. That vycislil mesto, gde oni vstre-
long-winded speechifier is going to be calish. I figured out where they must
talking for hours. have been meeting.
VYSTUPTH/VSTUPITH, neg. To VYK, -k, m., crim. A death sentence.
pick quarrels, be provocative. Ne vys- Za ubijstvo emu dali vyak. They
tupaj, a to polucih. Dont provoke gave him the death sentence for murder.
me or youll get it. Vystupth/vs- , rhyming phrase. The
tupith (ne) po dlu, idiom. To make a best, supreme (lit., higher than the roof).
just (unjust) claim to something, to be
right (wrong) in an argument. Ty vys- . We had a real feast for
tupil po delu, oni ustupili. You New Years Eveit was tops!
were in the right; they had to give in.
VYIBN, -a, m., youth, joc. The last
Izvini, starik, v tot raz ty vys-
dance at a restaurant or club, after which
tupil ne po delu, vs bylo ne tak.
the establishment closes (from vy-
Sorry, old boy, this time youre simply
ibath, to kick out; vyibala,
wrong it wasnt like that at all.
bouncer). Davaj stanuem vyi-
/. To be bon i po domam. Lets dance the last
tired out, to be fed up (lit., to dry out, number and go home.
from , to dry). VKA, -i, f., crim. See vyk.
. I am fed up
with your whining! VHET, -a, m. A Vietnamese.
VSIJ PILOT! idiom. Excel- VHGA, -a, f., homosexual. A passive
lent, first-class. On delaet alyki homosexual (lit., snowstorm; cf.
vysij pilota! He can make vhiths).
first-class shishkebab. VHITHS/ZAVHITHS, m.,
, -. m. A restful sleep (lit., homosexual. To flirt, to get acquainted.
rest in a dream, from , to VNTTH/POVNTTH, VNTA-
sleep soundly). NTH, youth, obs. To go, leave, slip out,
, get out (from Eng. went). Kogda vy
. I can only dream of a vntanuli s raboty? When did you
peaceful nights sleep, Im not going to get out of work?
be able to finish writing this book on VZTH/POVZTH. Lit., to tie up.
time. 1. To apprehend, arrest. Ix vcera vsex
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VKALKA 50

povzali, sidt v izoltore. They

were all rounded up yesterday and put
into a detention cell. 2. To force, enlist
forcibly for a task. Men math pov-
zala na uborku doma. My mother roped
me into cleaning the house.
VKALKA, -i, f., neg. Mouth (cf.
vkath).
VKATH/VKNUTH, neg. To chatter,
make noise. Sidi, ne vkaj. Sit down
and shut up.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
GVKA, -i, f., joc. Mouth. Cf. gvkaths.
GVKATHS/POGVKATHS, neg.
To quarrel (from gavkath, to bark).
s nim ne razgovariva, my vcera
pogavkalish. Im not talking with him;
we quarreled yesterday.
GVRIK, -a, m. 1. neg. A petty criminal,
sneak thief (from a mans nickname).
Zna tix gavrikov, oglnuths
ne uspeeh, cto-nibudh natvort. I
know those crooks before you can
look about you theyre up to some mis-
chief. 2. pl., joc. Buddies, guys. Nu,
gavriki, poli v kino. Come on, guys,
lets go to the movies.
GAD, -a, m., neg. Lit., a reptile, snake. 1. A
repellent, disgusting person. Opth
tot gad nas podvl! That snake let us
down again! 2. crim. A police officer.
Smotri, skolhko gadov nagnali,
beim otsda! Look at all the cops on
duty. Lets get out of here! Gad polz-
cij, idiom, rude. A bastard, scoundrel
(lit., creeping snake). A on, gad polzu-
cij, obewal mne pomoch i ne pomog.
That snake promised to help me and
never came through.
GADNY, -a, m., neg. A bad. nasty
person (lit., a young snake). Cf. gad.
GADLHNIK, -a, m., crim., neg. A police
station (lit., a snake den). Gde u nix
zdesh gadilhnik? Nado znath na
vskij slucaj. Wheres the police sta-
tion around here? Wed better find out
just in case.
GDITH/POGDITH. To defecate.
davno xocu pogadith. I really need to
take a shit.
GDSKIJ, -a, -oe, rude. Bad, disgust-
ing, repellent. Kogda koncits ta
gadska pogoda? When is this crappy
weather going to end?
, , pl. Heavy navy boots (lit.,
snakes). To work long and hard. Mne nadoelo
. These clodhoppers wont
wear out in three years.
GADNIK, -a, m., neg. Lit., a snake
nest. 1. A dirty, messy place. Zdesh ne
Page 51
komnata, a gadnik. Your room is a
pigsty. 2. A beer bar, a cheap bar. V
gadnike mnogo naroda, tuda ne
pojdm. Its too crowded in that beer
bar; lets not go in.
GAZ, -a, m. Liquor, alcoholic drink. U
nas gaz na vecer esth? Do we have any
liquor for the party?
GAZIRVKA, -i, f., neg. Champagne,
sparkling wine (lit., gassy stuff). tu
gazirovku ne ph, mne vodki nalejte.
I dont drink that fizzy stuff. Pour me
some vodka.
GAZOVTH/ZAGAZOVTH. To drink,
get drunk. On gazuet ue elu nede-
l. Hes been on a drunk for a week
already.
GANIK, -a, m. A traffic officer (from
GAI, abbr. of Gosavtoinspeki, Gov-
ernment Traffic Surveillance). Smot-
ri, tam gainik stoit. Sbavh sko-
rosth. Look, theres a traffic cop. Slow
down.
, , pl. A hallucination.
See . ,
,
. Take a hit of
thisitll give you such dreams youll
forget about this hole were living in.
GMA, -y, f. Chewing gum (from Eng.
gum). Daj gamu, vo rtu protivno.
Give me some gum Ive got a bad
taste in my mouth.
GAMK, -, m., crim., neg. A homosexual
(lit., a hammock). Cego k tebe gamak
vets? Why does that homo keep
hanging around you?
GAMBL, -a, m., south. A strong, heavily
built man (cf. ambl). tot gambal
moet podnth ne tolhko cemodany,
a i teb vmeste s nimi. That ox can
carry you and your suitcases too.
GAMBLITH/POGAMBLITH, south.
gambalith na ego dace, on dae mne
frukty ne dat za to. Im sick of
slaving away for him in his garden; he
never even gives me any of the produce.
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GAMRA 52

GAMRA, -y, f. Strong wine. Nalej started beating people unconscious left
ew gamiry. Pour me some more of and right.
that wine. GASTHS/ZAGASTHS, army. To
GANDLIK, -a, m. An underground (cel- shirk, dodge, give the slip, make oneself
lar) wine tavern. Zajdm v gandelik, scarce (lit., turn oneself off). Ty opth
propustim po stakanu. Lets just stop gasihs, a rabotath kto budet?
in at the wine tavern and have a glass. There you go sneaking off again who
GANS, -a, m. A German (lit., a Hans). O do you think is going to do the work?
cm tam tot Gans lopocet? Whats , -, m. An illegal
that Kraut babbling about over there? immigrant (from the German Gastar-
GARANTJKA, -i, f. A shop where appli- beiter, guest worker). -
ances are repaired under warranty. Tele-
vizor slomals, nado otnesti ego v , . Without
garantijku. The TV isnt working. illegal immigrants Moscow can neither
Well have to take it to the warranty shop. build nor clean the streets.
, perf. To put someone in his GASTRT, -a, m., joc. A meat-filled pas-
place, to humble someone (from , try (lit., gastritis, in reference to the likeli-
to beat). , hood of poor quality). Davaj xoth
. Well soon gastrit kupim, esth xocu. Im so
take him down a pegweve had enough hungry, lets at least buy a gastritis.
of his practical jokes. GASTROLRA, -i, f., homosexual. A
/. To move fast, to homosexual visiting from a different city
jump (lit., to prance). - (from gastrolr, performer on tour).
to ne na celovek, navernoe,
? Have you ever had to gastrolra. Hes not one of our set.
high-tail it over the mountains with a 60- He must be touring.
pound pack? , -. Drunk (lit., extin-
GAS SVET, BROSJ GRANTU, guished, put out). -
idiom. Theres nothing to lose, it doesnt , . Where
matter, come what may (lit., Turn off the is there for you to swallow more booze,
light and throw the grenade). Pith you are already done, youre completely
tak pith, gasi svet, brosaj granatu. drunk.
If were going to drink we might as well /. To fire
really drink; what have we got to lose?! (lit., to nail). c
GASLOVO, -a, n., youth, obs. A beating, , .
a fight. My ne uspeli zatanevath, Our troops are going to fire on that vil-
srazu nacalosh gasilovo. We had lage where the guerrillas went.
hardly even started dancing when a fight GVOZDODR, -a, m., neg. Cheap strong
broke out. wine or tobacco (lit., a crowbar). tot
, -, m. A killer, a trigger gvozdodr dua ne prinimaet. I cant
man (from , to extinguish). stomach that rotgut.
- GVOZDH, -, m., pos. A good, reliable per-
, . He can son, a capable, resourceful fellow (lit., a
always call on a couple of trigger men if nail). On ne propadt, on parenh
theres someone he needs to quiet down. gvozdh. Hell make out all right; hes a
GASTH/POGASTH. To knock out, resourceful fellow. Gvozdh bermen-
beat into unconsciousness (lit., to put out, nyj, idiom, joc. Lit., a pregnant nail.
turn off). Oni razgovarivath ne sta- 1. A useless, incompetent person. Da
li, nacali vsex gasith podrd i vs. cto on moet, gvozdh beremennyj?
Before anyone could say a word they That pregnant nail cant do anything
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 53
53
right. 2. A weak man who tries to give
others an impression of physical strength.
Tebe s nim ne spraviths, gvozdh
beremennyj. Youll never be able to
beat him, you weakling.
GDE RAZGILHDJ, TAM I NE-
SCSTHE, idiom. Thats what I
expected from such a bungler! (lit.,
Where theres a bungler, theres bound to
be trouble). Cf. razgilhdj.
GEBNIK, -a, m., neg., obs. A KGB-
agent (from initials of Komitet Gosu-
darstvennoj Bezopasnosti, Commit-
tee on State Security). Ne znaeh, gde
on rabotaet? Da on gebenik. Do
you know where he works? Yes, hes
KGB.
GEBST, -a, m., obs. See gebnik.
GEGEMN, -a, m., joc. The working class;
a worker (from klass-gegemon, lit. the
leading class, by sarcastic reference to
communist theory). Sejcas v metro
gegemon edet na rabotu. Davaj poedem
cerez cas, budet narodu pomenhe.
Right now the subway is full of the lead-
ing class on its way to work. Lets wait an
hour until theres less of a crowd.
GEEVTYJ, -a. Homosexual (by
wordplay on Eng. gay and Gajevata,
Hiawatha). On u vas geevatyj ili
kak? Is that guy a Hiawatha, or what?
GEJ, -, m. A homosexual (from Eng.
gay).
GENERL, -a, m., crim. Syphilis. On
gde-to umudrils podepith genera-
la, sejcas lecits. He managed to
pick up a case of syphilis somewhere;
hes under treatment for it now.
GNIJ SRED UDOBRNIJ, rhyming
phrase, joc. A phrase used to puncture
someones pretensions to cleverness (lit., a
genius in a dung heap). Smotri, to
e genialhnoe reenie! Da, ty
genij sredi udobrenij. Look what a
brilliant solution I came up with! Yeah,
youre a genius in a dung heap.
GERKL ZASENNYJ, idiom, joc.
Someone who has an inflated opinion of
his physical powers (lit., a dried-up Her-
cules). Mne nicego ne stoit pod-
/
nth ti cemodany. Ladno, Gerakl
zasuennyj, ne xvastaj. Its childs
play for me to lift these suitcases. Oh,
come off it, you dried-up Hercules.
GERL, -, f., youth. Girl (from Eng.
girl). A to cto za gerla, ne zna
taku. Whos that girl? I dont know
her. Za gerojskie dela / Dast nam
kada gerla. For our heroic deeds /
Every girl will put out for us (popular
song of the 1970s).
GERLA, -y, f., youth. Girl, woman,
girlfriend (from Eng. girl). Ch ta
gerlia? Whose girlfriend is that?
(This word occurs in the popular rhyme
Kaby byla kingia, spicet
perva gerlia, If I were queen, said
the first girl, a takeoff on Pushkins lines
Kaby byla aria, govorit odna
devia.) See xxxxxx
GERLVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Female,
girls, womens (from Eng. girl).
to gerlovyj tualet. This is the
womens bathroom.
GERON, -a, m., joc. A father of many
children (from math-geroin, the official
honorific title of a woman with more than
five children.) Ty u nas odin geroin
na vesh institut. Youre our only
father-hero at this institute.
GIBBN, -a, neg. A strong, hairy man
(lit., a gibbon ape). takix gibbonov
ne lbl. I dont like that sort of hairy
ape.
GIBCESTH, -i, f., neg. Submissiveness,
compliance (lit., flexible honor, by word-
play on gibkij, pliant, and ebcij).
Ne nravits on mne za svo gibu-
cesth. I dont like him because hes too
much of a yes-man.
GIBCIJ, -a, -oe, rude. 1. Highly
sexed, having a lot of sexual stamina.
Ona, znaeh, kaka gibuca! Wow,
shes really dynamite in bed! 2. Compli-
ant, spineless (cf. gibcesth). Sli-
kom ty gibucij, skai, cto ty
dumaeh? Dont be so ingratiating; say
what you actually think.
, -, m. Gigabyte.
/. To be
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 54

54

spoiled, to be messed up, to die. Committee of Extreme Idiots.

, GLDITH/POGLDITH nurk,
. Her computer broke idiom, joc. To be oversolicitous, to do too
down when she spilled tea on it. much (lit., to iron someones shoelaces).
, -, m. A thick head (lit., a Ty mne pomoeh ubrath postelh?
hydraulic brake). , A nurki tebe ne pogladith? Will
, , , you help me make the bed? Next thing
? Are you youll be asking me to iron your shoe-
a complete meathead? Dont you have laces.
any idea whats safe to discuss with him GLAZ: Davth/dath prom glaz, see
and whats not? under davth. Mtnyj glaz, see under
GIDRAVLCESKIJ BUDLHNIK, mtnyj.
idiom, joc. A full bladder (lit., hydraulic GLAZ-ALMZ or GLAZ-VATERPS,
alarm clock). Men gidravliceskij idiom. An acute sense of sight, a good
budilhnik podnimaet v 6 utra. My ability to estimate measurements by
hydraulic alarm clock gets me up at six in sight; a person with this ability (lit., dia-
the morning. mond-eye or an eye like a level). Nu u
GIMNK, -a, m., rude. A nickname teb glaz-almaz, razlivaeh vsem
for S. Mikhalkov, author of the national porovnu. What an eagle eye youve got!
anthem of the USSR (by wordplay on You managed to pour equal portions for
gimn, anthem, and govnk). everyone.
GIPNZ, GIPNZ XVATH TEB , idiom. Said about an
ZA NOS! A childrens rhyming phrase expression of surprise or astonishment on
used to fool someone by offering to ones face (lit., the eyes are lumped
hypnotize him. Lit., Hypnosis, hypnosis, together, from , a pile, a heap).
grab your nose! , ,
, idiom, army. ,
An army boot (lit., a weight with an . You should have seen it; his
accordion, referring to the heaviness and eyes about popped right out of his head
shape of army boots). - when I gave him a piece of my mind.
, , GLZA ZAMLILISH, idiom, army.
. Its too hot for My eyes are tired, alluding to a special
bootsrunning shoes will be just the kind of eyestrain after long observation of
thing. targets (lit., My eyes feel soapy). Na
GTLER, -a, m., joc. 1. A large bottle of tebe binoklh, ponabldaj, nicego
strong wine (lit., a Hitler). Malenhkix ne viu, glaza zamylilish. You take
butylok ne bylo, tolhko gitlerov the binoculars my eyes are so strained,
prodat. There werent any small bot- I cant see a thing.
tles. Theyre only selling Hitlers. GLAZT, -a, m., youth, joc. An eye (play-
2. Strong drink. Vot to gitler, sra- ing on glaz, eye, and klozet, toilet).
zu phneeh! That stuff is real Hitler Daj emu v glazet, ctob ne vystu-
you get drunk the minute you touch pal. Give him one in the eye for show-
it. ing off like that.
GKCP, abbr., joc. Properly, the State GLINOMS, -a, m., crim. A homosexual
Emergency Committee (Gosudarst- man playing the active or dominant role
vennyj komitet crezvycajnogo (lit., a potter). Kogo to tam glinomes
poloeni) formed in 1991 to remove vysmatrivaet? Whos that homo over
Gorbachev from power. Jokingly there staring at?
deciphered as Gosudarstvennyj komi- GLISSOVTH/GLISSONTH, youth
tet crezvycajnyx pridurkov, State & crim. To steal (from Fr. glisser, to
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
55
slip off). Kto glissonul mo ruba-
ku? Who slipped off with my shirt?
GLIST, -, f., neg. A skinny, weak per-
son (lit., a tapeworm). Gde ty nala
tu glistu? Whered you pick up that
90-pound weakling? Glist v
skafndre, idiom, neg. Same as glist
(lit., a tapeworm in scuba gear).
GLBUS, -a, m., army. A new recruit, a
soldier in his first year of service (lit.,
globe, referring to the short haircut).
GLTKA, -i, f., neg. A loud voice. Nu i
glotka u teb, ne krici tak. Your
voice is too loud dont shout like that.
Brath/vzth na gltku, see under
brath. Drath gltku, see under drath.
GLTNICATH, imperf. only, neg. To
shout. Ne nado glotnicath, pogovo-
rim spokojno. Theres no need to
shout; lets talk calmly.
GLXNUTH/ZAGLXNUTH, neg. To
keep silent, shut up. Kogda vy tam
zagloxnete, spath xocets! Hey, shut
up. Youre keeping me awake.
GLUBNIK, -a, m., neg., obs. A KGB
agent. (From glubokij, deep, and
kagebenik or gebnik, a KGB-agent,
by a jocular interpretation of the abbrevi-
ation KGB, Komitet gosudarstvennoj
bezopasnosti, Committee on State
Security, as standing for Kontora glu-
bokogo bureni, Office of Deep
Drilling a place where people are
occupied in digging, or conducting deep
investigations.) A kak veli seb glu-
beniki vo vrem putca? So how did
the KGB-agents behave during the
putsch?
GLUMRH, -r, m., youth, neg. One who
scoffs, jeers, taunts at others tender or
serious feelings (from glumiths, to
scoff). Opth tot glumarh k nam
idt, dobra ne di. Is that scoffer
coming to see us again? Nothing good
can come of it.
GLUM, -e, m., neg. Scoffing, taunt-
ing, derision. terpeth tot glu-
m ne sobirash. Im not going to
put up with that taunting.
GLUP, KAK TLHSKIJ PRNIK,
Page 55
GLXO
idiom, neg. Dumb as a Tula cookie (a
type of gingerbread, a specialty of the city
of Tula). On nicego reith ne
moet, on e glup, kak tulhskij pr-
nik. He cant figure anything out; hes
as dumb as a Tula cookie.
GLUPNT, -a, m., youth, neg. A fool, idiot
(from glupyj, stupid). Esli ty glu-
pant, to to nadolgo. Youre a fool
and youve always been one.
GLPIZDI, -ej, pl., joc. Nonsense, fool-
ishness (playing on gluposth, silliness,
and pizd). Vs to bolhie glu-
pizdi. Thats all a lot of nonsense.
GLUPSTIKA, -i, f., neg. Useless stuff,
pointless studies (playing on the ending
-istika, science or study). Vs,
cto my sejcas ucim na pervom kurse,
glupistika. Everything were study-
ing in that introductory course is inane.
GLPYJ: Glupe parovza, idiom, joc.
Very stupid, doltish (lit., more stupid than
a steam engine). Ne scitaj men glu-
pee parovoza, ponima vs ne xue
teb. Dont take me for an idiot! I
understand it all as well as you do.
, -. m. An unsolved crime (lit.,
wood-grouse, from , deaf). See
.
? .
How many unsolved crimes do we have
in a year? Our rate of solving crimes has
never been worse.
GLUX TETR, idiom, rude. Some-
one who is hard of hearing (lit., a deaf
grouse). tebe zvon, zvon v
dverh, a ty, gluxa teter, nicego ne
slyih. Ive been ringing your door-
bell for ages! You must be stone-deaf.
GLXO, pred. use. Unpromising, hopeless,
desperate. S reformami sejcas gluxo.
Theres no hope for the success of the
present reforms. Glxo kak v tnke,
idiom. Utterly hopeless, past cure. U
nas na rabote gluxo kak v tanke. The
situation at work is completely hopeless.
Glxo dlo, idiom. A hopeless situation,
a bad business. Gluxo delo, nicego my
ne zarabotaem v tom mese. Its a
poor outlook; were not going to earn a
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
GLURH
penny this month.
GLURH, -r, m., crim. A sand-filled
bag used for stunning blows to the head
(from gluith, to deafen). Prigo-
tovh gluarh, pora mocith ego, poka
spit. Bring a stunner lets knock
him out while hes asleep.
, imperf. To fire on, to beat (lit., Lets get rid of them once and for all.
to stun). , - Gon cto-l., idiom. Give, give back.
! Smash them up, dont hold back
on the shells!
GLK, -a, m., youth. A hallucination, fig-
ment of the imagination, pipe dream.
Kaets, kto-to stucit v dverh.
U teb glki. I think someones
knocking at the door. Youre just
imagining things. (Cf. the popular lines
V potolke otkryls lk to glk.
Na stene bolhoj pauk toe glk:
A hatchway opened in the ceiling that
was a hallucination. On the wall was a big
spider also a hallucination.)
GLKOGN, -a, m., youth, joc. Halluci-
natory drugs. tot glkogen nena-
viu. I cant stand this acid.
GLCITHS/PRIGLCITHS,
youth, obs. To imagine, dream. Mne
priglcilosh, cto odin v Moskve. I
imagined that I was alone in Moscow.
GLCNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, obs. Out-
standing, extraordinary. to glcnyj
konert. That was a terrific concert.
GL! Look! (shortened from gldi).
Gl! Sneg pol! Look! It snowed!
GLDLKI, gldlok, pl., neg. Eyes.
See brkaly.
GLKOSH! joc. Look! Wow! Glkosh,
kto k nam pril! Wow, look whos
here!
GNATH1, imperf. only, youth. To lie, fib.
Cto ty gonih, nikto togo ne go-
voril. Dont lie; no one said that.
Gnath voln, idiom, neg. To be abu-
sive, make a scene (lit., to make waves).
Ne goni volnu, uspokojs. Calm
down, dont make a scene. Gnath dru,
idiom, neg. To talk nonsense; to deceive.
Ne goni duru, cto ty byl v ta-
tax. Dont try to kid people into think-
ing youve been in the States. Gnath
Page 56
56
majdn, idiom, crim. To travel on trains
in order to rob passengers. Kto ew s
nami gonit majdan? Who else is going
to be with us on this train job? Gnath v
(v tri i), idiom, rude, neg. To
get rid of. Oni bezdelhniki, ix nado
gnath v tri ei. Theyre useless.
Goni denhgi! Give me my money!
GNATH2/POGNTH tuft, idiom, crim.
To lie. sledovatel gnal tuftu
vs dorogu. I lied to the prosecutor from
start to finish.
GNATH3/PROGNTH, youth. To inject a
narcotic into a vein, to make an injection.
Progon ew raz po vene, mne malo.
I need to run it through my vein again. I
didnt get much the first time.
Gnath/prognth telgu, idiom, youth,
neg. To lie, tell tall tales. to ty vno
prognal telegu. Its perfectly obvious
that youre spinning yarns.
GNDA, -y, f., rude. A scoundrel, bastard
(lit., nit, louse). teb, gnida, za to
ubh. You louse! Im going to give it to
you for what you did.
GNIDNIK, -a, m., neg. A cheap or
shabby bar, dive, joint. Tut rdom gde-
to esth gnidnik, tam i vyphem.
Theres a joint somewhere around here
lets stop in and have a drink.
GNLITH/ZAGNLITH, crim., neg. To
lie, deceive (from gnilj, rotten).
Tebe net very, mnogo gnilih.
Youre such a liar, you cant be
believed.
GNILJ, -, -e, neg. Rotten, spoiled,
gone bad (of a person). Ty sovsem gni-
loj stal, tolhko o babax i dumaeh.
Youve completely gone to the dogs
all you think about is dames. Gnile
nutr u kog-l., idiom, neg. Lit., some-
one has rotten insides; used to describe a
corrupt person. U teb nutro kakoe-
to gniloe, ty nas ne pojmh. A cor-
rupt person like you wouldnt be able to
understand us.
, -, -. Bad, repulsive (lit.,
purulent). a
? When is this disgust-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
57
ing heat wave going to end?
GNUS, -a, m., neg. A boring or annoying
person (lit., gnat). to takoj gnus,
pristanet, vs ne otstanet. This
guy is such a pain in the ass, once he gets
hold of you, hell never let go.
GNTYJ, -ogo, m., rude. Lit., bent,
crooked. 1. A scoundrel, bastard. A ty,
gnutyj, vali otsda! Get out of here,
you bastard! 2. A venal person; a yes-
man. togo gnutogo vse nacalhniki
lbt. All the bosses love that boot-
licker.
GNUTH/ZAGNTH mtom, idiom. To
abuse, to swear at someone (lit., to bend
with abuse). On srazu zagnul matom i
vesh razgovor. He started swearing, and
that was the end of the discussion.
, idiom. To make threat- To idle about, to cool ones heels (lit., to
ening gestures with ones hands (lit., to
bend ones fingers). See . hole). zdesh boltash, kak govno v
GNTHS pod nry, idiom, crim. To
hide in order to avoid blows; lit., to cringe
under a plank bed (as in prison). Ne
gnish pod nary, ot nas ne ujdh.
Theres no use hiding, you wont get
away from us.
GOVNNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Bad (lit.,
filthy; cf. govn). Prepodavatelh on
govnnyj, da i celovek ne ocenh. Hes
a crappy teacher and not much of a
human being either.
GOVNSTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Bad, hav-
ing a bad character (cf. govn). K to-
mu prepodavatel ne xodi sdavath,
on samyj govnistyj. Dont take your
exams with that teacher hes the very
worst.
GOVN, -, n., rude. 1. Feces, excrement.
Ne xodi tuda, tam kuca govna.
Watch your step! Theres a pile of shit
over there. 2. A worthless or bad person,
thing, or event. I ne poduma izvi-
niths pered tim govnom! I would-
nt dream of apologizing to that turd.
GOVN (nom.): Govn sobche,
idiom, rude. A bastard, scoundrel (lit.,
dog shit). On okazals govnom so-
bachim, a my emu verili. We trusted
him, and then he turned out to be a
Page 57
GOVN
scoundrel. Plnoe govn, idiom, rude.
Someone or something terrible (lit., com-
plete shit). Govn na plocke, idiom,
rude. A conceited, stuck-up person (lit.,
shit on a stick). Podumaeh, govno na
palocke, slova emu ne skai. Look at
that guy! Shit on a stick you cant say
a word to him. Govn na pstnom
msle, idiom, rude. Nonsense, trash (lit.,
shit in vegetable oil). tot filhm
govno na postnom masle. That film is a
crock. Svo govn ne pxnet, idiom,
rude. Ones own shit doesnt smell.
Ona ot nego bez uma, a on takoe
govno. Pravda, svo govno ne paxnet.
Shes crazy about him, and hes just a
piece of shit. Of course, ones own shit
doesnt smell. Boltths/proboltth-
s, kak govn v prrubi, idiom, rude.
bob about like a turd in an ice-fishing
prorubi, nikto moim delom ne zani-
maets. Ive been hanging around here
like a turd in a fishing hole, and no one at
all has has taken care of me. GOVN
(acc.): Okunths v govn, idiom, rude.
To feel bad (lit., to take a dip in shit). S
nim poobwaehs, kak v govno
okunhs. When you hear the way he
talks with people, it makes you feel
soiled. Popl v govn, tak ne ciri-
kj, idiom, rude. Dont try to justify
yourself if youre guilty (lit., Youve
landed in the shit, so dont chirp). Ne
xocu nicego slyath, provorovals,
popal v govno, tak ne cirikaj.
Youve been embezzling funds and I
dont want to hear any of your excuses
youre in the shit, so dont chirp.
GOVN (gen.): Dl drga i govn ne
lko, idiom, rude, joc. Used as a jocu-
larly modest deflection of gratitude for a
small favor: its nothing, dont mention it
(lit., For a friend I wouldnt grudge even
[my] shit). Spasibo za knigu. Dl
druga i govna ne alko. Thanks for the
book. Oh, for a friend I wouldnt
grudge even shit. Kto sprit, tot
govn ne stit, idiom, rude. Betting is a
pointless thing; used in response to a sug-
gestion to bet on something (lit., He who
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
GOVNOVZ
bets isnt worth shit). Sporim, naa
komanda vyigraet! Kto sporit,
tot govna ne stoit. Ill bet you that
our team will win! Someone who bets
isnt worth shit. Kak govn nals,
idiom, rude. Soiled, degraded (lit., as if
one had eaten shit). s nim pogovoril
pth minut i vesh denh cuvstvoval
seb, kak govna naels, on obo vsm
narasskazyval stolhko gadostej. I
only spoke to him for five minutes and
for the rest of the day I felt as if I had
eaten shit he said such disgusting
things about everyone. Lka govn v
bcke mda, idiom, rude. An unpleasant
or unexpected difficulty (lit., a spoonful
of shit in a barrel of honey). to tre-
bovanie loka govna v bocke mda.
Everythings been fine, but this new
demand is a fly in the ointment.
Dlath/sdlath iz govn konftku,
idiom, rude. To improve something (lit.,
to make a piece of candy out of shit).
Sejcas sdela iz govna konfetku,
davaj sda stath. Give me the draft
of your article and Ill make a silk purse
from that sows ear. GOVNM (instr.):
Mek s govnm (derhmm), idiom,
rude. A person with a nasty character (lit.,
a sack of shit). to nado e byth
takim mekom s govnom, vsex oskor-
blet. Hes so incredibly nasty, he
offends everyone. GOVN (prep.): Po
grlo v govn, idiom, rude. Over-
whelmed with troubles (lit., up to ones
neck in shit). Posle proverki maga-
zina zaveduwa po gorlo v govne.
Since her store was audited, the man-
agers been up to her neck in shit.
Sidth p ui v govn, idiom, rude. To
experience strong negative feelings (lit.,
to be sitting in shit up to ones ears).
Posle ego vystupleni vse sidt po
ui v govne, vsex opozoril. Hes dis-
graced everyone by his behavior; theyre
all up to their ears in shit. Kovyrths/
pokovyrths v cum govn, idiom,
rude. To meddle, stick ones nose in
someone elses business (lit., to pick
around in someone elses shit). Ne
lbl v cuom govne kovyrths.
I dont like to mess around in other peo-
Page 58
58
ples affairs. Na govn zaman,
idiom, rude. Fundamentally defective,
having a poor character (lit., with shit
kneaded in as a basic ingredient). S
nim odni problemy, vidno, na govne
zamean. With him its just one prob-
lem after another I guess he just came
from the mold that way. Tawths kak
lom v govn, idiom, rude. To go slowly,
drag along (lit., to drag like a scrap in
shit). Pribavh agu, ne tawish kak
lom v govne. Shake a leg! Youre as
slow as molasses.
GOVNOVZ, -a, m., rude. A cart or truck
for removing excrement, waste (lit., a shit
transporter; cf. govn). On rabotaet
na govnovoze. He works in waste
removal.
GOVNODVINA, -y, f., rude, joc. The
market in Luzhniki, a Moscow district
(from govn, shit, and davith, to
crush). Na govnodavinu narod
ezdit, kak sumasedij. People are
going to Luzhniki in droves.
GOVNODVY, -ov, pl., rude. Awkward-
looking rough boots (lit., shit-crushers;
cf. govn). ti govnodavy nosith
ne budu. Im not going to wear those
clodhoppers.
GOVNOD, -a, m., rude. A bastard,
scoundrel (lit., shit-eater; cf. govn).
Cto tomu govnoedu nado? What
does that bastard want?
GOVNOPROTVNYJ, -a, -oe, rude.
Disgusting, loathsome (cf. govn).
tot sup govnoprotivnyj esth ne
budu. Im not going to eat that disgusting
soup.
GOVNOCST, -a, m., rude. A latrine
cleaner (cf. govn). On rabotaet gov-
nocistom. He works cleaning latrines.
GOVNK, -, m., rude. A bad or worthless
person (lit., a turd; cf. govn). Na
togo govnka nadeths ne stoit.
You cant rely on that turd.
GOVNDINA, -y, f., rude. Spoiled meat
(by wordplay on govdina, beef, and
govn). Zacem ty kupila tu gov-
ndinu? What did you buy that shitty
meat for?
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 59
59
GOVNNYJ, -a, -oe. See govnnyj.
GOVNTH/NAGOVNTH, IZGOV-
NTH, rude. To harm, spoil (cf. govn).
Ty vesh risunok izgovnl. Youve
smudged up my whole drawing.
Lbih ty nagovnth drugomu
celoveku. Youre always trying to harm
others.
GOVNTHS1/IZGOVNTHS, ZA-
GOVNTHS, rude. Cf. govn. 1. To
soil oneself, get involved in dirty busi-
ness. v tom dele govnths ne
xocu. I dont want to dirty my hands in
this affair. 2. To become corrupted, go
bad. On stal govnths na glazax,
kogda stal nacalhnikom. The minute
they made him boss, he went bad.
GOVNTHS2/OBGOVNTHS, rude.
To mess up, do something wrong (cf.
govn). Nai v xokkej sovsem obgov-
nlish. Our hockey team messed up
completely.
GOVOR`TH NE D`LATH, idiom. Lit.,
Talk isnt action. Emu xoroo davath
sovety, govorith ne delath. He
likes to give advice. Well, talk is cheap.
GOVORTH/SKAZTH prmm tk-
stom, idiom. To speak openly, directly
(lit., to speak in uncoded text). tebe
govor prmym tekstom: nicego on
dl teb ne budet delath, tak i
znaj. Im telling you straight out:
youve got to realize that hes never
going to do anything for you.
GOVORLVYJ, VTRI NOS SOP-
LVYJ, rhyming phrase, rude. Dont
gossip, dont tattle (lit., You chatterbox
wipe your runny nose). mnogo
mogu rasskazath o tom, cto nikto ne
znaet. Govorlivyj, vytri nos
soplivyj. I could tell you a lot that no
one else knows. Dont run off at the
mouth.
GOVORT KUR DOT, idiom, joc. A
rhyming phrase used in skeptical reply to
Govort, people say. Lit., People
say you can milk chickens.
GOVKA, -i, f., mainly in childrens
speech. 1. A turd. Ostorono, zdesh
govka. Watch out! Theres a pile over
GOLOVKA
there. 2. A worthless or pathetic person.
Zacem e ty, govka, to sdelal?
You schlemiel, what did you do that for?
, , m., army. 1. A soldier in
his first year of service (from , a year).
, , ,
. Youre just a rookie
now, but just wait, youll soon be an old
hand. 2. Soldiers enlisted in the same
year. ,
, . Hes
my classmatewe enlisted together,
well be released together.
, , m. A drunkard (lit.,
a naked man). ,
. Why did you give him
money? That soakll spend it in the first
liquor store.
GOLMYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Com-
plete, absolute, extreme. On goli-
myj meloman. Hes completely wild
about music.
GOLOV, -, f. A clever, competent per-
son. On golova, sam vs soobrazit.
Hes a real brain; he thinks of every-
thing. Brath/vzth v glovu, see
under brath. Ni v golov, ni v pe,
see under pa. Cto v golov, cto v
pe, see under pa.
GOLOV V TAN PDAET, idiom,
joc. Said of someone very sleepy (lit., his
head is falling into his pants). Bolhe
ne mogu rabotath, golova v tany
padaet. I cant work any longer my
head is falling into my pants.
GOLOV, KAK DOM SOVTOV,
idiom, obs. joc. Very smart, very clever
(lit., a head like the House of Soviets).
On reit tu zadacu, golova u nego,
kak Dom Sovetov. Hell solve the prob-
lem hes really got brains.
GOLOVSTIK, -a, m., joc. (Lit., a
tadpole). 1. A child. 2. A small, fussy
person. tot golovastik elyj
denh nosits po koridoram. That
tadpole has been bustling around in the
corridor all day long.
GOLOVKA, -i, f., youth, joc. A black
person, African (lit., charcoal). U toj
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GOLVKA B-B, DNEKI T-T 60

goloveki esth vewi na prodau? Is xolodilhnike golyj Vas noceval.

that African selling something? Looks like naked Vasya spent the night
GOLVKA B-B, DNEKI T- in your refrigerator.
T, idiom, joc. Said of a person with a GOLK, -, m. Empty shelves in a store
hangover, whose head is aching and who (lit., nakedness). V magazin ne xodi,
has spent all his money (lit., in baby talk, tam golk. Dont bother going to that
something like head boo-boo, money store, the shelves are empty there.
bye-bye). Ponima, golovka bo-bo, Golk na bze, idiom. Nakedness in
deneki t-t, skolhko tebe nado? base camp, nothing to eat at home.
I understand your situation: head boo- Beri na rybalku kolbasu, xleb, kon-
boo, money bye-bye. How much do you servy. U men golk na baze. Bring
need? along some sausages and bread for our
, -, m. A skinhead (from fishing trip my cupboard is bare.
, naked, and , penis). GMIK -a, m. A homosexual. Tam u
, nego sobirats odni gomiki. The
. Skinheads have a only people who go to his place are gay.
kind of uniform everything is black and GOMOFB, -a, m., joc. Homophobe,
leather. hater of homosexuals.
GOLOPYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Poor, GON, -a, m., youth. Nonsense, twaddle.
impoverished (lit., bare-assed). On Opth nacali gon na dva casa. They
nicego ne nail, goloopym byl, spent another couple of hours chattering.
goloopym i ostals. He never man- GONDN TPANYJ, idiom, rude. A
aged to earn anything he started poor worthless or repellent man (lit., a darned
and he stayed poor. [mended] condom). Ty, gondon to-
GLOS, -a, m., homosexual. A penis (Lit., panyj, kogda denhgi otdah? When
voice). U nego znaeh, kakoj golos, are you going to pay me back, you bas-
tebe i ne snilosh. You know how big tard?
his voice is? You cant imagine it in GON, gon, m., joc. One sent to buy
your wildest dreams! liquor for friends (lit., a herald). Nado
GOLUB FKA, idiom, business. A poslath poskoree gona, a to maga-
well-known company and its shares (lit., ziny zakrots. Wed better send out
blue chip). Dae golubye fiki a herald right now before the stores
perestali brath, krizis, nicego ne close.
podelaeh. They wont even take blue , -, n. Nonsense, fiction (from
chips now. Well, thats the crisis for , to tell tall tales). -
you. ,
GOLUBIZN, -, f, joc. Homosexuality . Lets
(lit., blueness). U nego povyenna go listen to their bullshit about extrasen-
golubizna. You can see hes homo- sory perception and the rest of that non-
sexual. sense.
GOLUBJ, -go, m. A homosexual man GNKI, gnok, pl., youth, joc. See gon.
(lit., light blue). Ty ne znal, cto on GONRA, -y, f., youth. Gonorrhea. S
goluboj? Didnt you know he was nej poostoronej, u ne gonora.
gay? Watch out for her; shes got gonorrhea.
GLUBH, -, m., joc. Gay, homosexual (by GONOTHS/ZAGONOTHS,
wordplay on golubh, dove and golu- neg. 1. To worry. Ne gonoish, vs
boj, gay). budet v pordke. Dont worry; every-
GLYJ VS NOCEVL, idiom, joc. thing will be all right. 2. To make a
Theres nothing on the shelves (lit., naked scene, an outburst. Ne gonoish,
Vasya spent the night). U teb v delaj, kak bylo skazano. Dont make
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 61
61
a scene keep to our agreement!
GNWIK, -a, m., youth, neg. A liar, idle
babbler (lit., race driver). Nu cto, gon-
wik, vs rasskazal? Enough of your
stories! I dont believe you anyhow.
GONTH/POGONTH, rude. To have
long-lasting sex. (Cf. pilth). Ty e
gonl vs noch, ne nadoelo? Didnt
you get tired of screwing all night?
GONTH Dnhku Kulakvu, idiom,
crim., joc. To masturbate (lit., to drive
Dunka Kulakova. This is a play on the
regular expression gonth v kulak, to
drive it into ones fist). Tam bab net,
prixodits gonth Dunhku Kulakovu.
There arent any women there, so they
drive Dunka Kulakova.
GOP SO SMKOM, idiom, crim., obs. A
criminal (from the title phrase of an old
song), esp. as marked by such fashions as
a shaved head, tattoos, and gold rings. A
cto to za gop so smykom? Who is
that criminal-looking guy?
GPA, -y, f., youth. A group, set of people.
GPNIK, -a, m., crim. A criminal. Gde
ti gopniki sobirats? Where do
those crooks hang out?
GP-STP, idiom, crim. An armed hold-
up. Ego vzli na gop-stop. They held
him up at gunpoint.
GOR: Na kudkinu gru (vorovth
pomidry). See under na.
GORBTITH(S), imperf. only, neg. To
work hard, toil (from gorb, hump,
hunchback, with suggestion of back-
breaking labor). ne budu na teb
bolhe gorbatith(s). Im not going
to slave for you any more.
GORBTYJ: Lepth/zalepth gorb-
togo. See under lepth.
GORBXA, -i, f., youth. 1. A joke, anec-
dote. Nu, davaj ew gorbuxu, u teb
zdorovo polucaets. Tell another joke
youre so good at it! 2. pred. use.
Good, excellent. Pogoda gorbuxa,
pojdm na lyax. The weathers per-
fect. Lets go skiing!
GORTH snim plmenem, idiom, neg.
To be in trouble, to be in difficulties.
Gor sinim plamenem, vyrucajte.
GATH/ZAGATH
Im in trouble give me a hand.
GOR (VS) SNIM PLMENEM,
idiom. The hell with it, I dont care, I
dont give a damn (lit., let it burn with a
blue flame). Gori ta rabota sinim
plamenem, nadoelo. The hell with this
job; Im sick of it.
, -, f., army. A steep take-off (lit.,
a hill). ,
. Then do a vertical
take-off, so they wont have time to take
aim at you.
GRLO: (Pith/vpith) iz gorl, idiom.
To drink from the bottle. Budeh iz
gorla, stakana net. Have some from
the bottle; theres no glass.
GORCCNIK, -a, m., youth. A hundred
rubles (lit., a mustard plaster; from the
color of the old hundred-ruble bills).
Kto razmenet gorcicnik? Can
someone change a hundred for me?
GORCNIK, -a, m. See gorccnik.
GORK, gork, m., joc. A head (lit.,
pot). Zdesh nizkie dveri, ne razbej
gorok. That door is low dont bump
your head.
GORCEE, -ego, n. Alcohol, liquor (cf.
gorcka). Gorcego xvatit na
vecer? Is there enough liquor for the
party?
GORCKA, -i, f. Gas (for an automo-
bile). Gorcka koncilash, gde zdesh
mono zapraviths? Were out of
gas. Where can we tank up around here?
GOST: Po gstu! idiom, youth. Okay, fine
(lit., up to standards, from GOST,
acronym of gosudarstvennyj standart,
government standard). Kak iznh?
Po gostu! Hows life? Okay.
GOSTNIA, -y, f., joc. A train station
(lit., hotel). Gde segodn nocueh?
Konecno, na Kurskom, v gostinie.
Where are you staying tonight? At
the Kursk Railway Station, of course.
GOSUDRSTVO: Igrth s gosudrst-
vom v azrtnye gry. See under
igrth.
GATH/ZAGATH, crim. To dance.
Slyih, goat naverxu, svadhba
u nix, cto li? Listen to them dancing
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
GRBKI
upstairs. What are they having, a wed-
ding?
GRBKI, grbok, pl. Hands (from
grbli). Uberi grabki, ne tvo, ne
trogaj! Hands off. Its not yours, dont
touch it!
GRBLI, -ej, pl. Hands (lit., rake).
GRADNKA, -i, 1. Civilian life. Cto
ty sobiraehs delath na gra-
danke? What are you planning to do
when you get out of the army? 2. The
Russian Civil War (19181920). On
ucastnik gradanki. He fought in the
Civil War.
GRANTA: Gas svet, brosj grantu.
See under gas.
, idiom, vot, gde-to gripper podxvatil. Ive
army. Said of a fence around a military
unit (lit., the name of a movie, Its Never
Quiet on the Frontier). - GROB: Vdeth kog-cto-l. v grob (v
, blyx tpockax). See under vdeth.
. There they go over the GROBANTH/UGRBITH, perf. To kill
fence again for vodka, really its never
quiet on the frontier.
GRANT, -a, m., crim. A robbery, armed
robbery. Ne kadyj pojdt na
takoj grant. Not everyone could pull
off a holdup like this.
GRANH: Na grni fla, idiom. Barely
acceptable, at the outer limits of law or
right (lit., on the verge of an error). Ty
ezdih na grani fola. Youre asking
for a speeding ticket the way youre dri-
ving.
GRAFH, -, n., neg. See grafh.
GRAFH, -v, pl., joc., neg. VIPs, direc-
tors, chiefs, bosses, the management (lit.,
princes, though the regular plural of the
prerevolutionary variety is grafy).
Grafh idut, sejcas nacnuts
reci. Here come the big guns; now
theyll start up with the speeches.
GRBENH, grbn, m., crim., neg. A
homosexual man (lit., a big cockscomb).
Cto tomu grebn nado? What does
that homo want?
GREB OTSDA! idiom. Get out of
here! Scram! (lit., row away). Grebi
otsda, ty linij! Get out of here!
Youre in the way!
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62
, -, m. A parcel with food and
clothes (lit., warmth).
, ? You got a
parcel? Whats in it?
GREMTH/ZAGREMTH kostmi,
idiom. To make a lot of noise (lit., to rat-
tle ones bones). Ne gremi kostmi,
rebnok spit. Dont make a racket, the
babys sleeping.
GRIN, -, m., youth. A dollar (from Eng.
greenback). U teb skolhko grinov
ostalosh? How many dollars do you
have left?
GRPPER, -a, m., joc. The flu, a headcold
(by wordplay on gripp, influenza and
trpper, gonorrhea). Kal,
got a cough. I mustve caught a cold
somewhere.
(from grob, coffin). Skolhko rebt
zr ugrobili v Cecne. How many boys
theyve killed in Chechnya, and all for
nothing!
GROM GREMT, ZEML TRSTS,
POP NA KRIE NESTS, joc. A
childrens rhyming phrase (lit., Thunder
is rumbling, the earth is quaking, a priest
is riding a chicken). Used in reaction to
thunder or any loud noise.
GROMKOGOVORTELH, -, m., joc. A
mouth (lit., loudspeaker). Ty by
luce ne otkryval svoj gromkogovo-
ritelh! Keep your mouth shut!
GRXNUTH, perf. 1. To kill. Segodn v
Cecne troix soldat groxnuli. Today
three soldiers were killed in Chechnya.
2. To hit. Groxni ego cem-nibudh,
slikom umnyj. Hit him with some-
thing, hes a smart-aleck.
200, idiom, army. Corpses trans-
ported by air (lit., load-200).
?
When are we going to fly the load-200
home?
GRUZLO, -a, n., army, neg. A sailor
serving on a submarine (lit., a sinker, lead
weight used in fishing). S gruzilami
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
63
draths sebe doroe. Its more
than your life is worth to get into a fight
with submarine sailors.
GRUZTH, imperf., youth. To teach (lit., to
load). Ne nado men gruzith, bez vas
ucnyj. You neednt lecture me, I know
it without your help.
GRZCIK, -a, m., crim. Someone who
takes the blame or punishment for
anothers crime (lit., a porter). Oni
nali gruzcika, sami legko otdela-
ts. Theyve found a fall guy. They
themselves will get off easy.
GRPPENSEKS, -a, m., youth. Group
sex; an orgy. Mne gruppenseks ni k
cemu. I have no interest in group sex.
GRUPPNIK, -a, m., youth. See grp-
penseks.
GRUPPOVXA, -i, f., youth. See grp-
penseks.
GRUPPOVWNA, -y, f., neg. Gang rape.
Im dali 10 let za gruppovwinu.
They were sentenced to 10 years for
gang rape.
GRA, BLOKO, LIMN VOT
TEB I MILLIN. A childrens
rhyming phrase used in counting. Lit., A
pear, an apple, a lemon and theres a
million. Cf. limn.
GRI OKOLCIVATH, idiom. To
hang around, to do nothing (lit., to knock
pears off a tree). Vs leto
okolacivali grui, pora i delami
zanths. Youve been hanging around
idly all summer; now its time to get
down to work.
GRYZL, -, n., youth. 1. Ground poppy-
heads for chewing as a narcotic. Ne
skucaj, vot vozhmi gryzla. If youre
bored, chew some poppyheads. 2. A
mouth (from gryzth, to gnaw).
, -, m. 1. A child (lit., a rodent). do vecera. Theyve been carrying on a
o , . drinking bout over there for three whole
heyve got three kids and no money.
2. A louse.
GRMZA, -y, f., neg. An ugly, unkempt,
sloppily dressed woman. to cto za
grymza tam sidit? Whos that dog
over there?
GRZH, -i, neg. 1. Scum, dregs of society
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GLHKI
(lit., dirt, filth). Nu i druzh u teb,
grzh kaka-to! Your friends are
scum. 2. Worthless stuff, triviality.
Denhgi dl nego, cto grzh. Money
is nothing to him. Ceg-l. kak grzi,
idiom. Something is plentiful, cheap.
Tam tix magnitofonov kak grzi.
Those tape recorders are sold cheap as
dirt there. Phnyj kak grzh, see
under phnyj.
GUB, -, f., army. A guardhouse, place of
military punishment. Opth on na
gube sidit. Hes in the guardhouse
again.
GUBRH, -r, m., army. A soldier serving
a sentence in the guardhouse. Gde sej-
cas gubarh? Kak gde, na gube.
Wheres the prisoner now? What do
you mean, where? In the guardhouse, of
course.
GUD, gude, m. A drinking party,
drinking bout (cf. gudth). Mne nadoel
beskonecnyj gud. Im sick of this
endless drinking bout.
GUDTH/ZAGUDTH, neg. 1. To com-
plain, whine. Ne gudi, vs ravno ne
mogu pojti s toboj. Theres no use
whining. I just cant go with you. 2. To
drink, get drunk. Oni gudt so vce-
ranego dn. Theyve been on a drunk
since yesterday.
GUEVTHS/POGUEVTHS,
youth, obs. (1960s). To party, have a
good time. My guevalish do utra.
We partied all night.
GUVKA, -i, f., youth, obs. A party, get-
together. U nas guvka namecaets,
pridh? Were having a party. Will
you come?
GULHB, -, f. A drinking party. Gulh-
ba tam u nix idt ue tri dn s utra
days already.
GULHBRIJ, -, m., youth, joc. A party.
Kogda u vas gulhbarij po povodu dn
rodeni? When are you having your
birthday party?
GLHKI, glek, pl., joc. Fun, entertain-
ment. U teb odni gulhki na ume.
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, 64

All you can think of is having a good
time.
, , idiom. Johnny Walker You cant understand a word that mum-
whisky (lit., Have fun, Vasya).
, , GUNDSITH/ZAGUNDSITH, rude.
. Heres some Johnny Walker To speak indistinctly or unintelligibly.
for youafter all, its your birthday.
GULJ, VS (, uj oplki)! No mat-
ter how bad things are, well have a good
time (lit., Enjoy yourself, Vasya
chew sawdust!). Vyphem, cto li?
A to net! Gulj, Vas, uj opilki!
What do you say we have a drink?
Sure, why not! Enjoy yourself, Vasya,
chew some sawdust!
GUMANITRKA, -i, f. Humanitarian aid
from the West, especially food. V to
leto my vyili na gumanitarke.
We made it through the summer on
humanitarian aid.
GUMZNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Disgusting,
repulsive. Cto za gumozna kolbasa!
What disgusting sausage this is!
GUNDS(KA), -a (-i), m. (f.), rude.
Someone who speaks indistinctly or unin-
telligibly. togo gundosa ne pojmh.
bler says.
Ne slyu, cto ty tam gundosih.
I cant hear what youre mumbling over
there.
GUNVITH/ZAGUNVITH, youth, neg.
1. To gossip about, badmouth. E gun-
vith ne nado, ne takoj ona ploxoj
celovek. You shouldnt spread that sort
of gossip about her; shes a fine person.
2. To say indistinctly, mutter (cf.
gundsith). Ty ponimaeh, cto ona
gundosit? Can you understand what
shes muttering?
GUTALN, -a, m., joc. A black person
(lit., black shoe polish). Zdesh ivt
moj znakomyj gutalin. This is where
that black guy I know lives.
G, n., indecl. Shit (from the initial letter of
govn). Nu i g ta kolbasa! This
sausage is crap.
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DA BDET SVET! skazl montr zni, idiom, neg. To punish. Ew

i sdlal zamyknie, idiom, joc., neg. raz prinesh dvojku, ote dast
An expression used to blame or ridicule tebe izni. If you get another failing
failure (lit., Let there be light, said the grade, your father is going to give it to
electrician, as he short-circuited the line). you. Davth/dath mxu, idiom, joc. To
cto-to ne tak sdelal, u men slo- make a mistake. Nu, v tom dele ty
mals televizor. Da budet svet! dal maxu. Well, you were wrong about
skazal montr i sdelal zamykanie. that. Davth/dath Mxu i Fejer-
I seem to have done something wrong bxu, idiom, youth, joc. To make a mis-
the TVs not working. Yeah, Let take, do something wrong (lit., to sleep
there be light, said the electrician, as he with both Mach and Feuerbach). Oj,
shortcircuited the line. dala maxu, zabyla tetradh!
DA ZDRVSTVUET NA KRSNA Da, ty dala Maxu i Fejerbaxu
IKR, SMA CRNA IKR V zaodno. Oh, how stupid of me. I forgot
MRE, idiom, joc. Long live our read my notebook! Yeah, you put out for
caviar, the blackest caviar in the world. A both Mach and Feuerbach.
jocular way of commenting on the poor Davth/dath obortku, idiom, crim. To
quality of domestic Russian products. respond in kind, pay back. Cego on k
DAVJ, SKIDYVJ! idiom, joc. Get tebe lezet? Daj emu oborotku. Why
started, get going (lit., come on and take do you let him yell at you? Yell back at
off your clothes; imitating dialectal form him. Davth/dath pizd, see under
for davaj snimaj). Davaj, skidyvaj, pizd. Davth/dath (navivath/
nacali rabotath! Come on, get navsith, otvivath/otvsith) piz-
going! The job is under way! dlj, idiom. To beat up, hit. A ty
daj ej pizdlej, ne budet prixodith
DAVLKA, -i, f. rude. 1. A loose, sexu- domoj tak pozdno. If you give her a
ally available woman (from davath, to spanking, shell stop coming home so
give). Poznakomh, ona, govort, late. Davth/dath plxu, idiom, neg.
davalka. Would you introduce me to To hit, beat. Daj emu plxu, ctob
her? I hear shes available. 2. The uspokoils. Sock him one to make him
female genitals. U teb davalka esth, act nicer. Davth/dath procuxnku,
togda lem. If you have a cunt, lets idiom, joc. To scold, take to task. Ote
go to bed. dast tebe procuxanku za tvo ucbu.
, idiom. To Your fathers going to scold you for
sleep (from , to snore). your poor grades. Davth/dath v nx,
. idiom, neg. To hit in the face. Daj emu v
I wish I could sleep for eight hours. nx za naglosth. Give it to him in the
DAVTH/DATH, rude. To grant sexual face for his presumptuousness. Davth/
favors. On za nej xodil elyj god, a dath v pcku, idiom. To hit, beat. Daj
ona emu tak i ne dala. He went with emu v packu, ctoby ne vystupal.
her for a whole year, but she would never Give him a punch in the face so hell
go to bed with him. Davth/dath stop acting up. Davth/dath v tor,
vfl, idiom. To have fellatio per- idiom, rude. To hit in the face. Daj emu
formed on oneself (lit., to give a wafer). v tore, ctob mnogo ne boltal. Give
Cf. brath/vzth vfl under brath. him a smack in the face to shut him up.
Davth/dath drla, idiom. To flee. Davth/dath z weku, rude. To have
Kak tolhko on povils, oni srazu fellatio performed on oneself (lit., to give
dali drala. As soon as he showed up, it in the cheek). Nado poprobovath
they took to their heels. Davth/dath dath ej za weku. Ill have to try getting
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
DAVXA
a blow job from her. Davth/dath na
lpu, idiom, neg. To give a bribe. Sej-
cas, ctoby zeml polucith, vsem
nado na lapu davath. In order to get
land these days, youve got to grease
everybodys palm. Davth/dath po
mozgm, idiom, neg. To punish (lit., to
give it in the brains). Emu dali po moz-
gam za afry. They really gave it to
him for his scams. Davth/dath po
rogm, idiom, rude. To hit, punch (lit.,
give it on the horns). Daj emu po
rogam, ctob ne pristaval. Let him
have it, or hell keep getting on your
case. Davth/dath po tkve, idiom.
To hit in the head. Sejcas dam po
tykve, togda budeh znath, kak os-
korblth math! Ill give you such a
punch in the head, youll never insult
your mother again! Davth/dath po
pke, idiom, neg. To hit, beat (lit., give
it on the cap). Emu pora dath po ap-
ke za vs vranh, cto on piet v gaze-
tax. He should get a pummeling for all
the lies hes published in the papers.
Davth/dath po arm, idiom, rude. 1.
To hit, strike (in the head). Idi
otsda, a to kak dam po aram! Get
out of here, or Ill let you have it between
the eyes! 2. To intoxicate. Krepka
vodka, srazu po aram dala. Thats
strong vodka it went to my head
immediately. Davth/dath prom
glaz, idiom. To punch in the face (lit.,
give between the eyes). Dath by tebe
za ti slova prome glaz! Im going
to give it to you between the eyes for say-
ing that! Davth/dath svrxu, idiom.
To pay a premium, pay above the usual or
fixed price. Sverxu ne dam ni kopejki.
I wont pay a penny extra. Davth/
dath prosrths, idiom, rude. To
defeat. Nai vcera v futbol dali
Spartaku prosraths. Our team
beat the Spartak team yesterday. Dath
dba, idiom. To die. Ot takoj rabo-
ty mono dath duba. You could drop
dead from work like that. Dath po
rukm, idiom, neg. To punish, to catch
red-handed, to slap someones wrists.
Naemu mru dali po rukam za vzt-
ki. Our mayor got punished for taking
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66
bribes. Vsem davth, tak slomets
krovth, see under vsem. Esli kdo-
mu davth, ne uspeh i vstavth, see
under sli. Lgce dath, cem obqs-
nth, see under lgce. Ni dath ni
vzth, see under ni. Dli, dognli i
ew raz dli, see under dli. Dah na
dah, see under dah. Tak dam, vs
iznh na aptku bdeh rabtath,
see under tak dam. Tak dam, ni odn
dktor ne pocnit, see under tak dam.
Tak dam, ni odn bolhna ne pr-
met, see under tak dam. Nu ty dah!
see under nu. Vo dat! see under vo.
DAVXA, -i, f. See davlka.
DAVLOVKA, -i, f. A crowd, throng.
v tu davilovku ne polezu, davaj podo-
dm drugoj avtobus. Im not getting
into that can of sardines lets wait for
the next bus.
DAVTH/ZADAVTH (NA-, PO-,
PRO-): Davth/nadavth na psxiku,
idiom, joc. To irritate, get on someones
nerves (lit., to press on someones psy-
che). Ne davi na psixiku, ne noj!
Stop nagging; youre getting on my
nerves! Davth/podavth lver,
idiom, crim. To be an observer, stay on
the sidelines, be a non-participant (lit., to
press ones liver). Vy delajte, budu
liver davith, ne ver , cto u vas
cto-nibudh tolkovoe vyjdet. You
do the job and Ill stay on the sidelines. I
dont think anything worthwhile will
come of this job anyhow. Davth/
podavth klop, idiom, joc. To sleep
(lit., to crush the bedbugs). Xvatit
davith klopa, pora zavtrakath.
Enough of your sleeping. Its time for
breakfast. Davth/prodavth tok,
idiom, youth. To speak in a foreign lan-
guage, to try to pass oneself off as a for-
eigner, especially in order to gain admit-
tance to foreigners-only establishments
(lit., to squeeze ones talk; cf. tok).
Kogda budem v gostx, prodavi tok.
Talk like a foreigner when we go out.
Davth na mssu, idiom, youth, joc. To
sleep. Lbih ty davith na massu,
pora vstavath. You shouldnt sleep so
much! Its time to get up. Davth
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
67
sack, neg. To be idle, play truant. Ne
davi sacka, idi v kolu. Ty i tak
mnogo progull. Enough goofing off
go to school. Youve missed enough
classes as it is. Vsex ej glym
zdom zadavth, idiom, rude, joc. An
expression used to deflate someone who
is overly self-confident (lit., to crush all
the hedgehogs with ones bare behind).
ego ne bosh, vs skau, cto o
nm duma. Ty u nas vsex eej go-
lym zadom zadavil. Im not afraid of
him; Im going to tell him exactly what I
think of him. Sure, we know. Youve
crushed all the hedgehogs with your bare
ass.
DAVTHS, imperf. only. To be crowded,
to throng (lit., to be pressed). Oni tam
davts u banka, xott polucith
dividendy. Theyre jam-packed at the
bank waiting to collect their dividends.
DLI, DOGNLI I EW RAZ
DLI, idiom, joc. A punning answer to
the question Did they give you (what
you wanted)? Lit., They gave it to me
(i.e., they beat me), they caught me, and
they gave it to me again. Tebe dali
trinadatu zarplatu? Kak e,
dali, dognali, i ew raz dali. Did
they give you your end-of-the-year bonus
salary? Yeah, they gave it to me, they
grabbed me, and they gave it to me
again.
DALHNOBJWIK, -a, m., drivers. A
long-distance trucker (lit., member of a
long-range artillery unit). On perel
iz taksistov v dalhnobojwiki. He
used to be a taxi driver but now hes a
long-distance trucker.
DALHNOBJWIA, -y, f., drivers. A
prostitute who specializes in a clientele of
truckers (cf. dalhnobjwik). U nego
kabina zanta, on s dalhnobojwiej
razvlekaets. Hes in his cab enter-
taining a long-distance prostitute.
DALHNK, -, m., crim. A faraway prison
camp. Kaets, nas vezut v dalh-
nk. Looks like theyre shipping us off
to never-never land.
DMKA: Raz-rz i v dmki, see under
raz-rz.
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DVGA
DTYJ, -a, -oe. Drunk. On pril
silhno datyj. He arrived completely
drunk.
DUN, -a, m., youth. (From Eng. down).
1. Depression, low spirits. On sejcas v
daune, ot nego devuka ula. Hes in
a bad mood right now because his girl-
friend left him. 2. A surprise, shock, jolt.
v daune ot tvoix slov. What you
said really gave me a jolt. 3. An idiot.
On cto, daun, prostyx vewej ne
ponimaet? What is he, some kind of
idiot? He doesnt understand the simplest
things.
DKA-PROMOKKA. A childrens
rhyming phrase, used for girls named
Dasha (lit., Dahka blotting-paper).
DAH NA DAH, idiom, neg. For mutual
advantage, exchange of benefits, quid pro
quo. U nix ne druba, a vs stroit-
s na dah na dah. Theyre not
friends; their relationship is strictly on a
quid pro quo basis.
DVA NA DVA LECH, idiom, youth. To die
(lit., to lie 2 x 2 [meters], alluding to the
size of a grave. Mne ew rano dva na
dva lech. My time hasnt come yet.
DVDATH PRVYJ PLE, idiom,
joc. A penis (lit., twenty-first digit).
tany uzkie, dvadath pervyj
pale mut. These pants are too tight;
theyre squeezing my twenty-first digit.
DVDY EVRJ SOVTSKOGO
SOZA, idiom, obs., joc. A Jew who
had returned to the Soviet Union after
emigrating (lit., twice a Jew of the Soviet
Union, playing on the expression twice a
hero of the Soviet Union). On u nas
dvady evrej Sovetskogo Soza:
uexal, priexal, znacit, ne ponravi-
losh. Hes twice a Jew of the Soviet
Union he left and came back, so appar-
ently he didnt like it over there.
DVE KSTI SLENY (, mdu n-
mi pizd vlena), idiom, rude. A
skinny woman (lit., two bones [with a
cunt between them]). Cto ty v nej
nal, dve kosti sloeny. What do
you see in that walking skeleton?
DVGA, -i, f., youth. A dose of narcotics,
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DVIGANTYJ 68

an injection. On ue polucil svo DVTH GRMM(OV), idiom. A bullet

dvigu. Hes already had his shot. (lit., nine grams, the weight of a bullet).
DVIGANTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Crazy, On svoi devth gramm polucit.
eccentric, behaving in a bizarre manner. Hell get his nine grams, (that is, hes
Direktor na kakoj-to dviganu- inviting death by his behavior).
tyj v poslednee vrem. Our manager DVTH NA DVENDATH, idiom,
has been acting rather weird lately. joc. Wide open in astonishment (of eyes)
DVGATH/DVNUTH. 1. To leave, go (lit., nine by twelve [centimeters], refer-
away (lit., to move). Dvigaj otsda i ring to the standard size of a snapshot).
pobystree. Get out of here, fast. 2. To im skazala, cto ueza v ta-
hit, beat up. Dvinh ego kak sleduet, ty, a u nix glaza devth na dvenad-
on po-drugomu ne ponimaet. Give him ath. I told them I was going to the
a good beating; thats the only way youll States and their eyes got round like
get him to understand. 3. To sell. Za saucers.
skolhko ty dvinul mainu? How DED, -a, m., army. A soldier in his last year
much did you sell your car for? Dv- of service (lit., a grandfather; cf. dedov-
gath/dvnuth fufl, crim., neg. To lie. wna). Cto ty za ded, teb molo-
Ty mne fuflo ne dvigaj, ne na togo dye ne sluats. What kind of a
napal. Dont lie to me! Youve picked grandfather are you?! The new recruits
the wrong person for that. dont pay any attention to you.
DVGATHS/DVNUTHS, youth. To DED PIXT, joc. A nonsense-rhyme eva-
take narcotics by injection. On davno sion of the question Who is it? (lit.,
dvigaets? Has he been shooting up Grandpa Pikhto). to kto s toboj na
for a long time? konerte byl? Kto, kto, ded Pix-
DVNUTHS, perf. only, youth, neg. To to. Who was that at the concert with
go crazy, go out of ones mind. On you? Grandpa Pikhto, thats who.
sovsem dvinuls, ni s kem ne razgova- DEDOVWNA, -y, f., army. Irregular
rivaet, cto-to bormocet. Hes gone conduct in the army; beating, ridiculing,
completely bonkers he doesnt talk to hazing of new recruits by older soldiers
anyone, just mutters like that. (cf. ded). V strojbatax odna dedov-
, -, m. A mixed breed, not wina. The construction brigades are
pedigree, a mutt (lit., a yard-terrier; hotbeds of hazing by grandfathers.
wordplay on , yard, and , DERNYJ, -a, -oe. Constant,
a terrier). , repeated, regular (lit., on duty). Mne
. Though my tvoi deurnye utki nadoeli. Im
dog is a mutt, he is smarter than many sick of your constant shenanigans.
others. DEZ, -, f. Rumors, lies (abbr. of dezin-
DVICH PMTH (kom dal, ne formai, disinformation). Zacem
pmn), idiom, joc. A bad memory, for- ty raspustil tu dezu? How come
getfulness (lit., a girls memory, alluding you spread that story around?
to the idea that girls quickly forget their , -, m. Pepper spray (lit.,
lovers). Cto-to ne pomn, kogda oni deodorant). ,
dolny prijti? U teb devich , , .
pamth. I dont remember what time Take some spray with youits not a
theyre supposed to arrive. Yes, you real weapon, but it may come in handy.
always did have a poor memory. DEL, del, pl. Menstrual period (lit., busi-
DVKA, -i, f., homosexual. A passive ness, affairs). U men dela, s vami ne
homosexual (lit., a girl). pojdu plavath. Im having my period
DVOCKI: Mdu nmi, dvockami so Im not going swimming with you.
(govor), see under mdu. DLATH/SDLATH: Dlath/sdlath
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
69
dum-dm, idiom, joc. To think something
over (from dumath). Ne toropi men,
nado sdelath dum-dum, a potom sogla-
aths. Dont rush me. I have to think
it over before I decide. Dlath/sdlath
kotltu (alk, otbivn), idiom.
To beat up (lit., to make into hamburger).
Da on iz teb kotletu sdelaet,
esli uznaet! Hell grind you into
mincemeat if he finds out about this!
Dlath/sdlath ngi, idiom. To leave
(lit., to make feet). My ix ne pojmali,
oni davno sdelali nogi. We couldnt
catch them; they left long ago.
Dlath/sdlath slnecnoe zatmnie,
idiom, youth, joc. To knock out, strike so
as to make someone lose consciousness
(lit., to cause a solar eclipse). Vy
doigraetesh, vam sdelat solnecnoe
zatmenie za ti dela. Youre playing
with fire there; youll get knocked out
cold for what youre doing. Dlath
pogdu (ne dlath pogdy), idiom.
(Not) to be decisive, (not) to make an
important difference (lit., [not] to make
the weather). Odin million pogody
ne delaet, esli ty xoceh kupith
kvartiru. A million rubles cuts no ice
if youre thinking of buying an apart-
ment. Dlath telodvini, idiom,
neg. To show some activity, take some
initiative (lit., to make body movements).
Ne budu delath nikakix telo-
dvienij, sam ustraivajs. Im not
going to put any effort into it. Take care
of it yourself. Sdlath niu,
idiom, rude. To hit or kick in the balls
(lit., to make scrambled eggs; cf. ja).
emu sdelal iniu, budet pom-
nith! I gave it to him in the balls so that
he wont forget it! Sdlath, perf. only,
youth, neg. To punish someone, get ones
own back against someone. togo ne
zabudu, teb ew sdela. I wont
forget this, and Ill get you for it.
DLO: Dlo tabk, idiom, neg. A bad or
dangerous situation. Kaets, delo
tabak, sejcas strelth nacnut.
Things look bad theyre going to start
shooting. Dlo snoe, cto dlo tm-
noe, idiom, joc. Said of a situation that is
Page 69
DMBELH
hard to figure out, obscure, or ambiguous
(lit., its clear that the matter is murky).
Delo snoe, cto delo tmnoe, podi
razberish, kto prav, kto vinovat.
Its clear as mud just you try to figure
out whos right and whos wrong! Dlo
v lpe, idiom. Things are under way;
everythings fine. Delo v lpe,
polucil otpusk. I got my leave, so
things are fine now. Dlo pxnet
kerosnom, idiom, joc. The business
smells of kerosene, used of a situation
that seems unpleasant or dangerous.
Oni zametili, kak my sda probra-
lish, delo paxnet kerosinom. They
saw us sneak in; its a bad lookout for
us. Dla (vse) v ppkax, idiom. Every-
things fine, all is in order (lit., the whole
business is in the files). Used in response
to the question How are things? Kak
dela? Dela v papkax. How are
things? Everythings fine. Del
idt, kontra pet (rublh dadt, a
dva zaput), rhyming phrase. Used in
response to the question How are
things? (lit., Things are normal; the
office is working; they give you one ruble
and charge you two). Vystupth/ vs-
tupith (ne) po dlu, see under vys-
tupth. Durkoe dlo ne xtroe, see
under durkoe. Mkroe dlo, see
under mkroe. ith dlo, see under
ith. Sdlal dlo, slezj s tla, see
under sdlal.
DELOVR, -a, m., neg. An excessively
materialistic, profit-minded person. Za
tak tot delovar nicego ne sdelaet.
That wheeler-dealer isnt going to do
anything for you just as a favor.
DELOVJ, -, -e, neg. Overefficient,
excessively businesslike, smart-alecky.
Nu ty, delovoj, men ne obmaneh.
Dont try to put one over on me, you
smart-aleck.
DELGA, -i, f., neg. A hustler, go-getter.
tot delga svoego ne upustit.
That hustler is always looking out for
number one.
DEL, -, m., neg. See delovj.
DMBELH, -, m., army. 1. sg. only. De-
mobilization, discharge from the armed
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
/ 70
services (from demobilizai). du
ne dodush dembel. I can hardly wait
for my discharge. 2. (pl. dembel). An
already discharged soldier still in uni-
form. Tam sidt dembel, kurt.
Some discharged soldiers are sitting
around there having a smoke.
/. To hell come.
discharge from the army. , idiom,
, army. Said of a soldier standing on duty
? Theyve started on a single spot (lit., trees die standing,
demobbing, I wonder which of our guys
will be discharged first?
DEMOKRATIZTOR, -a, m., joc. A rub-
ber truncheon (lit., a democratizer; in
Russia, police officers began carrying
them during the perestroika period when
public discussion of democratization was
beginning to take place). Miting
opth razgonli demokratizatora-
mi. Theyve used democratizers to
break up another meeting.
DEMIZ, -, f., collect., joc. Demo-
crats (from demokrat and iz). A gde
na miting demiza sobiraets?
Where are the democrats having their
meeting?
DNHGI: Ne v dnhgax scsthe, a v ix
kolcestve, see under ne.
DEPRESNK, -, m., youth. Depression,
melancholy. U ne opth depresnk
nacals. Shes got the blues again.
DEPUTNT, -a, m., joc. A deputy (by
wordplay on deputat, deputy, and
putna.
DERBALZNUTH, perf. only, joc. To
drink a lot of liquor out of joy or grief.
My na radostx, cto vstretilish,
derbalyznuli kak sleduet. We had a
regular drinking bout from joy at meeting
each other.
DERBN, -a, m., youth. The harvesting of
opium poppies. Oni uexali na derban.
Theyve left for the poppy harvest.
DERBNITH/NADERBNITH, youth.
To collect poppies for opium. Ty xoth
kilo naderbanil? Did you manage to
collect a kilo at least?
DERBANTH, perf. only, joc. To drink,
esp. to drink quickly. Davaj derbanm
Page 70
po odnoj. Lets toss back a glass
together.
/, To be
worried, to feel jumpy (lit., to twitch).
, ,
, . Dont start get-
ting antsyhe promised to come, and
from the title of a movie).
, ,
. Ive been standing here
at the colors for two hours straight, but
what can you dothats the job.
DEREVNNYJ, -ogo, m., joc. A ruble
(lit., a wooden one, in reference to its
worthlessness as a result of inflation or
perhaps to its being backed by wood
rather than gold). U men odni dere-
vnnye, valty net. Ive only got
wooden guys no hard currency.
DEREVNNYJ BULT, idiom. A
coffin, grave (lit., a wooden peacoat).
Vse oni nadeli derevnnye bula-
ty. They all put on their wooden pea
coats (i.e., they all died).
DERTH: Derth ves, idiom. To hold
ones liquor (lit., to hold the weight).
On umeet derath ves. He can hold
his liquor all right. Derth dnhgi v
bnke ... steklnnoj, idiom, joc. Its
safer to keep your money in a jar than in a
bank. (By wordplay on v banke, in a
bank, and v banke steklnnoj, in a
glass jar.) Derth mzu, idiom, youth.
To be important, have influence. On u
nix derit mazu, snacala nado s nim
pogovorith, a potom delath. Hes the
big honcho there youve got to talk
with him before you do anything.
Derth puzu, idiom. To be patient,
keep still. Ty ne umeeh derath
pauzu, vecno speih. Youre always
in such a hurry; you just cant keep still.
Derth petux or udarth/udrith
po petuxm, idiom. To greet someone
with a handshake (by wordplay on petux,
rooster, and pth, five) Deri
petuxa, davno teb ne videl. Let me
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
71
shake your hand. I havent seen you for
ages. (Ne) derth svcku/svec,
idiom. (Not) to know for sure whether a
couple are having sexual relations (lit.,
[not] to hold up a candle, [not] to investi-
gate what is hidden). Otkuda ty
znaeh, cto ona ego lbovnia? Ty
cto, svecku deral? How do you
know that shes sleeping with him? Did
you hold up a candle, or what? Der-
th ki toprikom, joc. To be alert,
attentive (lit., to hold ones ears like a
hatchet). On derit uki topori-
kom, kogda rech zaxodit o denhgax.
He pricks up his ears whenever theres
any talk about money. Derth fasn,
idiom, joc. To keep up appearances.
Nam nado derath fason, pusth
nikto ne dogadyvaets, cto u nas
nepritnosti. Weve got to keep up
appearances so no one will guess that
were in trouble. Derth fgu v kar-
mne, idiom, joc. To have secret reserva-
tions, to disagree inwardly (lit., to make a
fig in ones pocket; cf. fga). zna,
xot on i soglasils s nami, no figu
derit v karmane. Even though he
went along with us, I know he really
objects. Der(te) men! idiom. An
exclamation of amazement or incredulity
(lit., Hold me up!). Ty znaeh, cto
Kolhka enils? Oj, derite
men! Did you hear that Kolka got mar-
ried? Are you kidding?! Im going to
faint! Der karmn re, idiom.
Dont believe it, its impossible (lit.,
Open your pocket a little wider!) Mne
skoro kupt vidak. Deri karman
ire, kak e, kupt. Theyre going to
buy me a TV soon. Dont be so
gullible! Theyre not going to buy you
anything.
DERSH ZA VZDUX, idiom, joc. A
jokey piece of advice to someone who is
falling down. Ty na katke v pervyj
raz, budeh padath derish za voz-
dux. If you start falling when you try to
ice-skate, just hold on to the air!
DRNUTH, perf. only. Lit., to pull. 1. To
take a drag of a cigarette. Daj drnuth
paru raz. Let me have a couple of
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DTI
drags. 2. To drink. Drnem po sta-
kanu i po domam. Lets have a glass
before we go home.
DERHM, -, m., rude. 1. Excrement, filth.
Ostorono, tam derhmo. Watch out
theres a pile over there. 2. A worth-
less or bad person. On takoe derhmo,
xue ne byvaet. Hes such a shit
hes really awful. (P ui) v derhm,
idiom, rude. To be in an extremely
unpleasant situation (lit., to be [up to
ones ears] in shit). Posle toj isto-
rii vse po ui v derhme. Ever since
that business, theyve all been up to their
ears in shit. Poneslsh derhm po
trbam, see under poneslsh.
DERHMVYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Nasty,
bad, repulsive (cf. derhm). On derh-
movyj celovek. Hes a nasty fellow.
DERHMOKRT, -a, m., rude. A pun on
demokrat, democrat, and derhm;
used in disparagement of so-called
democrats. The word first appeared in
1991, when the Democratic Russia Party
conducted a currency revaluation that
wiped out peoples unprotected savings.
Derhmokraty prokltye, ograbili
narod. Those damned shitocrats have
robbed the nation. Kcestvo (vorov-
stv) derhmokrtov ne znet gran,
idiom, rude. Lit., The quality of the shi-
tocrats(robbery) knows no limits. By
wordplay on the text of a widely publi-
cized advertisement for foreign goods:
Kacestvo ne znaet grani, Quality
recognizes no borders.
DERGA, -i, m. & f., neg. A director,
manager (lit., burlap, rough canvas; by
sound play on direktor). Tixo,
derga idt! Sh-h-h the boss is
coming!
DERBNUTH, perf. only, joc. To drink
quickly in order to warm up. Xoroo
by derbnuth po sto gramm. A hun-
dred-gram warm-up would be good right
now. Ct-to stli nki zbnuth,
ne por li nam derbnuth, see under
cto-to.
DESN, -a, m. 1. A ten-kopeck coin. 2.
Ten rubles.
DTI: Dti vet zni na mogle
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
DEFEKTV
rodtelej, idiom, joc. Used in sardonic
response to complaints about childrens
bad behavior; lit., Children are the flow-
ers of life on their parents graves.
Syn vyros i sovsem perestal math
sluath. Ne zr govort: Deti
vety izni na mogile roditelej.
Her son has grown up and wont listen
to her anymore. Its not for nothing that
they say children are the flowers of life
on their parents graves. Dti vet
zni, no puskj on rastt na cu-
m podoknnike, idiom, joc. Although
its true that there is great joy in having
children, its so difficult to raise them that
it would be better not to have them at all.
Tebe xoroo: u teb detej net. Ty
ne znaeh naix problem. Nu, ko-
necno, deti vety izni, no pusth
oni luce rastut na cuom podokon-
nike. You have it easy without children;
you dont know how hard it is for us.
Sure, children are the flowers of life, but
let them grow on someone elses win-
dowsill.
DEFEKTV, -a, m., joc. A detective
story, mystery story (by wordplay on
detektiv and defektivnyj, defec-
tive; with the idea that such literature is
trashy, defective). U teb esth
kakoj-nibudh defektiv pocitath?
Have you got some defective story to
read?
DEFEKTVNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. See
defektv.
DEVYJ PTROX, idiom, rude. A
traitor (lit., cheap giblets). A ty
devyj potrox, za vs to
polucih. Youre going to get it, you
stooge.
DAPN, -, m., youth. A Japanese per-
son (from Eng. Japan). Mne segodn
nuno vstretiths s dapanami. I
have to meet with the Japanese guys
today.
DAPNSKIJ, -a, -oe, youth. Japan-
ese (cf. dapn). tot dapanskij
vidik prosto klass. This Japanese
VCR is first-class.
DEF, -a, m., youth. Narcotics, drugs.
On prins def, to xoroo. Hes
Page 72
72
brought the dope thats good.
, -, f. Ordered and incorrect
TV and newspaper material, prepaid pro-
paganda (from jeans, referring to mater-
ial that is cheap and manufactured).
. I will not write false propa-
ganda, not for any sum of money.
DIN, -v, pl., youth. Jeans (the stan-
dard word is dinsy). Otxvatil
vcera novye diny? Were you able to
buy new jeans yesterday?
DIP IRKIJ, idiom. Jeep
Cherokee (from Dnepr irokij, a
popular song). Kakie problemy? Kak,
i Dip irokij moet slomaths?
Whats the problem? How could a Jeep
Cherokee have a breakdown?
DOR, -a, m., youth, joc. A Georgian
(from Eng. Georgian). Ty znakom s
tem dorem? Do you know that
Georgian?
DZELH, -, m., army. Disciplinary unit,
military unit for soldiers convicted of
crimes. Mne ne privykath sluith
v dizele. Im used to serving time in the
brig.
DKAN, -a, m., army, obs. Ten rubles, a
ten-ruble note. Daj dikan do zavtra.
Loan me a ten until tomorrow.
DINAMSTKA, -i, f., neg. A woman
who flirts with men but wont have sex
with them (from the idea of revving up an
engine, dinamo, without using it for any-
thing). Nicego u men s nej ne polu-
cilosh, ona cista dinamistka. I
got nowhere with her, shes just a cock-
teaser.
DINAMTCIK, -a, m., business. A
broker selling unreliable securities (from
dinamit, dynamite). Vse dinamit-
ciki sejcas v panike, komu nuny ix
bumaki? All the dynamiters are in a
panic. No one wants their stuff now.
DINMITH/PRODINMITH, neg.
Cf. dinamstka. 1. To flirt with or
encourage a man sexually while refusing
sex. Ona men prodinamila vs
noch. She led me on all night. 2. To
make someone wait for a long time. Ty
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 73

73 DOBYVATHS/DOEBTHS

men dinamih elyj cas, pocemu ty danced till we dropped.

opazdyvaeh? Why are you so late? DO SVDHBY ZAIVT, idiom, joc.
Youve kept me idling here for a whole Dont worry, its not serious (esp. of a
hour. wound; lit., it will heal in time for the
DINMO: Krutth dinmo, see under wedding). Ne plach, to vsego lih
krutth. arapina, do svadhby zaivt. Dont
DISK, -a, m., youth. A recording, a record. cry, its just a scratch; itll heal in time for
U teb esth klvye diski? Do you the wedding.
have any good records? DO UPDA, idiom. To the point of
DISKC, -, m., youth. A disc jockey. exhaustion. Vcera xoxotali do upada.
Kto segodn diskac? Whos the DJ Yesterday we laughted till we dropped.
today? DOBIVTH/DOBTH. To finish, finish
, -, f., army. A place for off. Nu cto, dobhm tu butylku i
washing dishes, canteen (lit., a disco- pora spath. Well, lets finish off this
thque). - bottle and go to bed.
, DOGONTH/DOGNTH. Lit., to catch
, . Theres up. 1. To understand. Cto-to vas ne
never a dull moment at this discoa dogon, cto vam nado? I dont exactly
thousand dishes before you can go to get you. What is it you want? 2. To catch
sleep. up with someone else in the amount of
DISKOTN, -, f., youth, joc. 1. A dis- liquor drunk. Dogonj, vot tebe
cotheque. Ty pojdh v diskotn? stakan. Were already drunk. Heres a
Are you going to the disco? 2. Disco- glass catch up with us!
style music. Nam na vecer nuna DOGONTHS/DOGNTHS, youth.
xoroa diskotn. We need some 1. To drink in order to get drunk, to try to
good disco music for the party. catch up with the amount of drinking that
DSSER, -a, m. A dissertation. On vs others have already done. Nam nado
nikak ne zakoncit disser. Hell never dogonths, smotri, vse ue phnye,
finish his dissertation. a my ni v odnom glazu. We have to
DISSID, -, f., collect., obs., Soviet. catch up look, everyone else is drunk
Dissidents, the dissidents as a group or already, and we havent had a drop.
movement. On davno v dissidu 2. To take an additional dose of narcotics.
pol? How long ago was it that he Ty budeh dogonths? Are you
went over to the dissidents? going to take some more dope?
DISTRF, -a, m., neg. A weak, uncoor- DDIK, -a, m., students. 1. A physically
dinated person (from Eng. dystrophy). weak student. tot dodik ne
Tebe pomoch, distrof, ili sam do- probeit i sta metrov. That 90-
tawih tot wik? Hey, you pound weakling cant run a hundred
invalid, do you need some help or can meters. 2. Smart-aleck 3. crim. A
you carry that box yourself? passive homosexual.
DISTROFN, -a, m., neg. See distrf. DOD, indecl., students, neg. A fool. Ty
DIXLOFS, -a, m., neg. Cheap, nasty sovsem dodo, prostyx vewej ne
liquor (from the chemical name of a flea ponimaeh. You, idiot, cant you
powder). Ot togo dixlofosa to- understand anything?
nit. This rotgut is nauseating. DOEBNE, doebna, m., rude. An irri-
DNO: Loths/lech na dno, see under tating person, pest. Nu ty i doebane,
loths. nikogo v pokoe ne ostavih. What a
DO POTRI PLHSA, idiom, joc. To pest you are! You cant leave anyone in
the point of exhaustion. Vcera tane- peace.
vali do poteri pulhsa. Yesterday we DOBYVATHS/DOEBTHS, rude.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
1. To pester, annoy. Ne dobyvajs so
svoimi voprosami. Dont pester me
with your questions. 2. To nag, criticize.
On ko mne doebals, vs ne tak
dela. He chewed me out according
to him, I never do anything right.
, -, m. A condom, a rubber dokur. Let me have a butt to smoke.
(lit., a raincoat). - DOLBANVT, -a, m., youth, neg. An idiot
, - (cf. dolbth). tomu dolbanavtu
. Screwing with a rubber on is like
shaking hands with gloves on.
DZA, -y, f. 1. A blow or kick (lit., a
dose). Ty svo dozu ew ne polucil,
tak polucih. Youll get yours! 2. A
portion of vodka. Davaj po doze tp-
nem. Lets have a dose. 3. Ones limit
in drinking, the most that one can drink.
svo dozu zna, dvesti gramm i
vs. I know my limit two hundred
grams and thats it.
DOZNK, -, m., youth. A dose of nar-
cotics. Prinl doznk, xvatit. Lay
off. Youve already had a dose.
DOJT, perf. To die (lit., to arrive).
tot ranennyj ue dol. That DOLB, -a, m., neg. Insistent lecturing.
wounded soldier is dead already.
DOK, -a, m. A doctor, physician. Nu,
cto skazal dok, nicego u nego net
serhznogo? So what did the doc say? Is
it anything serious?
DOKA, CTO TY NE VERBLD,
idiom. Its hard to prove ones innocence
(lit., prove that youre not a camel). This
is the punch line of the following joke: A
rabbit was running for its life through the
desert. When asked by a fox what it was
running from, the rabbit explained that a
lion had threatened to eat any camel in its
path. But youre a rabbit, objected the
other. Yes, but just try to prove that
youre not a camel! Vse znat, cto
togo ne delal, no poprobuj dokai,
cto ty ne verbld. Of course every-
one knows I didnt do it, but just try to
prove that youre not a camel!
DKTOR: Kak (to, cto) dktor propi-
sl, see under kak.
DOLBAB, -a, m. An idiot (cf. dolbth).
Ne sluaj ty togo dolbaba.
Dont listen to that dickhead.
Page 74
74
DOLBK, -, m., rude. An idiot (cf. dol-
bth). tot dolbak nicego tolkom
sdelath ne umeet. That shithead cant
do anything right.
DOLBN, -a, m., army, youth. A cigarette
butt (cf. dolbth). Daj dolban
nicego porucith nelhz. You cant
trust that asshole with any job.
DLBANNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Inferior,
bad (cf. dolbth). na toj dolban-
noj maine ne poedu. Im not going
anywhere in that crappy car.
DOLBANTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Crazy,
abnormal (cf. dolbth). Ty cto, dol-
banutyj, za cto ty e udaril? Are
you crazy? What did you hit her for?
DOLBTH/RAZDOLBTH, 1. To break,
shatter. Razdolbajte tot kamenh!
Break that stone! 2. To criticize, repri-
mand. Ego razdolbali na sobranii.
They reprimanded him at the meeting.
Mne tvoj dolb nadoel, cto ty
men vs vrem ucih? Im sick of
your constantly lecturing me?
DOLBNIK, -a, m., neg. 1. A
bookworm, nerd. tot dolbnik
vse pravila vyucil, kak vsegda. That
nerd learned all the rules, as usual. 2. A
bore.
DOLBNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg. 1.
Boring. 2. Stupid, primitive. Prekrati
svoi dolbnye razgovory. Enough
of that stupid conversation.
DOLBTH/PODOLBTH, rude. To have
sex with a woman (lit., to chisel). On e
elu noch dolbil. He screwed her all
night. Dolbth po tmecku, idiom,
neg. To wear someone down with
attempts to persuade (lit., to peck at the
crown of someones head). Ona men
sovsem zadolbila po temecku: ugova-
rivaet uexath za graniu. Shes com-
pletely worn me down with her argu-
ments that we should go abroad.
DOLBOBISTYJ, -a, -oe, rude.
Dumb, stupid. Ne nado byth takim
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
75
dolbobistym. Dont be so dumb.
DOLDN, -a, m., neg. A stubborn, pig-
headed person. tomu doldonu nice-
go ne dokaeh. You cant tell that pig-
headed guy anything.
DLHCIK, -a, m. A dollar (from Eng.
dollar).
DMA KTO ESTH?, idiom, joc. Are you
crazy? (lit., Whos at home?). O cm
ty dumaeh? Doma kto esth? Zacem
ty kupil stolhko noskov? Whats
wrong with you? Are you crazy? What
did you buy all those socks for?
DOMNIK, -a, m., crim. A thief who
specializes in robbing apartments. Sej-
cas ocenh mnogo razvelosh domuni-
kov. A lot of apartment thieves have
been active lately.
DON PDRO, indecl., joc. A homosexual,
pederast (lit., Don Pedro). Tolhko cto
zaxodil Don Pedro, spraival teb.
That Don Pedro was just here looking
for you.
, -, m. army. An extra ration (from
).
, DXLYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Weak (lit., dead).
. Were serving in combat con- Mu u ne doxlyj kakoj-to. Her
ditions, so we have the right to extra
rations.
DORGA, -i, f., youth. The track of a nee-
dle. U nego na rukax sploh dorogi.
His arms are all covered with needle
tracks. Vs dorgu, idiom, youth.
Constantly, all the time. On kerosinit
vs dorogu, sovsem spils. He drinks
all the time.
DOSK, -, f., neg. A thin, flat-chested
woman (lit., a board). Cto on nal
v toj doske? What does he see in
that skeleton? Dosk dva sosk,
rhyming phrase, rude. A flat-chested
woman (lit., a board with two nipples).
Mne ona ne nravits: doska dva
soska. I dont find her attractive just
a board with two nipples.
DOSTAVTH/DOSTTH, neg. To irri-
tate someone, get under someones skin.
Ty men dostal svoimi voprosami.
Youre annoying me with your
demands.
Page 75
DOXODTH/DOJT
DOSTAVWINA, -y, f., youth, joc. (By
wordplay on Dostoevskij and dosta-
vth). Insistence, persistence, obduracy.
Mne tvo dostaevwina nadoela, vs
ravno budu delath kak xocu. Im sick
of your insistence, and Im going to do
what I want anyhow.
DOSTOVWINA, -y, f. (From Dosto-
evskij). Difficult, complicated literature.
Mne cto-nibudh poprowe, tu dos-
toevwinu citath ne budu. I need
something a little easier I cant read
this dry-as-dusty-evski stuff.
DOSCITTHS: Zubv ne doscit-
ehs! see under zby.
DOFENST, -a, m., joc. Someone who
doesnt give a damn, couldnt care less
(from do feni, who cares?). Teb,
dofenist, nai problemy ne vol-
nut? You dont care about our prob-
lems, do you, Mr. What-me-worry?
DXLA SOBKA, idiom, neg., joc. A
low-quality frankfurter (lit., a dead dog).
Skolhko vzth doxlyx sobak? How
many hot dogs should I buy?
husband is a weakling.ti batarej-
ki doxlye. These batteries are weak.
DXLYJ VVA, idiom, neg. Lenins
body, preserved in the Mausoleum on
Red Square.
DXNUTH kak mxi, idiom, neg. To die
off in large quantities (lit., to drop like
flies). Kury doxnut kak muxi. The
chickens are dropping like flies.
DOXD, -a, m., neg. A weak person (cf.
doxodth). Nu ty i doxod, dae
meok podnth ne moeh. You 90-
pound weakling you cant even lift
that sack!
DOXODTH/DOJT. 1. To die. Ty
moeh sovsem dojti, esli ne budeh
esth kak sleduet. You could actually
die if you dont eat properly. 2. To be
exhausted. Na novoj rabote doxo-
u k veceru. On this new job Im com-
pletely wiped out by the end of the day.
Do kog-l. doxdit kak do irfa,
idiom, joc. Lit., It gets to him as (slowly
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DOXODGA 76

as) if he were a giraffe; from a joke coward, get lost for all we care.
about a giraffe who takes a week to start DRINK, -a, m., youth. An alcoholic bever-
sneezing after catching a cold. Used of age (from Eng. drink). V dome drink
someone dim-witted, slow to get the esth? Is there anything to drink in the
point. Do teb vs doxodit kak do house?
irafa. What are you, a giraffe? It DRNKATH/DRINKANTH, youth. To
takes you so long to get the point! drink (cf. drink). Mne cto-to drin-
DOXODGA, -i, m., crim. Someone weak- kanuth xocets. Id like something to
ened in a prison or labor camp (cf. dox- drink.
odth). On ego spas, tot byl dox- DRISTTH/PODRISTTH, rude. To
odga. He was a goner, but this fellow have diarrhea. On sqel nesveee m-
saved him. so, teperh elyj denh driwet. He
DRAJV, -a, m., youth, pos. From Eng. ate some meat that wasnt fresh, and now
drive. 1. Energy, drive. Esli on za- hes had the runs all day.
xocet, vsego dobhts, znaeh, kakoj DRI: Prodavth dri, see
u nego drajv. Hell achieve whatever he under prodavth.
wants, hes got such drive. 2. High vol- , -, m. Humiliation, torture (from
ume or energy of music. U toj grup- ). See .
py drajv cto nado. That group has a
DROCTH/PODROCTH, rude. 1. To
really exciting sound.
masturbate. V armii vse drocat.
DRJVER, -a, m., youth. A driver (from They all masturbate in the army. 2. To
Eng. driver). Gde na drajver? irritate, annoy. Ty ego ne droci, on i
Wheres our driver? tak serdityj. Dont irritate him. Hes
, -, m., army. Disorderly retreat mad enough as it is.
(from , see ). DRUGN, -a, m., youth. A friend, pal. A
, tvoj drugan tebe budet pomogath?
. Theyre running out of ammo Will your friend help you out?
soon well see them running. DRUGJ KOLENKR, idiom. Some-
DRPATH/DRAPANTH. To run away thing completely different, a different sit-
(from danger). Nikogo net, kuda vse uation (lit., a different calico). to
drapanuli? Whered everyone disap- sovsem drugoj kolenkor. Thats a horse
pear to? of a different color altogether.
DRATH1 gltku, idiom, neg. To shout, DRUTH s aptkoj, idiom, youth. To
quarrel. Cego vy derte glotku, o cm take drugs (lit., to be friends with the
spor? What are you shouting your lungs pharmacy). I davno on druit s
out about? aptekoj? Has he been doing drugs for
DRATH2/OTODRTH, rude. To have sex a long time?
with a woman (lit., to slap). Ty cto, ne DRYN, -a, m. A stick, post, club. A on
vidih, e e drath nado! Look, srazu za dryn i davaj ego lupith. He
what she needs is a good fuck! Drath/ grabbed a stick and started to beat him.
otodrth v dva smyck, idiom, rude. DRXATH/ZADRXATH. To sleep
For two men to have sex with the same deeply. Vy srazu kak prili,
woman (lit., to take with two [violin] zadryxli. As soon as you got here, you
bows). Vy e cto, derte v dva smy- fell sound asleep.
cka? Whats going on here, are both of DRCITH/ZADRCITH, rude. 1. To
you sleeping with her? have sex with a woman. On e drcit
, -, n. A coward (from - ue god. Hes been sleeping with her for
, to be frightened). a year. 2. To torment, bother, wear out.
, , On men drcit kadyj denh
. You turned out to be a svoimi problemami. He bothers me
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
77
with his problems every day.
DRN, -, n., neg. Someone or some-
thing bad, nasty, worthless (cf. drnh).
A direktor va drnom okazals.
Your boss turned out to be a piece of
garbage.
DRNH, -i, f., youth. Drugs, narcotics (lit.,
trash). Mne stalo xoroo, drnh
pokuril. I felt good after smoking some
dope.
DUB: Dath dba, see under davth. Rx-
nuth s dba, see under rxnuth.
DUBK, -, m., 1. neg. A fool, idiot (from
dub, oak). S takim dubakom i govo-
rith ne o cm. With a blockhead like
that theres nothing you can even talk
about. 2. Intense cold (from the idea of
stiff as oak). Na ulie takoj dubak,
okoleth mono. Its so cold out, you
could freeze to death.
DUBRH, -r, m. A corpse. Tam dubarh
leit. The stiff is lying over there.
DUBNA NEOTSANNA, idiom, neg.
An uneducated, uncultured person (lit.,
an unworked oak club). A cto ot nego,
dubiny neotesannoj, mono dath.
Well, what can you expect of an ignora-
mus like that.
DUBL: Mkra dubl, idiom, youth. A
sheepskin (dublnka) finished with a
water-repellent (lit., wet, from its slick
appearance) surface. Skolhko sejcas
stoit mokra dubla? How much does
a water-repellent sheepskin cost? Obl-
ta dubl, youth, see mkra dubl.
DUBL, -, n. A sheepskin. U teb
dublo esth? Do you have a sheepskin?
DUBVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Stupid (lit.,
oaken). Kto taku dubovu stath
napisal? Who wrote that stupid
article?
DUG: Phnyj v dug, see under
phnyj.
DL, -i, f. An obscene gesture, the fin-
ger (cf. fig, fga, i). Ne poka-
zyvaj duli. Dont give the finger.
Dl teb! idiom. No; nothing doing.
Daj mne tvo mainu. Dul
tebe. Let me use your car. Nothing
doing.
Page 77
DURKA
, -, m. A member of the Duma,
the Russian Parliament. A wordplay on
, the Duma, and , an idiot.
Duma came from the word , to
think.
DUNDK, -, m., neg. A fool, idiot. Cto
ty xoceh ot togo dunduka? What
do you expect from that idiot?
DNUTH, perf. only, joc. To go away, run
out (lit., to blow). Ix net doma, kuda-
to dunuli. Theyre not home; theyve
gone out somewhere.
DNHKA, -i, f., neg. A simple, unedu-
cated, shallow woman. toj dunhke
doverth peregovory nelhz. You
cant trust that bimbo with the negotia-
tions. Gonth Dnhku Kulakvu, see
under gonth.
DPELH: V dpelh phnyj, see under
phnyj.
DUPLTH/PODUPLTH. To beat. Be-
im, tam naix duplt. Lets get out
of here; theyre beating up our guys.
, -, n. An uneducated person (lit.,
a hollow, cavity; any tree, especially an
oak tree, is a symbol of stupidity).
, , ,
? You, numb-
skull, dont you understand, its disgust-
ing to joke like that!
DRA, -y, f. 1. crim. A pistol, revolver.
Uberi duru, nikto teb ne tronet.
Take a pistol, so no one will mess with
you. 2. neg. Something big, outsize.
On priexal na novoj dure. He came
in an enormous new car. Gnath dru,
see under gnath1.
DURAGN, -a, m., neg. A fool. Nicego
umnogo tot duragon ne skaet.
That idiot wont have anything intelli-
gent to say.
DURK, -, m., rude. The male genitals
(lit., a fool). U nego durak ele v plav-
kax pomewaets. His equipment hard-
ly fits into his swimming trunks. sli
celovk durk, to to nadlgo, see
under sli. Obmanli durak na
cetre kulak, see under obmanth.
DURKA, -i, m. & f. An idiot, a fool (cf.
durk). Ty, duraka, edeh na dacu v
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
DURKOE DLO NE XTROE
takoj xolod? You idiot, its much too
cold to go to the dacha!
DURKOE DLO NE XTROE,
idiom, neg. Said in disparagement of irre-
sponsible actions (lit., foolish business
isnt clever). Vcera my vypili vs
vodku. Durakoe delo ne xitroe.
We drank up all the vodka yesterday.
Thats nothing to crow about.
DURDM, -a, m., youth, neg. An insane
asylum. to ne institut, a durdom
kakoj-to. This is no college its a
madhouse.
DRIKOM, adv. 1. Without payment, for
free. Tuda durikom ne popadh.
You cant get in there without paying.
2. By chance, by luck. On vsex duri-
kom obygral. He won against everyone
by fools luck.
DRKA, -i, f., youth, neg. A simple game,
childs play, a game for fools. V tu
durku ne igra. I dont play that silly
game.
DRNIK, -a, m. Nausea, a hangover, a
headache. U men takoj durnik pos-
le konhka, ith ne xocets. That
cognac gave me such a hangover, I just
want to lie down and die.
DURNE DNHGI, idiom. Easily,
quickly acquired money. to denhgi
durnye, kak prili, tak i ujdut. A
windfall like that is easy come, easy go.
DURNK: NA DURNK(), idiom. For
free, gratis (cf. xalva).
DUROLM, -a, m., neg. A boor. tot
durolom vs budet delath po-svoemu.
That boor! He doesnt follow any of the
social conventions.
DROCKA: Na drocku, idiom, neg.
Without paying, by devious means.
Tam na durocku i vyphem. Well
manage to get a free drink there. A ty,
drocka, bolash, idiom, joc. Used of
false fears or exaggerated dangers, in
allusion to sex (lit., And you were
scared, you foolish thing!). Vidih,
plavath sovsem ne strano, a ty,
durocka, bolash. Well, you see,
swimming isnt so dangerous after all,
and you were afraid, you little fool!
Page 78
78
DUR, -, f., neg. A peculiarity of char-
acter, personal eccentricity. to u nego
dura taka kricath na vsex.
Thats just a quirk of his, yelling at
everyone.
DURIN, -i, f., youth, joc. A foolish
woman (punning on Dulhine, the
heroine of Cervantes Don Quixote).
Cto toj durinee nuno? What
does that Dulcinea-fool want?
DURH, -i, f., youth. Narcotics, drugs. On
ue bez duri ith ne moet. He
simply cant live without dope any
more.
DRH MTHS, idiom, neg. To
waste time doing silly things. Xvatit
durh maths, delaj uroki. Stop
wasting time and do your homework.
DSECKA, -i, f. Dear, darling. Tebe,
dusecka, otdoxnuth nado. You need a
rest, dear.
DUX, -a, m., army, joc. A young soldier
(lit., a spirit, ghost; in allusion to the
unformed condition of the young). j
ty, dux, prinesi vody. Hey, spook,
bring some water over here. Ettskij
dux, see under ettskij.
, -, f., army. The first period
of army service. See .
, , -
. Your tortures are over, youre
not a young soldier any more.
DUXRIK, -a, m., youth. A bold or reck-
less fellow. tot duxarik ix ne pobo-
its. That daredevil wont be scared of
them.
DUXARTHS/RAZDUXARTHS,
neg. To quarrel, be heated or violent. V
cm delo? Cto vy tak razduxarilish?
Whats the matter? What are you so
worked up about?
DUXARNJ, -, -e, neg. Impulsive,
hotheaded. On parenh duxarnoj, sra-
zu v draku lezet. Hes a hothead; he
gets into fights at the drop of a hat.
DUXJ, -, -e. Drunk. On ue ne
razgovarivaet duxoj sovsem. He
cant even talk, hes so drunk.
DU: Tvo du tak, see under tvo.
DURA, -y, m., neg., army. A recruit,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 79

79 DXN

young soldier. shorter than someone (lit., to breathe into

, -, m. A Chechen terrorist, someones navel).
guerrilla. ,
DYMK, dymk, m., crim. Tobacco ? Hes so much shorter than
(from dym, smoke). Net li dymka? youcouldnt you find a taller beau?
Do you have a smoke? DR, indecl., school, abbr. Birthday
DYMOPRODKT -a, m., business. An (abbreviated from denh rodeni).
advertised product that is not yet being DD, -i, m. A rich relative abroad, con-
produced (lit., smoke-product). sidered as a source of money (lit., an
DRKA, -i, f., rude. Lit., a hole. 1. A uncle). U men net ddi v Amerike. I
woman. Ty vs vrem o dyrkax duma- dont have an uncle in America (i.e., Im
eh. The only thing you can think about on my own, I have to look out for
is broads. 2. The female genitals. Ne myself).
pojmh, u teb dyrka esth? Nikak DTEL, dtla, m., youth. An informer,
teb v postelh ne uloih. Youre denouncer (lit., woodpecker, from the
acting as though you dont realize you sound of knocking on doors; cf. stukc).
have a cunt! Osobenno ne boltaj, u nas, kaet-
DYXLKA, -i, f. Breath, breathing, s, dtel zavls. Be careful not to
lungs. U men dyxalki net, kilo- chatter there seems to be a stoolie
metr ne probegu. I dont have the wind among us.
to run a kilometer. DXN, -a, m., school. An adult (from
, idiom. To be dd, uncle).
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
B- [EB-]. A common obscenity; see under
ebth. Many rude words are formed with
this stem or a distorted (euphemistic)
form of it.
B TVO MATH. See under ebth.
EBLO, -a, n., rude. A mouth (cf. xle-
blo, b-). Vytri ebalo. Wipe off
your mouth.
EBLHNIK, -a, m., rude. Cf. b-. 1. A
face. Nabith by tebe ebalhnik. Id
like to smash your face in. 2. A mouth.
Ty moeh zatknuth ebalhnik?
Cant you shut your trap?
EBANTHS, perf. only. See bnuths.
BANYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Worthless, bad,
damned (lit., fucked; cf. b-). banyj
po golov, idiom, rude. 1. An expression
of surprise: Impossible! How can it be!
banyj po golove, kogda e dodh
koncits? How is it possible that its
still raining! 2. An idiot. Kak e ty
dodumals to sdelath, banyj po
golove? You idiot, how did you get it
into your head to do that! bana
perebana math, idiom, rude. Damn it!
bana perebana math, kogda
sosed koncit igrath na skripke!
Damn it all, when will that fellow next
door be done practicing his violin?! Do
banoj (ebnej) mteri, idiom, rude.
Very much. Na konerte do ebenej
materi narodu, nikto ne oidal.
There was an enormous crowd at the
concert no one was expecting so
many.
EBANHK, -, n., rude. An idiot (cf. b-).
Ty cto, ebanhko? Kto tak delaet?
What kind of idiot are you? No one does
it like that!
BARH, -, m., rude. A sexually potent
man (cf. b-). tot barh ew ne
vsex devok pereportil? Hasnt that
lady-killer slept with all the girls yet?
Grznyj barh, idiom, rude. A lady-
killer, Don Juan (lit., awesome fucker).
On u nas groznyj barh, ty s nim
poostoronej. Hes our local Don
Juan watch out for him!
Page 80
BARH-KBARH. See grznyj barh
under barh.
EBATRI, -i, f., rude. Nonsense, horse-
play, ruckus (distorted from Evpatori,
a resort town in the Crimea; cf. b-).
Skolhko ew ta ebatori s enami
budet prodolaths? How long is
this chaos with prices going to continue?
EBTH/POEBTH (ZA-, PERE-,
NEDO-, PRO-, etc.), obscene. 1. To fuck
someone. Kogo on ebt sejcas?
Whos he fucking these days? 2. To be
contemptuous of, not to give a damn
about. ebu vai pravila. I spit on
your rules. ebal ti reeni.
These decisions dont make any differ-
ence to me. Ebth/zaebth mzgi,
idiom, rude. To wear out, tire out, pester
beyond endurance (lit., to fuck someones
brains). Ty mne vse mozgi zaebal
svoimi alobami. Im sick and tired of
your complaints. V rot kgo-l. ebth/
proebth, idiom, rude. To have con-
tempt for someone, spit on someone.
On trebuet, ctoby ty uexal iz
goroda. v rot ego ebal i ego tre-
bovani. He says you have to leave
town. To hell with him and what he
says. Ebth/proebth po-ofirski,
idiom, rude. To have sex with the
womans legs on the mans shoulders.
Ty poprobuj e proebath po-ofi-
erski. Try screwing her officer-style.
Ne ebth doch millionra, idiom,
rude. Not to be rich (lit., not to be fucking
a millionaires daughter); used in reject-
ing requests to spend money. Ty pove-
dh men v restoran? ew ne
ebu doch millionera. Will you take me
out to dinner in a restaurant? I cant
afford it. Im not sleeping with the bosss
daughter yet. Ebth kolxzom, idiom,
rude. To have easy sexual access to a
promiscuous woman (lit., to fuck some-
one with the whole collective farm). E
ebut kolxozom, a xodit vana, kak
dama. She acts like a high-falutin lady,
but really the whole collective farm
sleeps with her. Ebth moj lsyj
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 81
81
crep, idiom, rude. Damn it! (lit., Fuck
my bald head!) Ebath moj lysyj
cerep, kuda e vse gosti delish?
Damn it all, where have all the guests
gone off to? Ebth-kopth, idiom,
rude. Damn it. Ebath-kopath, sovsem
vremeni net. Damn it! Theres just no
time left. Cto-l. kog-l. ne ebt, idiom,
rude. Something doesnt matter to some-
one. to men ne ebt, kakie sluxi
xodt obo mne. I dont care what kind
of gossip theyre spreading about me.
Kogd ebt, famli ne spri- drive anyone up the wall with your
vat, idiom, rude. Lit., When they fuck
you, they dont ask your name; used in
sardonic response to complaints of ill
treatment. Direktor materil vsex za
ploxu rabotu i men toe. Kogda
ebut, famili ne spraivat. I did
good work, but the director bawled me
out along with the slackers. What do
you expect? When they screw you, they
dont ask your name. Teb ne ebt, ty
ne podmxivaj, idiom, rude. Its none of
your business, dont stick your nose in
(lit., youre not the one being fucked, so
dont make the motions). Kolcestvo i
kcestvo zaebl (zatrxalo) nas n-
cisto, rhyming phrase, joc., Soviet.
With quantity and quality theyve
fucked us over royally. A sardonic
expression of disbelief in the ability of
Soviet industry to produce adequate
amounts of acceptable goods. It refers to
the slogan of the Khrushchev years,
Onwards and upwards with quantity and
quality! (Povyajte kolicestvo i
kacestvo!) and the five-year plans of
quantity and quality. My ebli
parovz, idiom, rude. Used as a sarcastic
rejoinder to boastful words (lit., we
fucked a locomotive). Mne dom za
leto nicego ne stoit postroith.
My ebali parovoz. I can easily build a
house in one summer. Oh, sure. My
ebli, ne propli, my ebm, ne
propadm, rhyming phrase, rude. Noth-
ing bad will happen; weve done it safely
before, we know how to take care of our-
selves. Smotrite, ne utonite na
rybalke. My ebali, ne propali, my
ebm, ne propadm. Be careful not to
BL
drown when you go fishing. Oh, dont
worry, weve survived before and well
survive again. b tvo math, idiom,
rude. Fuck you (lit., I fucked/would fuck
your mother). b tvo divzi math
(tvo du v grba dski math),
idiom, rude. Damn it! b tvo
divizi math, kogda to koncits!
Fuck it! When will this be over! Ty
zaebh kog xceh, idiom, rude. To
annoy, wear out. Ty zaebh kogo
xoceh svoimi proshbami. You could
demands.
EBTHS/POEBTHS (ZA-, PERE-,
NEDO-, PRO-, etc.), rude. To have sex.
xocu ebaths. I want to get laid.
Ebths/poebths vstok, idiom,
rude. To have sex while in a standing
position. Ebaths vstoka ne pri-
vyk. Im not used to making love stand-
ing up. Ebths kak kka, idiom,
rude. To be promiscuous (of a woman)
(lit., to have sex like a cat). to ona na
vid skromna, a ebts kak koka.
She looks nice enough, but shes as
promiscuous as a cat in heat. Ebths-
usrths, idiom, rude. Ill be damned!
Ebaths-usraths, kto k nam pri-
l. Well, Ill be damned! Look whos
here! Vdrug otkda ne vozhmsh, po-
vls v rot ebsh, idiom, rude. All of
a sudden, out of the blue. Vdrug otku-
da ne vozhmish, povils v rot ebish.
When did you get here, out of the blue
like that?
EBNA MATH (voh, krenh, Mat-
rna), idiom, rude. Damn it! (lit.,
fucked mother [flea, root, Matryona];
cf. b-). Ebna-matrna, koncaj tre-
paths po telefonu! Damn it! Thats
enough of your yakking on the tele-
phone!
EBN-TATH, idiom, rude. Damn it! (cf.
b-). A zdesh pri cm, ebn-tath?
What did I do wrong, damn it?
EBIMTITH/SQEBIMTITH, rude.
1. To chatter. 2. To drink.
BL, -i, f., rude. Cf. b-. 1. Sexual inter-
course. ustal, a ty xoceh opth
ebl ustroith u men na kvartire.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
BNUTHS
Im tired, and you want to use my apart-
ment to sleep with women. 2. Nonsense,
fuss. Mne ta ebl s dokumentami
nadoela, kogda, nakone, vs budet
gotovo? Im tired of all this fuss with
the documents. When will the business be
done? bl s plskoj, idiom, rude.
Fuss, ruckus, trouble. Mne nadoela
ta ebl s plskoj. Kadyj denh za-
vodim mainu elyj cas. Im sick of
this song and dance with the car it
takes an hour to get it started every day.
BNUTHS, perf. only, rude. (Cf. b-).
1. To fall down. Vcera silhno
bnuls na lestnie. Yesterday I took
a nasty fall on the stairs. 2. To go crazy.
Ot novyx en bnuths mono.
The new prices can drive you out of
your mind.
EBN, -, f., rude. See bl.
EBN, -a, m., rude. A nickname for Eltsin
(from the abbreviation his initials:
Elhin Boris Nikolaevic; see eb-).
EBOT, -, f., rude. A disturbance, trou-
ble, a ruckus (cf. b-). Nadoela mne
ebota so staroj mainoj, nado poku-
path novu. Im sick of all the trouble
with the old car. Its time to buy a new
one.
EBOTNH, ebotn, f., rude. Nonsense,
trash (from tenh and b-). Kaku
ebotenh ty nesh. What nonsense
youre talking!
EBOTKA, -i, f., rude. Cf. b-. 1. A
girl or woman, viewed as a sexual part-
ner. Kogda e tvo ebotika
pridt? When is your girl coming?
2. Sexual intercourse. Nam pora
ustroith ebotiku. Its time we had
a little roll in the hay.
EBOTRXNUTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Crazy
(cf. b-). On stanovits sovsem ebo-
traxnutyj, kogda vyphet. He gets
completely crazed when hes drunk.
EBSTSTVENNO, adv., rude, joc. Natu-
rally, of course (by wordplay on
estestvenno, naturally, and ebth).
Ebstestvenno, pridu vovrem. Of
course Ill fucking come on time.
EBN, -a. See barh.
Page 82
82
EBCIJ, -a, -ee, rude. Sexually potent
and promiscuous (cf. b-). On v obwe-
itii samyj ebucij. Hes the stud of
this dormitory. Ebcij kozl, idiom,
rude. Idiot (lit., fucking goat). Cto ew
tot ebucij kozl natvoril? What
mischief has that idiot been up to now?
EBKA, -i, f., rude. A loose, sexually
promiscuous woman (cf. b-). Von
Zinka, ebuka, idt, davaj e na tan-
y vozhmm. Theres Zinka. Lets take
her to the dance hall shes available.
EVRE, evrja, m., joc. A Jew (formed
from evrej with the nationality-forma-
tive -e, as in evropee, indee). Mu
u naej Ninki evree, cto li? Do
you think Ninas husband may be a Jew-
man?
EVREN, -a, m., joc. A Jew (formed from
evrej with the family-name-formative
-in). Zacem ty vzl ew odnogo
evreina na rabotu, u nas i tak ix
polno. How come you hired another
Jewman? Weve already got enough of
that tribe at our office.
EVRJ: Dvdy evrj Sovtskogo
Soza, see under dvdy.
GNUTHS, perf. only. To go crazy, go
out of ones mind (from joga, yoga,
with reference to an obsession with that
doctrine or practice). On u nas sovsem
gnuls. Hes completely yogad out.
-, f., army. Barbed wire (lit., a
fidget). ,
. Youve got to get
around the barbed wire from the right
theres a passage there.
EGR, -a, m., crim. A thief who informs on
or cheats his fellow thieves (from a proper
name). Nado za nim posmotreth, u
ne egor li on. Wed better keep an eye
on him in case hes an informer.
, , m., army. A board studded with
nails for puncturing tires (lit., hedgehog).
-
,
. Put down some nail-boards
just in case anyone tries to break through
by car. tvo dvdath! idiom,
rude, euph. Damn it! Damn you! (lit.,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 83

83 XATH/POXATH

hedgehog yours twenty times over!, ENISJ: Perekryvth Enisj, see

playing on b tvo math). tvo under perekryvth.
dvadath, ne ori! Stop shouting, damn RIKI-MAJRIKI!, idiom, euph.
you! Vsex ej glym zdom zada- Damn it! riki-majoriki, idi byst-
vth, see under davth. rej! Go faster, damn it!
IK: Phnyj ik, see under R, -, m. A mixture of vodka with
phnyj. beer or wine (lit., a small fish used in
ITHS, imperf. only, joc. To practice preparing soup stocks but too spiky to be
yoga, engage in yoga (lit., to bristle, eaten). r pith ne budu, to men
shudder, shrink away; cf. , gnuths). srazu vyrubit. Im not going to drink
On davno its? Has he been that yorsh; itll make me too drunk too
doing yoga for long? fast.
KI-MKI, idiom, joc., rude, euph. SLI KDOMU DAVTH, NE
Damn it! (From as a euphemism for USPEH I VSTAVTH, idiom, joc.
b-, and moki, midges, gnats). Kog- Used in refusing a request; lit., if you
da rath budem, ki-moki? When give to everyone, you wont be able to get
the fuck are we going to eat? up (from bed, alluding to sexual exhaus-
-KA-L-M-N, euph., rude. Damn it! tion). Daj pokataths na moto-
(From as a euphemistic abbreviation for ikle. Esli kadomu davath, ne
b-, and a garbled succession of letters of uspeeh i vstavath. Let me take a
the alphabet.) -ka-l-m-n, zabyl ride on your motorcycle. If I give to
vyklcith utg! Damn it, I forgot to everyone, I wont be able to stand up.
turn the iron off! SLI (CELOVK) DURK, TO TO
KSELH MKSELH, idiom, euph. NADLGO, idiom, neg. Dont expect
Damn it! (Cf. lki-plki). anything good from a fool (lit., If a
ELD, -, f., rude. 1. A penis. Cto-to mans a fool, hell stay that way for
elda otkazyvaet. My yelda some- good). Neueli on otkazals ot
how isnt responding. 2. A gun on an raboty v tatax? Esli durak, to
artillery emblem (lit., a penis). to nadolgo. Did he really turn down a
, . Polish your gun on job in the States? Well, what do you
the emblem; its rusty. expect from an idiot!
LKI ZELNYE, idiom, rude, euph. ET TVO MATH, idiom, rude, euph.
Damn it! (lit., green fir trees, playing on Damn it! (cf. b-). Ne stoj zdesh, eti
b-). Kogda e, lki zelnye, my tvo math, ty mne meaeh. Dont
ith budem po-celoveceski! Damn it, stand there, damn it! Youre in my way.
when are we going to start living like ETTSKIJ DUX, idiom, rude. Used as a
human beings? strong oath in the sense of Damn it! or
LKI-MOTLKI, idiom, rude. See Devil take it! (euph. for ebitskij,
lki zelnye. fucked). Etitskij dux, skolhko
LKI-PLKI, idiom. See lki zel- deneg! Damn, what a lot of money!
nye. XANYJ BABJ!, idiom, rude, euph.
LY-PLY, idiom. See lki zelnye. Damn it! (cf. b-). Gde e, nakone,
, -, m. E-mail (a wordplay on the moj galstuk, xanyj babaj! Where
old Russian name and e-mail). the fuck is my necktie?!
. Send XATH/POXATH: xath/poxath ko-
me those phone numbers by e-mail. nm, idiom, drivers. To return from a taxi
-MO, idiom, rude, euph. Damn it! (lit., destination without a passenger (lit., to
fuck mine; cf. -ka-l-m-n, b-). - ride a horse). tuda ne poedu, ottu-
mo, ty opth zdesh! Damn it, you da pridts exath konm. I wont
again! take you there because Id have to come
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 84

// 84

back riding a horse. xath/poxath

stpom, idiom. To hitchhike (from Eng.
stop). On vs vrem stopom ezdit.
He hitchhikes all the time.
//
, idiom. To be or go crazy (lit., to
go along the phase). See .

. his kind of bombing
would drive anyone crazy.
EW TOT (TA), idiom, neg. Someone of
bad character. to ew tot kadr, vy
s nim naplacetesh. That fellows a
cad; hell give you plenty of grief.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 85

BA, -y, f., neg. An ugly, repulsive per- V PKE, idiom. An expression used
son (lit., a type of large frog). Nu ty, to reject an appeal for pity (by wordplay
aba, prekrati drazniths. Stop on alko, pity, and alo, sting. Lit.,
teasing, you creep. A bee has pity/a sting in its ass.
BA ZADAVLA, idiom, south, joc. LO, -a, n., neg. A mouth (lit., sting).
Lit., to be run over by a toad. Epithet Uberi alo, ne boltaj. Shut your
thrown at someone overcome by greed, mouth! Dont talk nonsense. Zamo-
miserliness. Cto, aba zadavila, cth lo, see under mocth.
dae detm rubl ne dah na zavt- , indecl., pl. Eyes (lit., jalousie,
rak. Did a toad run you over that you blinds). ,
wont even give the children a ruble for "", . Open your
their lunch. eyes, dont you see the do not enter
/. To eat (lit., to sign? (Note: the sign "Do not enter"
toad). , looks like a red brick, ).
, REVO, -a, n. Sexual intercourse. Cf.
. You dont have to rith.
rush them when theyve got something to RITH/PORITH, rude. To have
eattheyll lick their plates clean in an sex with a woman (lit., to fry). Ty e ne
instant. trogaj, e arit von tot parenh.
BRY, -ov, pl., joc. Lungs (lit., gills). Dont touch her, that fellow over there is
Cto-to u men abry bolt. Ive her lover.
got a pain in my lungs. Brath/vzth / , idiom.
za bry, see under brath. To stall, to be slow (lit., to fry a bug). See
, idiom. Someone is . ,
unable, lacks the power (lit., someones , , .
gills are too short). Stop stallinglike it or not, its time to
. We dont go on duty.
have the strength to go after him. BANDLH, -, m., youth. A bottle (from
VORONOK, voronka, m. Some- ban, a large ceramic jug). Dostavaj
one who goes to sleep early and gets up bandelh, pora nacinath. Get us a
early (lit., lark). bottle. Its high time we had a drink.
DINA GOVDINA, idiom, BNITH/ZABNITH. To drink a
childrens speech, neg. A rhyming phrase lot (from ban; cf. bandlh). Nu i
used to reproach someone for miserliness cto tam delath v derevne? A ba-
(lit., miser beef). Daj bloko. nith budem s utra do vecera. What is
Samomu malo. Ax ty adina-gov- there to do out there in the country?
dina. Give me an apple. I dont Oh, well swig it down from morning to
have enough for myself. You night.
miser! VXATH/VXNUTH. To have a
DNOSTH FRERA POGBIT, quick drink, to drink quickly. vaxnem
idiom. Lit., Greed will be a mans undo- po kruke piva, a? Lets have a quick
ing; used as a warning against or beer, okay?
reproach for greedy actions. vyig- VCKA, -i, f., youth, neg. Lit., cud.
ral, pora ostanoviths. ad- 1. Chewing gum. 2. A woman who
nosth fraera pogubit. Im going to prefers oral sex, a loose woman, a prosti-
quit playing while Im ahead. Dont be tute. Ona vacka, vse znat, ot ne
so greedy! podalhe derish. Forget about her!
LKO U PCLKI, ZNEH GDE, Everyone knows shes a whore.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
E 86
E, indecl. 1. m. A womens room (abbr.
for enskij tualet, womens bath-
room). Gde zdesh e, mne nado
zajti? V kone koridora. Wheres
the bathroom around here? Down
there at the end of the hallway. 2. f.,
rude. Buttocks (abbr. for pa). Idi
ty v e! Go to hell!
EBBELHNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Edible,
good to eat (by wordplay from evath,
to chew, and bba, woman). Nu,
kak plov? ebabelhnyj. Well, how
do you like the pilaf? Its quite deli-
cious!
EVLO, -a, n., neg. A mouth (from
evath, to chew). Ty ew ne nabil
svo evalo? Havent you finished
stuffing your face yet?
EVANNA, -y, f., neg. Bad-tasting
food (from evath, to chew; lit., some-
thing already chewed over or chewed up).
Kto kak, a tu evaninu v rot ne
vozhmu. I dont know about other people
but I wouldnt put that junk in my
mouth.
, -, f., army. An automatic
rifle (lit., a piece of iron).
, . Your
metalware is awfully dirty.
ELZKI, -ok, pl., crim. Weapons,
firearms. Obywi ix, elezki sloi v
ugol. Search them, and pile their iron in
the corner.
ELZNO, adv., pos. For sure, without
fail (from elezo, iron). Raz on obe-
wal, znacit, elezno pridt. If he
promised, hell certainly come.
ELZNYJ FRER, idiom, joc. A trac-
tor (lit., iron fellow). Skolhko let ty
paeh na eleznom fraere? How
many years have you been working as a
tractor driver?
ELEZNK, pred. use, youth, pos. Reli-
able, accurate, trustworthy (from elezo,
iron). Vs budet kak nado, mo slo-
vo eleznk. Everything will be fine
you can take my word for it.
ELZO, -a, n. 1. crim. See elzki. 2.
youth, business. Computer hardware.
ELOBK, elobk, m., youth, neg. A
Page 86
greedy or self-serving young person (lit.,
a small ditch or trough; playing on
lob). tot elobok ew seb po-
kaet, ot nego di vskix pakostej.
Youll soon see that that young fellow is
a pig you can expect all sorts of nasti-
ness from him.
ELTK, eltk, m., joc. An Asian (lit.,
a yolk).
ELDOK: Temn kak u ngra v pe/
eldke, see under pa.
LUDH, -, m., neg. A fool (lit., acorn,
by wordplay lob). Ne budh ludem,
ty znaeh, o cm govor. Dont
play dumb, you know what Im talking
about.
EN-EVRJKA NE RSKOH,
A SRDSTVO PEREDVINI,
idiom, joc. Lit., A Jewish wife is not
luxury, but a means of transportation
(with reference to emigration to Israel).
ENTIK, -a, m., joc. A married man,
esp. a young person, student, or the like,
who marries early. Sredi naix zna-
komyx on stal pervym enatikom.
He was the first fellow in our set to
become a family man.
ENLKA, -i, f., joc. A penis. Ty
dumaeh, enilka vyrosla, ue
vzroslym stal? You think youre
grown-up just because your prick has
grown? U kog-l. enlka ne
vrosla, idiom, rude. Said of a young,
inexperienced person. Emu ew rano
uxaivath za enwinami, u nego e-
nilka ne vyrosla. Hes too young to
be running after women, his prick
hasnt grown up yet.
ENX I NEVSTA OBQLIS
TSTA, rhyming phrase, joc. Lit., The
bride and groom stuffed themselves with
dough; an absurd rhyming-phrase used
to tease young couples. Smotri, idut
enix i nevesta. enix i nevesta
obqelis testa. Look, there go the
lovebirds! Bride and groom ate the
broom!
ENIXTHS, imperf., joc. To court a
woman. On ue enixaets goda
dva, a svadhby ne vidno. Hes been
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
87
going out with her for a couple of years
already, but theres still no wedding in
sight.
NWINA ZA RULM CTO
OBEZHNA S GRANTOJ, idiom,
rude. A woman behind the wheel is like a
monkey with a grenade.
NWINA RAZVDIT NOGMI, A
MUCNA RUKMI, idiom, joc. A
saying describing an occurrence of sexual
impotence (lit., the woman spreads her
legs and the man spreads [i.e., throws up
in despair] his hands). U nas tot e
slucaj: enwina razvodit nogami, a
mucina rukami. Well, you can see
whats happened to me its a case of
she spread her legs and he his hands.
NHENH, -, f., joc. A woman, girl-
friend (by wordplay on enwina,
woman, and enhenh, ginseng).
U nego enhenh esth? Does he
have a girlfriend?
EREB, ereb, m., neg. An over-
sexed man (lit., a stallion). tot
erebe ni odnoj bki ne propustit.
That stallion cant let a single skirt go by
without trying.
RTVA ABRTA, idiom, neg., rude. A
stupid or awkward person (lit., a victim of
abortion, i.e., an aborted fetus). Ty,
ertva aborta, dae caj ne moeh
zavarith kak sleduet. You aborted
fetus! You cant even make a pot of tea
properly!
IV NE XOC! Lit., Live! I
dont want to! Used to express exaspera-
tion at peoples failing to appreciate their
advantages in life. U nego vs esth
dom, maina. ivi ne xocu. Cto
ew emu nado? Hes got everything
a house, a car. Its a case of Live! I
dont want to! What more could he
possibly need?!
IVODR, -a, m., neg. A surgeon (lit.,
one who skins animals alive). Kto
segodn reet? Esli Ivanov, on
nastowij ivodr. Whos operating
today? If its Ivanov, hes a real butcher.
IVTNOE, -ogo, n., neg. An unfeeling,
cruel person (lit., animal). x ty,
Page 87
IDVSKIJ SUKOMLE
ivotnoe, nikogda ne poaleeh.
You monster! You never feel any pity.
IGLH, -l, m. 1. A type of beer (from
igulvskoe pivo). igulh v ma-
gazine esth? Do they have any beer at
the store? 2. pl. A type of car. On
ezdit na igulx. He drives a
Zhiguli.
ID, -, m., (f. idvka, -i), neg. From
Yiddish Yid, originally a neutral word
but now used only negatively. 1. A Jew.
idy ocenh lbt zoloto. The
kikes are crazy about gold. 2. A greedy
person. Ne budh idom, daj xoth
nemnogo kolbasy. Dont be such a Jew!
Let me have a piece of the sausage.
id parxtyj, see under parxtyj.
Za kompni i id povsils, see
under za.
ID PO VERVOCKE BET,
rhyming phrase, neg. A phrase used by
children for taunting Jewish boys (lit.,
Theres a kike running along a
tightrope).
IDTHS/POIDTHS, neg.To
be greedy or miserly (lit., to be Jew-like).
Ne idish, dostavaj iz xolodilh-
nika vs, cto u teb esth. Dont be a
Jew! Whatever youve got in the fridge,
bring it out!
IDVI, -i, f., rude. Israel. Cto
tam sejcas proisxodit v idovii,
opth oni vot s arabami? Whats
going on in Jewland? Are they having
another war with the Arabs?
IDOVN, -i, f., collect., neg. The Jews,
Jewry. idovn otkryvaet sina-
gogu za sinagogoj v Moskve. The Jews
are opening one synagogue after another
in Moscow.
IDVSKA MRDA, idiom, neg. A
Jew (lit., a Jewish face). Cto tam go-
vorit ta idovska morda po tele-
vizoru? Whats that Jew-face on TV
saying?
IDVSKIJ SUKOMLE, idiom,
rude. A twisted name of the popular
newspaper Moskovsky Komsomolets
(by wordplay on Moskovskij and
idovskij, komsomole and suka).
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
IDOMASN
IDOMASN, -a, m., neg. A Jew (lit., a
Jew Mason, with special reference to the
idea of a conspiracy of Jews to take over
the world). idomasony spaivat
russkij narod. The Jew Masons are
getting the Russian people addicted to
alcohol.
IDOPRODVE, idoprodva, m., ILTKA, -i, f., crim. A ring set with a
neg. A Jew (lit., a Jew traitor, formed on
the model of Xristoprodave, a betrayer
of Christ). idoprodavy uezat v
Izrailh packami. The Jew traitors are
leaving for Israel in droves.
IDORV, -, f., neg. See idovn.
IDOFL, -a, m., neg., rude. Someone
who likes Jews.
IDOFLI, -ii, f., neg., rude. Love
for Jews or Jewish culture. U nego vse
steny zakleeny zvezdami Davida,
demonstriruet svo idofili.
All his walls are covered with Stars of
David hes showing his Yidophilia.
IDUL, -j, pl., obs., neg. A Zhiguli
automobile, alluding to its being typically
owned by rich people, that is, Jews (by
wordplay on iguli and id). Chi
to iduli? Whose Yidoolee is
that?
ID PRDALI ROSS, idiom,
neg. Lit., The Jews have betrayed Rus-
sia, originally a slogan of the Black
Hundreds; today it often expresses the
idea that Jews are supporters of American
policies. idy prodali Rossi ame-
rikanam! Posmotri, kto v pravi-
telhstve odni idy! The Jews
have betrayed Russia to the Americans.
Look whos in our government its all
a bunch of Jews!
IDRA, -y, m. See id.
IZNH: iznh trepanla (potre-
pla) kog-l., idiom. Life has worn
someone out. Vidno, trepanula
iznh muika, vesh sedoj, a vedh ew
ne star. Life has taken its toll on him
hes gray before his time. Kucer-
va iznh, see under kucerva.
Davth/dath zni, see under davth.
: , idiom. Said of some- Things are okay with me. Im living
thing someone doesnt like, against the
Page 88
88
grain, against ones will (lit., not in a
vein, from drug addict slang, refers to
injected drugs).
, - -
. Its against my will to
meet with her again, shell be asking for
something as usual.
stone and equipped for cutting open
pockets (lit., a small vest, with reference
to the absence of sleeves, as if they had
been cut off). Pokai svo iletku.
Let me see your razor-ring.
-, idiom. 1. Said about cow-
ardly behavior (from , to
squeeze, to grab, also refers to the reac-
tion of squeezing ones ass when scared).
,
- . As soon as I saw
those gang bangers, I got scared shitless.
2. Also said about greediness.
-, . Enough
with the greediness, hand the money
over.
IRF: Do kog-l. doxdit kak do
irfa, see under doxodth.
RIK, -a, m., neg. A nickname for V.
Zhirinovsky (by wordplay on ir, fat,
grease).
IRNK, -k, m., neg. A fat person, fatty
(from ir, fat). Nu ty i irnk,
skolhko vesih? What a fatso you are!
How much do you weigh, anyhow?
IRTRST, -a, m., joc. A fat person
(from ir, fat, and trest, trust [com-
pany]). Ty, irtrest, idi sda!
Get over here, fat farm!
ISTNKA, -i, f., neg., joc. Life (by
wordplay on estnka, tin can, and
iznh, life). Nu, kak istnka?
Hows life?
ITXA, -i, f., joc. Life (from iznh).
Cto za ituxa, ith ne na cto.
What kind of a life is it when youve got
nothing to live on?
ITH: ith v tnuse, idiom, pos. To
live well, be well off, be doing all right.
U men vs v pordke, ivu v tonuse.
quite well. ith na ske, idiom, youth.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 89

89 PA

To borrow, mooch, live on money opa bezrodna. His whole family

acquired by constant wheedling. On is full of professors and scientists, and
davno ne rabotaet, ivt na aske. youre just a nobody. (pa) ne slp-
He hasnt had a job for a long time; he nets? idiom, rude. An expression of
lives on what he can mooch. Tak on i disapproval of eating too much, espe-
li, gby krsili, a nog ne mli, cially too many sweets (lit., wont your
see under tak. Tak oni i li, spli ass get stuck shut?). ew sqem oko-
vrozh, a dti bli, see under tak. ladku. A ne slipnets? Ill just
iv ne xoc! see under iv. have one more chocolate. Youve had
LOB, -b, m., neg. 1. A miser, greedy too much already; youll make yourself
person. tot lob snega zimoj ne sick. pa s rckoj, idiom, joc. Lit.,
dast. That miser wouldnt give you a an ass with a handle; used of someone
snowball in winter. 2. A person, fellow. awkward, uncoordinated. Opth ne
Odin lob mne skazal, cto ty tak, vot opa s ruckoj! You got it
zabolel. Some guy told me that you wrong again, you ass with handles!
were sick. PU (acc.): Brath/vzth za pu,
LOBNA, -y, m., neg. See lob. idiom, rude. To apprehend, catch some-
one doing something wrong (lit., take by
LOBTHS/POLOBTHS, neg. the ass). Nas ne vozhmut za opu za
To be miserly, greedy (from lob). Ne to, cto my kupili pistolet u sol-
lobish, daj nemnogo. Dont be a dat? Wont they haul us in for buying
miser; give me some. that pistol from the soldiers? Zasnh
MOT, -a, m., neg. See lob. (zk) seb v pu, idiom, rude. Stuff
MTNICATH/POMTNICATH, it (your tongue) up your ass. ti
neg. See lobths. podarki zasunh sebe v opu, ix ne
MRIK, -a, m., joc. A corpse (from vozhmu. You can stuff those presents up
muriths, to screw up ones eyes, your ass. Im not taking them. Iskth
to squint). Ew odnogo murika [naxodth/najt] na svo pu
privezli, otpravlj ego v morg. priklcnij, idiom, rude. To act reck-
Theyve shipped us another corpse. lessly, be asking for trouble, bring pun-
Send it over to the morgue. ishment upon oneself (lit., to look for
MRKI: Sygrth v mrki, see [find] adventures for ones own behind).
under igrth. Nu vot, nali na svo opu
priklcenij, predloili perevesti
, -, f. A funeral knigu, a sami ne znaem zyka. Weve
orchestra. See . brought our own punishment on our-
? How selves by offering to translate the book
much will a funeral orchestra cost us? when we dont even know the language.
MURVKA, -i, f., youth. A morgue (cf. Lezth/ vlezth bez mla v pu (v
mrik). Gde v toj bolhnie zad), idiom, rude. To be an apple-pol-
murovka? Wheres the morgue in this isher, ass-licker (lit., to climb up some-
hospital? ones ass without soap). Oni vse tak i
PA, -y, f., rude. 1. Buttocks, behind, lezut k prorektoru bez myla v opu,
rear end. Ty cego opoj ko mne xott polucith pribavku k
povernuls? Why did you turn your ass zarplate. All those guys are licking the
toward me? 2. A fool. Nu i opa ty, rectors ass trying to get a raise in pay.
kak e ty ne dogadals! What an ass Lizth pu, idiom, rude, see lezth
you are, not to have figured it out! bez mla v pu. Na kdu xtru
PA (nom.): pa bezrdna, pu esth xuj s vintm, idiom, rude.
idiom, rude. A common, simple person He who cheats will be cheated (lit., for
(lit., a behind without family). U nego every smart-ass theres a prick with a
vs semh professory, ucnye, a ty bolt). Nairths/ narths v
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
PA
pu, rude. To drink oneself uncon-
scious (lit., into ones ass). Ty vcera
opth narals v opu. Last night
you drank yourself out cold again.
Natgivath/natnth glaz na pu,
idiom, rude. To punish severely (lit., to
pull someones eye over his ass).
Budeh brath sigarety bez sprosa,
natnu glaz na opu. Im really going
to give it to you if you keep taking my
cigarettes without asking. Prikry-
vth/prikrth pu, idiom, rude. To
protect ones rear; to have insurance, take
measures for safe retreat (lit., to cover
ones ass). Ty podumal, kak pri-
kryth opu, esli teb sprost, po-
cemu ty ne xodil na rabotu? Have
you planned how to cover your ass if
youre asked why you didnt go to
work? Phnyj v pu, idiom, rude.
Very drunk (ass drunk). Prili
phnye v opu, ew i rath trebu-
t. They were dead drunk when they
got here, and now they want to eat.
Crez pu, idiom, rude. Wrongly, im-
properly, badly (lit., through the ass).
Ty vs delaeh cerez opu, sup ne
tak vart. You do everything ass-
backwards! Thats not how to make
soup! zk v pu zalp, idiom, rude.
Lit., ones tongue is stuck to ones ass;
used of someone speechless from fear,
embarrassment, and so on. Nu, cto u
teb zyk v opu zalip, rasskazyvaj,
cto vy natvorili v kole. Dont
stand there with your tongue stuck to
your ass! Tell me what kind of trouble
you guys got into at school. PY
(gen.): Mne do py, idiom, rude.
I dont care, it doesnt concern me, it
doesnt bother me. Ty rugajs, ne
rugajs, a mne do opy. Its all the
same to me whether you insult me or
not. Kak iz py, idiom, rude. Sloppy,
wrinkled, unkempt (lit., as if from some-
ones ass). U teb rubaka kak iz
opy, pojdi pogladh. Your shirt looks
as though it came out of someones ass
go iron it! Pesk iz py spets,
idiom, rude. Lit., the sand is coming out
of his ass, used of an old, decrepit person.
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90
U nego pesok iz opy sypets, a on
tanevath sobrals. The stuffings
already coming out of his ass, but he still
wants to dance. Rki iz py (iz
odnog msta) rastt, idiom, rude. An
expression used of someones clumsiness
(lit., someones hands grow from his ass
[from a certain place]). Kto tak cis-
tit kovr, u teb cto, ruki iz odnogo
mesta rastut? You cant even clean
the rug decently whats wrong, are
your hands growing from your ass?
PE (dat.): Pristavth/pristth
kak bnnyj list k pe, idiom, rude.
To be persistent, to insist (lit., to stick like
a bathhouse-leaf to someones ass; from
the practice of beating oneself with
bunches of leaves in the steam bath).
Nu cto ty pristal kak bannyj
list k ope so svoimi knigami.
Dont keep after me with those books of
yours, like a leaf sticking to my ass!
POJ (instr.): Vertth poj,
idiom, rude. To flirt with men, attract
mens attention (lit., to turn ones behind
toward someone). Smotri, ona pered
nami opoj vertit, vidno, ty ej po-
nravils. Look how shes coming on to
us! Apparently she finds you attractive.
Vsex ej gloj poj zadavth,
idiom, rude. To be overconfident (lit., to
crush all the hedgehogs with ones bare
ass). ensh na nej bez problem.
Ty vsex eej goloj opoj zadavil.
I wont have any trouble getting her to
marry me. Oh, sure, youve crushed all
the hedgehogs with your bare ass.
Dmath poj, idiom, rude. To do
something foolish (lit., to think with
ones behind). Ty dumal opoj, kogda
soglasils rabotath pocti darom.
You must have been thinking with your
ass when you agreed to do that job for
practically nothing. poj kvrxu,
idiom, rude. How am I supposed to
know? I dont know any more than you
do (lit., ass-upwards; used in answer to
the question How?) Kak my dosta-
nem bilety? Kak? opoj kverxu.
How will we manage to get tickets?
How should I know? Zavertth
poj, rude. To wheedle, prevaricate, be
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 91
91
deceptive (lit., to twist ones backside).
Cto ty opoj zavertel, govori vs
pravdu. Dont beat around the bush! Just
tell the truth. Xoth poj eh, idiom,
rude. Very much, a lot (lit., [so much
that] you could eat it with your behind [in
addition to your mouth]). Sejcas v
magazinax kolbasy xoth opoj
eh, a eny kusats, ne kupih.
Right now theres a real glut of sausage
in the stores; only its so expensive that
you cant afford to buy it. Cth/po-
cth poj, idiom, rude. To sense
beforehand, sense instinctively (lit., to
smell with ones behind). opoj cu
opasnosth. I smell danger. PE
(prep.): V glubkoj pe, idiom, rude.
In danger, in an unpleasant position.
Znaeh, my v glubokoj ope s fi-
nansami. Were in deep shit finan-
cially. Ni v golov, ni v pe, idiom,
rude. Theres no point, theres no result
(lit., neither in the head nor in the ass).
Ot tix razgovorov ni v golove, ni v
ope. Theres no point to these conver-
sations. Nen kak v pe zub, idiom,
rude. Worthless, undesirable (lit., needed
like a tooth in ones ass). Mne ta
poezdka nuna kak v ope zub. I need
this trip like a hole in the head. Rki v
pe, idiom, rude. Lazy (lit., with ones
hands in ones ass). U teb cto, ruki
v ope, sam ne moeh pozavtra-
kath? Whats wrong with you, too lazy
to get yourself breakfast? Temn kak u
ngra v pe/eldke, idiom, joc. Very
dark (lit., as dark as in a Negros ass/
belly). Zdesh temno kak u negra v
ope, davajte vklcim svet. Lets
find a light its as dark as a Negros ass
in here. U kog-l. (v ple vter), v
pe dym, idiom, rude. Someone is
flighty, giddy, birdbrained (lit., someone
has [wind in the field and] smoke in the
ass). Kak ty emu verih, ne pojmu. U
nego v pole veter, v ope dym. How
could you believe that guy? Hes such an
airhead! Cto v golov, cto v pe,
idiom, rude. Said of a stupid or ignorant
person (lit., whats in his head is also in
his ass). Cto on moet posoveto-
vath? U nego cto v golove, cto v ope.
OPU
You cant get any sound advice from
him hes got the same thing in his head
as hes got in his ass. Rvath na pe
vlosy, idiom, rude. To regret, be sorry
(lit., to tear out the hair on ones behind).
On sejcas na ope volosy rvt, cto
ne kupil do podoroani mainu, a
sejcas deneg ne xvataet. Now hes
kicking himself for not having bought
that car before the prices went up; he
cant afford it any more. U kog-l. odn
izvlina i ta na pe, idiom, rude.
Someone is an idiot (lit., Someones got
only one convolution, and its not even in
his brain, but on his ass!).
OPSTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Having
large buttocks (cf. pa). Nado e
byth takim opastym, ctoby tak
na babu poxodith. He looks like a
woman with that big behind of his.
OPNDI, -i, f., rude. Large buttocks
(cf. pa). Na tu opendi nika-
kie dinsy ne lezut. Youll never
find any jeans large enough to fit over
that big behind.
OPNH, -i, f., rude. Large buttocks (cf.
pa). Nu i openh u ne! What a
big ass shes got!
PNIK, -a, m., rude. A homosexual
man (cf. pa). Von opniki na ska-
mejke sidt. Those guys over on the
bench are queers.
OPOLZ, -a, m., rude, neg. An apple-
polisher, ass-licker (from lizath, to
lick; cf. pa). On izvestnyj opo-
liz, tak i vertits pered nacalh-
stvom. Hes a notorious ass-licker,
always making up to the bosses.
OPORE, opora, m., rude. A
Zaporozhetz automobile (by wordplay on
pa). Tvoj oporoe ew
ezdit? Is your Zhoporozhetz still
working?
POCNIK, -a, m., rude. A homosexual
man (cf. pa). V tom bare sobira-
ts opocniki. This bar is a hang-
out for buggers.
OPU: V opu, youth, joc. Very,
extremely, to the last degree (from
Papua, Papua [New Guinea] and
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
OR
pa). On phn v opua. Hes dead shes bought.
drunk.
OR, -a, m. Appetite (lit., feeding-frenzy
of fish; from rath, to eat). Na men
napal or. Im famished.
OR, -a, m., crim. A cardsharp, petty
con artist. tot or men nadral
na limon. That con artist took me for a
million rubles.
RATV, -, f. Food (cf. rath).
Davaj zajdm v magazin, kupim
kakoj-nibudh ratvy. Lets stop in at
the store and pick up something to eat.
RATH/VRATH: rath/vrath
vdku, idiom, rude. To drink (lit., eat,
devour) a lot of vodka. Oni tam
opth rut vodku. There they go
again, devouring the vodka. rath do
pta, srath do slz, idiom, rude. To do
something with all ones might (lit., eat
till the sweat comes, shit till the tears
come). Vy vs to vyphete? A
cto? rath do pota . . . Are you guys
really going to drink all that? Of
course! If youre going to drink, you
might as well really drink!
RCKA, -i, f., joc. Food, portion of
food (cf. rath). Opth vy v rabocee
vrem racku ustroili. There you go
again, snacking during working hours!
UVCKA, -i, f. Chewing gum (cf.
vcka).
UTH/ZAUTH, neg. To kurtku u odnogo ucka. I bought this
talk endlessly (lit., to hum). Ona
uit i uit o svoix pokupkax,
ne ostanovih. You just cant stop her
from droning on and on about the things
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92
ULH, -, n., collect., neg. Con artists,
cardsharps. V tom magazine rabo-
taet odno ulh. All the guys who
work in this store are con artists.
XALO, -a, m., youth, neg. A deceiver,
double-dealer (cf. xath2). Nu ty i
uxalo, opth obmanul vsex? What
kind of a double-dealer are you, duping
everyone again!
XATH1/ZAXATH, youth, neg. To
hide. Skolhko vy ot men deneg
zauxali? How much money did you
hide from me?
XATH2/NAXATH, youth, neg. To
deceive, take in. Ne dumaj men
nauxath, teb viu naskvozh.
Dont imagine you can take me in! I see
right through you.
UXL, -, n., youth, neg. See xalo.
CITH/POCITH, joc. To scold,
abuse, insult. Math ego ucit ue
elyj cas. His mothers been yelling at
him for an hour already.
CKA, -i, f., crim. A female thief (lit., a
common name for a dog). Ty znaeh
tu ucku, nu tu, cto rabotaet na
rynke? Do you know that woman thief
the one who works at the market?
UCK, uck, m., neg. 1. A small-time
speculator, reseller. kupil tu
coat from a huckster. 2. A cheater,
swindler. I ty verih tomu
ucku? How could you believe that
faker?
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
ZA BESPLTNO TEB I V LI NE
PLNUT, idiom, joc. You cant get
anything for free (lit., it costs money even
to have someone spit in your face).
Nado emu zaplatith, za besplatno
tebe i v lio ne plnut. Hes got to
be paid theres no such thing as a free
lunch.
ZA KOMPNI I ID POV-
SILS, idiom. Lit., Even a Jew
hanged himself for the sake of company.
Used to express the lengths to which peo-
ple will go in order not to be alone. Vse
pokupali casy i kupil, no oni ne
rabotat. Za kompani i id
povesils. Everyone was buying these
watches, so I bought one too; but it
doesnt work. Yeah, well, even a Jew
would hang himself for the sake of com-
pany.
ZA MNOJ NE ZARAVET, idiom. Ill
promptly reward you, Ill pay you (lit., it
wont rust behind me, i.e., I wont neglect
to make it worth your while). Vy
tolhko pocinite zamok, a za mnoj ne
zaraveet. Go ahead and fix the lock
for me Ill make it worth your while.
ZA MOJ SCT, ZA TVO DNHGI,
idiom, joc. Lit., On my account, but on
your money; a jokingly self-deprecating
way of indicating that one cant pay. Nu
cto, priglaa teb v restoran za
moj sct, za tvoi denhgi. Id like to
invite you out to eat on my account,
but on your money.
ZA NECNNO BHT OTCNNO,
idiom, joc. A rhyming phrase used in
rejection of an attempt to justify
something; lit., For what one does in
ignorance one gets beaten terribly. to
on sdelal necanno. Za necanno
bht otcanno. He did it by
mistake! Never mind, hell catch it
just the same.
ZA TEX, KTO TAM, A KTO ZDESH
TOT SAM, idiom, crim. A toast to
friends in prison: To those who are
there; and as for those who are here
Page 93
theyre on their own.
ZABELDS, -a, m., abbr., neg. A
defender of the White House of the
Russian Parliament in October 1993
(Zawitnik Belogo Doma). The suffix -os
conveys a pejorative connotation.
ZABIVTH/ZABTH. To occupy. Tam
vse mesta zabity. All the seats over
there are taken. Zabivth/zabth
bki, idiom, neg. To deceive, take in.
On komu xoceh baki zabht. That
guy can con anybody. Zabivth/
zabth bolt na cto-l., idiom, rude. To
disregard, despise, not care about. On
zabil bolt na vse spletni. He com-
pletely ignored all the gossip. Zabi-
vth/zabth verx, idiom, crim. To pin
an outer pocket closed (cf. verx).
Zabej verxa, a to potereh doku-
menty. Pin your pocket shut or youll
lose the papers. Zabivth/zabth
kosk, idiom, youth. To smoke drugs (cf.
kosk). Davaj zabhm kosk, a to
skucno. Lets smoke some dope; theres
nothing else to do. Zabivth/zabth
mting, idiom, youth. To make an
appointment, arrange a meeting. Vy
zabili miting na zavtra? Did you
make an appointment for tomorrow?
Zabivth/zabth mozg, idiom, neg. To
occupy ones mind with something
unnecessary (lit., to clog ones brains).
On zabil sebe mozgi fantastikoj.
Hes got his head filled with science fic-
tion. Zabivth/zabth strlku, idiom,
youth. To make an appointment, set a
time for a meeting (lit., to hammer down
an arrow, referring to the dial of a watch).
My zabili strelku na vosemh. We
agreed to meet at eight oclock. Zabi-
vth/zabth na cto-l., idiom, youth. To
lose interest in something. Studenty
zabili na ucbu, vse zanimats biz-
nesom. The students have lost interest in
their studies; theyre all going into busi-
ness.
ZABIRTH/ZABRTH. (Cf. brath/
vzth) 1. To intoxicate, affect with
drunkenness. Teb ue vodka zabi-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
ZABODTH
raet, umenhi dozu. The vodkas
going to your head already youd bet-
ter not keep drinking so much. 2. imper-
sonal. To be worked up, upset. Smot-
ri, kak e zabiraet, ona ne govorit, a
kricit. Look how worked up she is
shes shouting, not talking.
ZABODTH, perf. only, neg. To irritate,
annoy (lit., to butt). Ona men sovsem
zabodala razgovorami o trpkax. She
drove me to distraction with all her talk
about her clothes.
ZABJNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Good, ter-
rific (of music) (from zaboj, the end of a
mine shaft, where the noisy work is
done). U nego mnogo zabojnoj muzy-
ki. Hes got a lot of terrific music.
ZABRISTYJ, -a, -oe. Strong (of
liquor; cf. zabirth). A vodka zabo-
rista, ue phna. This is strong
vodka! Im drunk already.
ZABRIVTH/ZABRTH. To induct into
the army (lit., to shave). Teb zabri-
vat osenh? Are you being inducted
this autumn?
ZABUGRNYJ, -a, -oe. Foreign, from
abroad, imported (cf. za bugrm under
bugr). Nikakoj zabugornyj dd
nas ne spast, my sami dolny re-
ath svoi problemy. No uncle from
abroad is going to save us; we have to
solve our own problems.
, perf. To become tough and
nasty. , - ZVIDKI BERT kog-l. To feel envy
. Hes turned into such an
aggressive bastard, well have to put a
stop to it.
ZABRIVATHS/ZABURTHS,
youth. 1. To go on the spur of the
moment, drop in (cf. burith, to drill).
Ne zaburiths nam v kakoj-nibudh
restoran? Lets stop in at some restau-
rant. 2. To hide (lit., to drill oneself in).
, week already.
. Weve got to ZAVISTH/ZAVSNUTH, youth. 1. To
find a place to hide until taps, or theyll
make us shovel the snow.
ZAVL, -a, m., students. Lit., an obstruc-
tion, heap. 1. Failure on an examination.
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94
U teb skolhko zavalov? How many
exams did you fail? 2. A lot of work. U
nas raboty zaval. Weve got heaps
of work to do.
/. To kill
(lit., to knock down).
. He could kill a
guy with his bare hands.
ZAVERBOVTH, perf. only, youth, joc. To
meet a girl, pick up a girl, go to bed with
a girl (lit., to recruit, as a spy). On e
ue davno zaverboval, ona k nemu s
mes xodit. He picked her up a long
time ago; shes been going with him for a
month.
ZAVRNUTYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Compli-
cated, hard to understand (lit., wrapped
up). V toj phese nicego ne ponl,
slikom zavrnuta. I didnt under-
stand that play at all; its too compli-
cated.
ZAVERNTHS na cm-l., perf. only,
youth, neg. To be crazy about, wrapped
up in. On sovsem zavernuls na roke.
He went completely wild for rock
music.
ZAVESTSH (vzths) ot srosti,
idiom, joc. Lit., to result from dampness;
an evasive answer to the question of
where something came from. Ot kogo
u ne rebnok? Ot syrosti zavl-
s. Whos the father of her child? Oh,
its just a child of dampness.
(zavisth) (lit., feelings of envy grip
someone). Ego zavidki berut, cto u
nas vs esth: i maina, i daca. He
envies us because we have everything: a
car, a dacha.
ZAVS, -a, m., youth. A drinking bout (lit.,
hanging, a suspended state in which one
cant stop drinking). On v zavise ue
nedel. Hes been on a drunk for a
be attracted by something, involved in
something (lit., to hover over something).
Oni sejcas zavisat na markax.
Theyre very much interested in
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95

stamps. 2. To wait a long time. My glad to do. 2. In ones daily life, regu-
silhno zavisli, ego ue net dva casa. larly. Kak ono zavsegda? Hows
Weve been cooling our heels for two life?
hours already and hes still not here. ZAVZANO! idiom. Agreed! Okay! Its a
3. To hesitate, waver, be uncertain. On deal! (lit., tied up). Prixodi ko mne
zavis, ne znaet, eniths emu ili zavtra. Zavzano! Come over to my
net. Hes up in the air about whether to place tomorrow. Its a deal!
get married or not. 4. To go on a drink- ZAVZKA: Byth v zavzke, see zav-
ing bout (cf. zavs). Oni vstreti- zyvath.
lish i, kak vsegda, zavisli. When they ZAVZYVATH/ZAVZTH. To stop,
met they went off on one of their usual quit. s kurevom zavzal mes
sprees. 5. To freeze up. Used when talk- nazad. I quit smoking a month ago.
ing about a computer program (lit., to be
suspended). ZAGAZVANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, joc.
, ? Drunk (cf. gaz, gazovth). Loish
My computer freezes up every five min- spath, ty sovsem zagazovannyj.
utes, maybe Ive got a virus. Youd better lie down; youre com-
pletely drunk.
, -, -. Lazy (lit., hang- ZAGS: V zagse, idiom, army. Shirking
ing, from , see ). work, hiding so as not to work. On gde-
, to v zagase, posmotri v klube. Hes
, . If theres work making himself scarce somewhere
to be done, take someone else; hes the around here. Look in the clubhouse.
laziest of the whole lot.
ZAGASTH/ZAGSNUTH, army. To
ZAVODTHS/ZAVESTSH. 1. To get arrange easy work for oneself. Ty
angry (lit., to get cranked up, as of an davno zagas na kuxne? When did you
engine). On zavls, kogda emu skaza- get yourself that cushy kitchen job?
li, cto emu net podarkov. He got all ZAGIBTH/ZAGNTH. To lie, fib (lit., to
worked up when they told him there were bend). Ne zagibaj, to ue cerescur.
no presents for him. 2. To cheer up, to Stop lying! Youve gone too far
get into a lively mood (lit., to be wound). already. Zagibth/zagnth krki,
Cto-to oni ne zavodts, sidt idiom, youth. To talk entertainingly, tell
xmurye, ne razgovarivat. For some good stories (lit., to bend a crust of
reason they just wont cheer up; theyre bread). Nu ty korki zagibaeh,
sitting there glumly, not even talking to rassmeil. What a raconteur you are!
each other. You really made me laugh.
ZAVODNJ, -, -e. (From zavodith, , idiom.
to wind up, to crank up). 1. Lively, To die (lit., to bend ones paws up).
cheerful, active. S nimi vsegda veselo,
oni takie zavodnye. Its always fun . Nobodys going to turn
with them, theyre such live wires. up his toes here.
2. Hotheaded, quarrelsome, violent. A , -, f. A riddle, an
tvoj drug zavodnoj, srazu v draku enigma, a problem, an unexpected cir-
polez. Your friend there seems to be cumstance (from the old Russian word
quite a hothead he got into a fistfight that referred to a sudden
right away. curve or bend in the road, something not
ZAVSEGD, adv. 1. Always willing, in its proper form). ,
always ready. Poedeh za gribami? ,
to zavsegda. Are you going - . Who
mushroom-hunting? That Im always could have known that such an unex-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
ZAGOLUBTH
pected disaster would happen with our
banks, the default came out of nowhere.
ZAGOLUBTH, perf. only, youth. To
become a homosexual (cf. golubj).
Na devuek ne smotrih, zagolubel,
cto li? Youre not even looking at the
girls. Whats the matter have you
turned into a homosexual?
ZAGONTH/ZAGNTH durak (er-
vogo) pod ku, idiom, rude. To have
sex with a woman (lit., to stick the fool
[the horny one] under someones skin).
Ty ue uspel zagnath eravogo
pod kou? Have you managed to get
her into bed yet?
ZAGRNKA, -i, f., youth. Something
unacceptable or outrageous, behavior
beyond the limits of acceptability (from
za graniej). vs terpel, no to
ue zagranka, ty men udaril. Ive
put up with a lot from you, but this is
really going too far! You hit me!
, perf. To be sent fast (lit., to with you. Idi ty v zadniu so svoim
thunder, crash). nythm. Go to hell you and your
. They were drafted whining. Crez zdniu, idiom, rude.
straight out of high school.
ZAD: Vertth/zavertth zdom, see
under vertth.
ZADAVTH/ZADTH tgu, idiom, joc.
To flee, escape (lit., to make a draft).
Von koty zadali tgu, vidno, soba-
ka rdom. Look how those cats ran off.
There must be a dog around.
ZADARM, adv. Gratis, for free. ta
vewh mne dostalash prakticeski
zadarma. I managed to get this for
almost nothing.
ZADVIGTH1, imperf. only, youth, neg.
To lie, speak untruthfully (lit., push
something in). Xvatit zadvigath,
tak tebe i poveril, cto on ue za
bugrom. Cut the crap. Im not such a fool
as to believe that hes already gone
abroad.
ZADVIGTH2/ZADVNUTH, youth. To
quit, cease, leave off. davno zadvi-
nul pith. I gave up drinking a long
time ago.
ZADVIGTHS/ZADVNUTHS,
youth. To inject narcotics, give oneself an
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96
injection. Oni ue davno zadviga-
ts. Theyve been mainlining dope
for a long time.
ZADVNUTYJ, -a, -oe, youth. 1.
Beside oneself, out of ones mind.
Tolhko zadvinutyj mog to sde-
lath. Only a lunatic could have done
that. 2. Unintelligible, complicated.
to dl men zadvinuta kniga. I
couldnt make heads or tails of that
book.
ZADLATH, perf. only. 1. crim. To kill.
Nai vcera dvoix zadelali v pere-
strelke. Yesterday our boys did in two
guys in the crossfire. 2. rude. To have
sex with someone. Tebe pora e zade-
lath. Its really high time for you to do
her.
ZDNIA, -y, f. Buttocks (cf. zad).
Uberi svo zadniu. Move your ass
(i.e., get out of the way). Id v
zdniu, idiom, rude. Go to hell, the hell
Badly, awkwardly, incompetently. Ty
vs delaeh cerez zadniu. You do
everything ass-backwards. Rvath zd-
niu, see under rvath.
/. 1.To
bore (lit., to peck, to chisel).
. Were
all bored by your little jokes. 2. To tor-
ment by nagging, to pick at. ,
, ,
. You thought you wore
me out with your nagging in sergeant
school, but Ill get even with you at the
battlefront.
ZADRTH, perf. only, youth, neg. To bore,
irritate. Ne nudi, zadral alobami na
iznh. Stop whining! Im sick and tired
of your complaints about life.
ZADRPANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg.
1. Good-for-nothing, incompetent, use-
less (from zadripath, to soil, to wear
out). On inener zadripannyj.
Hes an incompetent engineer. 2. Dirty,
untidy. On xodit v zadripannyx
brkax, opustils sovsem. Hes com-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
97
pletely let himself go walks around in
dirty slacks.
ZADRTY, -a, m., youth, rude. A
weakling, a worthless person (cf. dro-
cth). Tvoi muiki vse kak odin
zadrotyi. Your friends are a bunch
of nobodies.
ZADRCENNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. 1.
Depressed. On xodit sovsem zadro-
cennym. U nego nepritnosti na
rabote? Why is he going around so
depressed? Is something wrong at work?
2. Tired. Ty sovsem zadrocennyj,
prilg otdoxnuth. Youre completely
exhausted! Lie down and take a rest.
ZADRGA, -i, f., neg. A persistent person
(from drygath [nogami], to kick).
Ona taka zadryga, poka svoego ne
dobhts, ne otstanet. Shes such a
pest, shell never leave you alone until
she gets what she wants.
ZADUBTH, perf., youth, neg. To get cold,
to get chilled. Nado pogreth,
sovsem zadubel. Im frozen, I need to
warm up.
ZADUVTH/ZADTH, rude. To have sex
with a woman (lit., to blow). Devka,
vidno, xocet, nado ej zaduth kak sle-
duet. That girls dying for it give her
the real thing.
ZADMCIVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, joc.
Expensive, hard to afford (lit., thought-
ful). Da, ta kurtka zadumciva.
Thats a very thoughtful coat (i.e., one
had better think carefully before spending
so much money on it).
/. thing. Zabyvash so stathej, nado
To go bad, to spoil (lit., to fall into think-
ing). , have time to finish the article by the dead-
, . The sausage line tomorrow. Zaebths v dsku,
spoiled out in the sun, it already stinks, it
cant be eaten.
ZABANYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Cf. b-.
1. Frightened. On vsex boits, xodit
sovsem zabanyj. Hes afraid of every-
one; he goes around completely cowed.
2. Tired. Posle matca vse vygldt
slikom zabanymi. Now that the
game is over, they all look utterly
exhausted.
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ZABYVATHS/ZAEBTHS
ZAEBTELHSKIJ, -a, -oe, rude. Cf.
b-. Excellent, terrific. Daca u teb
zaebatelhska. Your country house is
fantastic.
ZABISTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Cf. b-.
1. Nasty, making trouble (of persons).
On vsegda takoj zabistyj? Is he
always such a troublemaker? 2. Compli-
cated. to zabista zadaca. This
is one hell of a complicated problem.
ZABYVATH/ZAEBTH, rude. Cf. b-.
1. To fuck into stupefaction. V tu
noch ty men sovsem zaebala.
Youve fucked me into complete stupe-
faction tonight. 2. To tire someone out.
Ty men zaebal svoimi voprosami.
Youve worn me out with all your ques-
tions. Zabyvath/zaebth v dsku,
idiom, rude. To bore or exhaust someone
to the state of a dumb plank (lit., to fuck
into a board). viu, ty zaebal ego v
dosku svoimi anekdotami. I see
youve bored him silly with your jokes.
Ne zaebh, tak zamcih, idiom,
rude. I give in; okay, youve twisted my
arm. Nu xoroo, pojdm gulth, ty
ne zaebh, tak zamucih. All right,
well go for a walk youve forced me
into it. Zaeb nog nog, rabtath
ne mog, idiom, rude. Used to express
resistance to going to work (lit., Let one
foot fuck the other, but I cant work).
ZABYVATHS/ZAEBTHS, rude.
Cf. b-. 1. To become tired. Spath
oxota, cto-to zaebals. I feel
sleepy; for some reason Im exhausted.
2. Not to have enough time for some-
zavtra sdath v redaki. I dont
idiom, rude. To become completely
exhausted. My nosim ti wiki tri
casa, zaebalish v dosku. Weve been
hauling these cartons around for three
hours; were completely wiped out. Za-
ebsh! idiom, rude. Great! Wonderful!
Nu, kak moroenoe? Zaebish!
Hows the ice cream? Fantastic!
Zaebsh v rot konm! idiom, rude. Go
to hell; up yours (lit., be fucked in the
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
ZAEDTHS/ZASTHS
mouth by a horse). Zaebish v rot
konm, ctob teb ew raz poslu-
al. Go to hell! Im not going to listen
to you any more.
ZAEDTHS/ZASTHS, neg. To be
naughty, ill-behaved, quarrelsome (lit., to
gnash ones teeth). Otstanh, ne
zaedajs. Cut it out, dont be naughty.
Kto-l. zals, idiom, neg. Said of one
who acts superior to others. Oni
sovsem zaelish, ne znat enu denh-
gam. Theyre completely above it all;
they just dont know the value of money.
/. To have a good ics going). Ona mne zakatila iste-
time, to have fun (lit., to light a fire, to
start a fire). , only 10 minutes late and she got hysteri-
, , - cal.
. Its boring here, no one is /. 1. To
having any fun, its more like an old peo-
ples home than a disco.
ZALIVATH/ZALITH, neg. To
appropriate; to keep for oneself what one
has borrowed or what one owes to
another. Ty, kaets, zailil moj
karanda. It looks like youve appro-
priated my pencil.
ZAIMTH/ZATH, neg. 1. To steal,
lift (lit., to squeeze). Ty zaal moi
knigi, tak ne pojdt. Youve made
off with my books thats not right.
2. To hold back out of miserliness. Ty
restoran zaal, a obewal. Youre
such a tightwad thats why you broke
your promise to take me to the restau-
rant. 3. To feel up, paw a woman. On
teb opth zaimal? Did he feel you
up again?
ZAPITH, perf. only, rude. To catch
red-handed (cf. pa). Ix zaopili
na poddelke dokumentov. They were
caught forging papers.
ZARTHS, perf. only, rude, neg. To
live too luxuriously (lit., to be overfed).
Ty sovsem zarals, to dl teb idee, pojdm dalhe. Dont keep
ue ne denhgi. Youve become alto-
gether too soft you dont know what
moneys worth anymore.
/. To someone. Ona zaklinilash na nm.
fall asleep (lit., to be grounded). -
- . Ill ZAKOLCIVATH/ZAKOLTITH
do some blanket-drill for half-hour.
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98
ZAGRYVATH/ZAIGRTH, neg. To
appropriate, not to return someone elses
property. tebe dam knigi, tolhko
ne zaigraj. Ill loan you the books, but
just dont appropriate them.
ZAKPYVATHS/ZAKOPTHS. To
be very busy, swamped with work (lit., to
be dug in). sovsem v bumagax zako-
pals, kona i kra ne vidno. Im
completely swamped in paperwork with
no end in sight.
ZAKTYVATH/ZAKATTH istriku,
idiom. To make a scene (lit., to get hyster-
riku, opozdal na 10 minut. I was
steal (lit., to mow down). See .
?
Was it you that hooked my cigarettes?
2. To fake an illness. ,
, . I can see youre
malingering. Nothing doing!
ZAKDYVATHS/ZAKNUTHS,
youth. To take pills, drugs (lit., to throw
in). Ty ue zakinuls, a ew net.
Youve already tossed some in, but I
havent had any yet.
ZAKLDYVATH/ZALOTH, neg.
1. To drink a lot (shortened from the old
expression zakladyvath za vorotnik).
On silhno zakladyvaet v poslednee
vrem. Hes really been swigging down
a lot recently. 2. To betray, inform on,
denounce (cf. zalonik, hostage).
to ty nas zaloil, cto my ku-
rim? Are you the one who reported us
for smoking?
ZAKLNIVATH(S)/ZAKLNITH-
(S), neg. 1. To repeat, do again (from
klin, wedge; lit., to get wedged in, get
stuck). Ne zaklinivajs na toj
repeating this same idea; lets get beyond
that. 2. To think constantly of one thing
or person, be obsessed by something or
Shes really stuck on him.
dnhgi, idiom. To earn a lot of money,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 99
99
make big money (lit., to hammer money).
Vse oni zakolacivat neploxo na
nefti. Theyre all raking it in from
their oil dealings.
ZAKOLEBTH, perf. only. To irritate,
annoy, wear out (cf. kolebth, ebth).
Ty men zakolebal svoimi rasska-
zami o babax. Youve worn my
patience thin with your stories about your
girlfriends.
ZAKNNYJ, -a, -oe, obs. Good, fine
(lit., legal). Pojdi posmotri, ne
poaleeh, zakonnyj filhm. Go see
it! Youll be glad you did its a fine
film.
ZAKONSERVROVATHS, perf. only.
To look young, be well preserved.
Smotri, na nacalhnik zakonser-
virovals, bolhe estidesti emu
ne dah, a emu ue za semhdest.
Look how well-preserved our boss is
you wouldnt think hes more than sixty,
but hes really on the wrong side of sev-
enty.
ZAKS, -a, m., youth. An act or instance
of shirking work, slacking on the job.
Vai zakosy prekratite, nado pod-
naath i zakoncith rabotu cerez
nedel. Enough of your shirking;
weve got to make a big push and finish
this job within a week.
ZAKRJ ROT, KIK PROST-
DIH, idiom, rude. Shut up! (lit., shut
your mouth, your guts will catch cold).
Zakroj rot, kiki prostudih,
xvatit orath, nikto teb ne slu-
aet. Shut up! No one wants to hear
your speeches.
ZAKROM RDINY, idiom, joc. Store-
houses for produce, where everything sits
and rots (lit., granaries of the mother-
land). Vesh uroaj opth sdali v
zakroma rodiny, znacit, golodath
budem. Again theyve dumped the whole
harvest into the granaries of the mother-
land; were in for starvation now.
ZAKRYVTH/ZAKRTH: Zakryvth/
zakrth dverh s toj storon, idiom,
neg. To leave a household, to be expelled
(lit., to close the door from the other
/
side).Ty mne nadoel, zakroj dverh s
toj storony. Im sick and tired of you
get out and never darken my door
again. Zakryvth/zakrth fontn,
idiom, rude. To keep silent, to shut ones
mouth. Zakroj fontan i sluaj,
cto tebe govort. Shut up and listen
to whats being said to you.
ZAKUSN, -a, m., joc. Appetizers (to
accompany drinks) (from zakuska). Za-
kuson prigotovili? Did you prepare
some appetizers?
ZKUSH, -i, f., joc. See zakusn.
ZALEPTH, perf. only. To say something
strange, shocking, or unexpected. Kak
ty mog takoe zalepith, otkuda ty
vzl, cto ona lezbianka? How could
you say such a thing? Where did you get
the idea that shes a lesbian?
ZALT, -a, m. Trouble, difficulty (cf.
zaletth). U nego zalt, on popal po
phnke v milii. Hes in trouble
hes been picked up by the police for
drunkenness.
ZALETTH/ZALETTH. 1. To get into
trouble, get caught (lit., to fly by mistake
to the wrong place). Na direktor
zaletel na vztkax. Our director got
into trouble for taking bribes. 2. To get
pregnant unintentionally. Ty cto,
opth zaletela? Dont tell me you got
knocked up again?! S kem pove-
dhs, ot tog i zaleth, see under
s.
ZALTNA ALVA, idiom, crim. A
traveling female thief, not one of the
locals (lit., a whore flying off course).
e cto-to ne zna, zaltna alava,
navernoe. Ive never seen her before;
she must be an off-course whore.
ZALTCIK, -a, m., neg. Someone who
keeps getting into difficulties. U togo
zaltcika odni nescasth! Its just
one woe after the next with that poor
schlemiel!
ZALIVTH, imperf. only, neg. To lie, be
untruthful (lit., to pour it on). Ne zali-
vaj, cto ty byl v institute. Dont
lie! You werent at the institute.
/ -
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100

, idiom, army. To drink heavily gun is already in the police records.

(lit., to flood potholes). , ZAMZKA, -i, f., crim. Misfortune, trou-
, ble (lit., putty, caulk). On ostals v
. Go get some sleepyoure so bolhoj zamazke, bolhe tysci
plastered you can hardly stand up. rublej. He was in big trouble; he lost
, -, -. Smooth, even. more than a thousand rubles.
, ZAMTYVATHS/ZAMOTTHS.
. I dont like the To get tired from work or worries (lit., to
new Zhiguli model, it looks too flat. spin, be wound up). sovsem zamo-
ZALIPXA, -i, f., youth. Falsehood, tals, s utra na nogax. Im exhausted
hoax, hokum. Ty ue cital zalipuxu after being on my feet all day.
o prielhax? Have you read this /.
hogwash about extraterrestrials? To prepare marijuana for smoking
ZALUDTH, perf. only. Lit., to tin, cover ,
with tin. 1. To hit, beat. Nu ty ego i . See . Youve got
zaludil, on do six por v bolhnie. to prepare it before you roll it.
Wow, you really gave it to him! Hes ZAMS, -a, youth. A fight (lit., kneaded
still in the hospital. 2. To accomplish dough). Vcera v zamese mne dosta-
with hard work. Vy ue zaludili losh. I really got my share in the brawl
plan? You mean youve already last night.
slogged through that job? ZAMTANO! idiom. Its settled, agreed,
ZALPA, -y, f., rude. 1. The head of the so be it (lit., [the hand is] dealt). Zam-
penis. Cto-to zalupa bolit. My tano, ty nocueh u men. Its settled
zalupa hurts. 2. A bastard, scoundrel. youre sleeping at my house.
Vstavaj, zalupa, to ne tvo mesto! , idiom. To fall
Get up, you bastard, this isnt your seat! asleep (lit., to make ground fault).
ZALUPNE, -na, m., rude. A bastard,
idiot (cf. zalpa). Ctob teb zdesh , .
bolhe ne videl, zalupane! I never How did they manage to fall asleep
want to see you here again, you bastard! already? A minute ago they were singing
ZALUPTHS/ZALUPTHS, rude. their lungs out.
Cf. zalpa. 1. To make a scene, get ZAMKNTH pasth, idiom, neg. To be
excited, get carried away. Ne zalupaj- quiet (lit., to lock ones mouth). Zamk-
s, on e silhnee! Dont get all ni pasth i ctoby teb vesh vecer
worked up hes stronger than you ne slyal. Shut up and dont let me
are! 2. To be stubborn, to object, refuse. hear a word from you for the rest of the
Oni zalupilish, ne xott rabo- evening.
tath za ti denhgi. Theyve mutin- ZAMK, zamk, m., army. The deputy of a
ied they arent willing to work for commander (lit., a lock). Zamok
those wages. prikazal stroiths. The lock gave
ZALSITH, perf. only, crim. To cheat orders to line up.
someone at cards (lit., to shave bald). ZAMORZKA, -i, f. A local anaesthetic
Men zalysili na 300 dollarov. I (lit., frost). Mne ue zamorozku sdela-
was ripped off to the tune of 300 dollars. li, sejcas budut zub rvath. Theyve
ZAMZANNYJ STVOL, idiom, crim. already given me a freezing; now
Weapons that have previously been in theyll pull the tooth.
police custody and can be traced (lit., ZAMORCKA, -i, f., joc. 1. An ide fixe,
stained barrel). Nado proverith obsession. U ne davno zamorocka
zamazannyj stvol, byl v dele ili kupith dacu. The idea of buying a
net? Weve got to check whether this dacha has been an obsession with her for
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101 ZAPADL

a long time. 2. Difficulties, complica- ZANIMJTE MEST SOGLSNO

tions, troubles. S obedom u nas zamo- KPLENNYM BILTAM, idiom,
rocka, ne uspevaem k prixodu gostej. joc. Take your seats (lit., take the seats for
Weve been in a jam since lunchtime; which you bought tickets). Gosti
well never be ready for the arrival of our dorogie, zanimajte mesta soglasno
dinner guests. kuplennym biletam. Dear guests,
ZAMOSTRIVATH/ZAMOST- please take seats at the table.
RITH. To make, prepare (food) (lit., to ZANIMTHS grblej na konhkx,
build a bridge [most]). Davaj kofejku idiom, joc. To be incompetent at sports
zamostyrim. Lets put together some (lit., to row on skates). On xodit na
coffee. trenirovki? On zanimaets gre-
ZAMTANNYJ, -a, -oe. Tired (cf. blej na konhkax. Does he work out?
zamtyvaths). Ty sovsem zamo- Oh, he rows on skates.
tannyj, otdoxni. Youre completely ZANDA, -y, m. & f., neg. A whiner,
exhausted take a rest. complainer, nudnick (from nudth). S
ZAMUDXANNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. toboj nelhz dolgo byth vmeste, ty
Tired, exhausted (cf. mud). prixou stranyj zanuda. Its impossible to
s raboty zamudoxannyj, a ty ew spend time with you youre such a
lezeh so svoimi sovetami. I come nudnick.
home from work exhausted, and you keep ZANKIVATH/ZANKATH, youth.
after me with your suggestions. To hide away, steal, take on the sly (espe-
, idiom. To cially by taking advantage of confused
make a mess (lit., to mud filth). - circumstances). u roditelej zany-
, , kal tridatku. I lifted thirty rubles
. Remember, if from my parents.
you make a mess in here, were all going ZANXANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Plain-
to get punished. looking, ugly. U nas muiki vse ka-
/. To steal kie-to zanxannye. All the available
(lit., to soap). men here are ugly.
, ZANXIVATH/ZANXATH, joc. To
. Dont you even dream of eat bread (lit., to sniff, smell). Cem by
pinching my belt! My names engraved zanxath, tak pith ne mogu? What
on it. is there to eat? I cant drink without some
ZAMYKNIE, -, n., youth, joc. Strange bread.
behavior, eccentricity (lit., short circuit). ZAPD: V zapde, idiom, youth. Very
U nego zamykanie, perestal so vse- interested, deeply involved (cf. zapa-
mi zdorovaths. Hes acting really dth). On budet pomogath v tom
strange he doesnt even say hello to dele? Konecno, on ue v zapade.
anyone. Will he help out with the project? Of
ZANCIVATH/ZANCITH. To hide, course, hes already deeply involved in
stash away. zanacil ot eny ne- it.
mnogo deneg. Ive hidden a little cache ZAPADTH/ZAPSTH, youth. To fall
of money away from my wife. for, fall in love with. zapal na tot
ZANCKA, -i, f. A secret cache. Skolh- Mers. Ive fallen in love with that
ko u teb v zanacke deneg? How much Mercedes.
money have you got in your stash? ZAPADL, n., indecl., youth, neg. A
ZANG, -a, m., crim. Gold. Mne zang worthless person, object of contempt or
nuen, gramm dvadath. I need twenty dislike (from padalh, dead animal).
grams of gold. On mne zapadlo. Hes scum as far as
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
/ 102
Im concerned.
/ weeks, and today I completely messed it
, idiom., army. To kill (lit., to
pack someone in a zinc box).
! Ill put you in Zapocm ty kupil tot kejs? How
your coffin all the same!
ZAPRKA, -i, f. Heavy work, exertion;
especially, work that is stepped up in
order to meet production norms in a sud-
den burst at the end of a month or year
(from par, steam). U nas sejcas na
zavode zaparka, kone goda. Were
steaming away at the plant because its
the end of the year.
ZAPSKA, -i, f. A spare tire. Dostanh
zapasku, nado smenith pravoe koleso.
Get me the spare. I have to change the
right tire.
ZAPENDRCIVATH/ZAPENDR-
CITH, rude, neg. 1. To have sex with a
woman. Oni vypili, potom on ej
zapendrcil kak sleduet. They had a
drink, and then he balled her properly.
2. To hit. Spartak ue vtoru
ajbu zapendrcil. The Spartak team
has already scored its second goal.
ZAPL, -a, m., youth, pos. A guitar solo.
Sluaj, sejcas budet takoj zapil!
Listen to this guitar solo!
ZAPISTNIVATH/ZAPIST-
NITH, youth. To have sex with a woman
(cf. pistn). Tebe e pora ue zapis-
tonith. Its high time you took her to
bed already.
ZAPLV, -a, m., army. Floor-washing.
Segodn ty na zaplyve, begi za
vodoj. Its your turn to wash the floor,
run and get some water.
ZAPR, -a, m., joc. A Zaporozhets
automobile (lit., constipation). Za-
por on i esth zapor, nikak ne zavedu.
Well, what can you expect from a
Zaporozhets! I cant start it.
ZAPORTH, perf. only. 1. crim. To cut
with a knife, kill by knifing (lit., to rip).
Zaporoth teb malo za to! I
ought to knife you for that! 2. To spoil,
mess up. rabotal dve nedeli, a
segodn zaporol vs kartinu. Ive
Page 102
been working on this painting for two
up.
ZAPOCM, adv., youth. For how much?
much did you pay for that attach case?
ZAPRAVLTH mlhki, idiom. To lie,
speak untruthfully. Brosh mne mulhki
zapravlth, ty tam ne byl. Dont
lie to me! I know you werent there.
ZAPRTKA, -i, f. An off-limits area,
restricted area. V zapretke rybu lo-
vith nelhz. Fishing is forbidden in the
restricted area.
ZAPUZRIVATH/ZAPUZRITH,
joc. To do something intensely or vehe-
mently (from puzyrh, bubble).
ue zapuzyril pth butylok piva,
bolhe ne mogu. Ive already tossed
down five bottles of beer I cant drink
any more.
ZAPUPK, m., pred. use, army. Fine,
good, excellent (cf. pupk). Kak dela?
Zapupok. Howre things? Fine.
ZAPUPRH, -, m., youth, neg. An irritat-
ing, unpleasant person. Ty moeh
pomolcath, zapupyrh crtov? Cant
you shut up, you creep?
/ -
, idiom. To misinform, lie (lit., to
launch a chamber pot).
,
. Anyone
who spreads stories about a retreat will
have to deal with me.
ZARAVTH: Za mnoj ne zaravet,
see under za.
ZARBKA, -i, f., crim. An oath (lit., a
notch, i.e., mark in wood, as a sign of a
promise). Ty daval zarubku, znacit,
vypolnj, cto obewal. You gave
your oath, so do what you promised.
ZARLIVATH/ZARULTH, joc. To
come, enter (lit., to steer, as a car). Za-
rulivaj ko mne casov v semh. Come
over to my place at about seven.
ZARTH/ZARDTH, youth. To tip,
bribe (lit., to load). zardil veja-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
103
ra, sejcas projdm na disko. I tipped
the doorman, so we can go into the disco
now.
ZASDNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Good,
interesting (from zasadith, to strike).
Medu procim, posmotri telek,
idt zasadna peredaca. By the way,
theres an interesting program on TV.
ZASIVATH/ZASADTH plxu
(gol), idiom, sports. To score a goal.
Ty videl po teleku, kakoj gol zasa-
dili nai na poslednej minute? Did
you see on TV how our team scored a
goal at the last minute?
ZASANDLIVATH/ZASANDLITH,
joc. 1. To hit, thrash (from sandal, san-
dal). I kuda ty emu zasandalil, v
glaz? Where did you hit him in the
eye? 2. To do something intensely, vehe-
mently. Oni zasandalili ne zna
skolhko vina. They knocked down
heaven only knows how much wine.
ZASVCIVATHS/ZASVETTHS.
To expose oneself, give oneself away.
Smotri, ne zasvetish, kogda budeh
s nim govorith. Make sure you dont
give yourself away when you speak with
him.
ZASEDTH/ZASSTH (v tualte),
idiom, joc. To sit on the toilet for a long
time (lit., to preside over the toilet, a
Sovietism). Xvatit zasedath, vyxo-
di! Youve been presiding long enough
come on out now!
/. To be
caught red-handed (lit., to be located).
, ,
/. To tor-
. Play it safe and dont get ment with formation drills (lit., to build,
caught when you bring the booze through
the checkpoint.
ZASERTH/ZASRTH, rude. To shit on,
to mess up. Kogda vy tak uspeli zas-
rath kovry v dome? When did you
manage to mess up the carpets like that?
Zaserth/zasrth mozg, rude. To
confuse, drive to distraction (lit., to shit
on someones brains). Oni emu sovsem
mozgi zasrali, reil migrirovath.
Page 103
ZASTRELTHS
They drove him to such a pitch of dis-
traction that he decided to emigrate.
ZASR, -i, m. and f., rude. A slob, dirty
person (lit., shitter). Privedi v por-
dok komnatu, zaser! Clean up the
room, you pig!
ZASS, -a, m. The mark of a kiss on the
skin (lit., a sucker). Kto to tebe
takoj zasos ostavil? Who gave you
that hickey?
ZASRNE, zasrna, m., rude. See
zasr.
ZASRNSK, -a, m., neg., rude. Any
small, provincial, remote town (by
wordplay on Saransk, the town of
Saransk, and zasrne). On ivt
gde-to v Zasranske, tot gorod i na
karte ne viu. He lives in some
godforsaken hamlet somewhere, I cant
even find it on the map.
ZASSNE, zassna, m., rude. A bas-
tard, good-for-nothing, idiot (from ssath,
to piss). tot zassane tak i ne
prins, cto obewal. That bastard
didnt bring what he promised.
ZASSKA, -i, m. & f., rude. See zas-
sxa.
ZASSXA, -i, m. & f., rude. 1. Someone
who urinates frequently. U toj zas-
syxi nederanie moci. This pisser
just cant hold it in. 2. neg. A young
woman. Ih ty, sovsem ew zas-
syxa, a lezeh so svoimi sovetami.
Oh, go on, youre just a squirt, but you
keep after me with your advice. 3. Femi-
nine form of zassne.
form). -
, .
Theyll drive us up the wall with drills
until Veterans Day, and then things will
ease off.
ZASTRELSH! idiom. Terrific! Wonder-
ful! (lit., shoot yourself). Filhm vcera
smotrela zastrelish! The film I
saw yesterday was fantastic!
ZASTRELTHS: Zastrelths m-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
no! idiom. 1. Terrible. Skuka zdesh,
zastreliths mono. You could die
of boredom here. 2. Wonderful. On
rasskazal takie anekdoty zastre-
liths mono. He told such good
jokes, you could have died laughing.
Zastrelths i ne ith, idiom. An
expression used of an unexpected event.
Neueli tu bezdarnosth vybrali
direktorom instituta? Zastre-
liths i ne ith. Did they really
elect that fool director of the institute?
You could knock me over with a
feather!
, -, f. A workout, drill. See so much? 2. Tired, exhausted. Ty
. vygldih zatusovannym, tebe nado
ZASTKATH xovru, idiom, crim. To
rob an apartment. tu xoviru nado
srocno zastukath. Well have to rob
this apartment soon.
ZASNH (ZK) SEB V PU. See
under pa.
ZASYPTHS/ZASPATHS. To be
caught at something, be apprehended (lit.,
to be sprinkled, as with sand, sugar, etc.).
On slikom mnogo voroval i, konec-
no, zasypals. He stole too much, so of
course he got caught.
ZATRIVATHS/ZATRITHS. To
stock up, buy up a lot of something (from
tara, carton, container). zataril-
s saxarom na dva mesa vperd. Ive
stocked up on sugar two months
worth.
ZATMNIE: Dlath/sdlath slnec-
noe zatmnie, see under dlath.
ZATORMENNYJ, -a, -oe, neg.
Slow, passive (from tormoz, brake).
Ty segodn zatormoennyj, ne vy-
spals, cto li? Youre really sluggish
today.Whats the matter didnt sleep
enough last night?
ZATRUXTH, perf. only, rude. To soil,
smear. Ty zatruxal vs odelo va-
renhem. You got jam all over the blan-
ket.
ZATRKANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Fright-
ened, nervous, intimidated by harassing
criticism (cf. zatrkivath). Mu u
ne sovsem zaturkannyj. Her husband
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104
is really henpecked.
ZATRKIVATH/ZATRKATH, neg. To
intimidate, unnerve (from Ukr. turk-
nuth, to push, shove). Ty malh-
ciku sovsem zaturkala zamecani-
mi. Youve completely intimidated that
boy with your comments.
ZATUSVANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth.
1. Socializing or partying a great deal,
spending a lot of time at parties (cf.
tusvka). Vy sovsem zatusovannye,
vam ne nadoelo xodith po gostm?
You guys have become quite the social
butterflies arent you tired of partying
otdoxnuth. You look exhausted. Why
dont you take a rest?
ZATYKTHS/ZATKNTHS. 1. To
be quiet (lit., to be plugged up). Ty ne
moeh zatknuths xoth na minu-
tu? Cant you shut up for a single
moment? 2. To be without communica-
tions (lit., to be choked).
,
. Why are we cut off? Weve got
to make contact at all costs!
ZATRWIK, -a, m., crim. A receiver of
stolen goods, a fence. Mne nado adres
zatyrwika, esth vewi. I need the
address of a fence. Ive got some stuff.
ZATKANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Fright-
ened, diffident, bullied (cf. zatki-
vath). Ty cto xodih poslednee vre-
m sovsem zatkannyj? Cto-nibudh
slucilosh? Why have you been going
around so scared-looking lately? Has
something happened?
ZATKIVATH/ZATKATH, neg.
(From the expletive t! Shame on
you!). 1. To intimidate. Ty doch
zatkala svoimi kaprizami. Youve
intimidated your daughter with your
unpredictable behavior. 2. To bully,
harass. V semhe ego sovsem zatkali,
ni vo cto ne stavt. They harass him
at home; they give him no respect.
ZAUSNE, -na, m., neg. An unpleas-
ant, annoying person (from zausene,
hangnail). Otkuda ty takoj
zausene vzls, poko ot teb net.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
105 ZAIFRVYVATHS/ZAIFROVTHS
Where did you come from? Youre
cosntantly irritating me.
ZFIGOM, adv. What for? Why? (cf.
fig). Zafigom on tuda pol?
What did he go there for?
, perf. To hit (lit., to fuse). exhausted. See .
, ,
. Hit him with a brickhe , .
doesnt understand words.
ZAXPYVATH/ZAXPATH, neg. To
appropriate, take for oneself (lit., to grab).
Ty vse denhgi sebe zaxapal, a kak e
my? Youve taken all the money for
yourself. What about us?
ZAXZYVATH/ZAXZATH vs mal-
nu, idiom, crim., neg. To spoil a deal, ruin
a project (lit., to shit on the whole rasp-
berry patch; cf. malna). Ty nam vs
malinu zaxezal, proboltals o naix
planax. Youve ruined the whole deal
by chattering about our plans.
ZAXERCIVATH/ZAXERCITH,
rude. To hit, strike (cf. xer). U teb
krovh, v teb kamnem zaxeracili?
Youve got blood on you did they hit
you with a stone?
ZAXURIVATH/ZAXURITH, rude.
Cf. xuj. 1. To hit, beat. Zaxurh ego
palkoj, moet, uspokoits. Beat him
with a stick maybe thatll quiet him
down. 2. To drink a lot or too much.
Nu, my vcera i zaxurili, dva lit-
ra, navernoe, vypili. Yesterday we
really belted it down we drank about
two liters.
ZACM MNE CIN, KOGD NET
VETCIN, idiom, joc. Lit., What
good is rank to me if I dont have ham.
Used to express dissatisfaction with
rewards considered insufficient, esp. with
immaterial rewards as opposed to money.
U teb, kaets, vs v pordke,
sidih v bolhom kabinete. Zacem
mne ciny, kogda net vetciny? I see
youve got quite the position, with this
big office and all. Yes, but rank is no
use to me if I dont have ham.
ZACSTKA, -i, f., army. A military
operation against civilians to clear out an
area (lit., cleanup). The term came into
being during the Chechen war. Posle
Page 105
zacistki v derevne ne ostalosh ni
odnoj ivoj dui. After the cleanup
operation not a single living soul was left
in the village.
, -, -. Overtired,
You look dog-tired. Take a two-day
break before you go back on recon
again.
ZACXANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Unkempt,
shabbily dressed (lit., scratched up).
Syn xodit u ne vsegda zacuxannyj.
Her son always goes around looking like
a slob.
ZAIBTH/ZAIBTH. To earn a lot
of money (lit., to strike). Na priiskax
ew zaibat denhgi, u nas davno
net. Theyre striking it rich out in the
gold mines, but theres no money in our
line of work.
ZAIB, pred. use, youth. Something
excellent. Segodn pogoda zai-
be! The weather today is terrific!
ZAIBSH! youth. See zaib.
ZAIVTH/ZATH torpdu, idiom.
To cure of alcoholism (lit., to sew in a tor-
pedo; cf. torpda). Tebe nado zaith
torpedu, a to ty staneh alkogo-
likom. Youd better go on Antabuse
before you end up as a real alcoholic.
ZATHS, perf. only. To receive treat-
ment for alcoholism, especially the im-
planting under the skin of medication
causing physical distress when alcohol is
present (lit., to be sewn up). On nedav-
no zails. He recently started taking
anti-alcoholic drugs.
ZAIFRVANNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Lit.,
in code. 1. Secretive, mysterious. Cto-
to ty xodih kakoj-to zaifrovan-
nyj, cto-nibudh slucilosh? Youre
going around looking very secretive. Has
something happened? 2. Undercover,
working for a secret service. On cto,
zaifrovannyj? What is he, an
undercover agent?
ZAIFRVYVATHS/ZAIFRO-
VTHS, joc. To go underground by not
answering the telephone, declining social
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 106

ZAKLIVATH/ZAKLITH 106

invitations, and so on (cf. zaifrvan- Stop lying. Nothing like what youre
nyj). Ty cego zaifrovals, k tebe describing ever happened.
dozvoniths nelhz. Have you gone ZVENTH/ZAZVENTH mudmi, idiom,
underground? Its impossible to reach rude. To hang around idly (lit., to ring
you by phone. ones balls; cf. mudozvn). On nicego
ZAKLIVATH/ZAKLITH, im- ne delaet, tolhko zvenit mudmi.
personal. 1. To exceed the limits of Hes a real loafer just hangs around
something, go off the charts. Tempera- ringing his balls.
tura segodn taka minusova, cto ZVERK, zverhk. See zverh.
termometr zakalilo. Its so cold ZVERNE, -na, m., rude. The Cau-
today, the temperature reading has casian Republics (lit., zoo, animal-house).
dropped clean off the thermometer.
2. To go crazy. Ego sovsem zaka- ZVERH, -, m., neg. A person from the
lilo. Hes gone out of his mind. Caucasus (lit., a wild animal). Ty to-
go zver znaeh? Do you know that
\, army. Caucasian fellow?
To shirk, to dodge (lit., to hide behind
rocks). ZVON, -a, m., neg. Empty chatter, lies (lit.,
, , ringing of bells). to vs zvon, ne
. Dont you even think of verh. Thats all nonsense! Dont believe
dodging out today! Im going to check it.
the results myself. ZVONRH, -, m., neg. A tongue-wagger,
! idiom. Okay, its chatterer (lit., bell-ringer). Tolhko ty
settled, agreed (from , choco- tomu zvonar ni slova, vs razbol-
late). , taet. But dont say a word to that
. Its a deal! Ill tongue-wagger, or hell spread stories all
come to your shishkebab party on Satur- over town.
day. ZVONTH1, imperf. only, neg. To lie (cf.
, perf. To catch red-handed, zvon). Cto on tam zvonit? What
to nail (from , to darn, to stitch). kind of lies is he telling?
ZVONTH2/RAZZVONTH, neg. To
. Sooner or later youll divulge secrets, spill information (cf. zvo-
be caught smuggling. nrh). Kto razzvonil? Who leaked
, -, -. Scared, ner- it?
vous, intimidated (from , to scare ZVONK: So zvonkm, idiom, neg. Crazy
away). - (lit., with a bell). Ona ue davno so
, , zvonkom, a vs ew ucit drugix. Shes
. Their children seem kind of completely off her rocker, but she still
intimidatedthey keep their mouths shut goes around telling the others what to do.
and never play any games. ZVKATH/ZVKNUTH. To call by tele-
Z: Kak zju trpper, see under phone (lit., to clink, ring). Zvkni mne
kak. vecerom. Give me a buzz this evening.
ZVEZDANTH, perf. only, neg. To hit ZDROVSKI, adv. Strongly, excellently.
hard (lit., to make someone see stars). Rebta igrat zdorovski, vysij
Kto teb tak zvezdanul? Who klass! The fellows are playing very
gave you such a walloping? strongly really first-class!
ZVEZDTH/POZVEZDTH, rude. To ZDROVSKIJ, -a, -oe. Excellent, fine.
lie, to chatter idly (by euphemistic word- Vcera filhm zdorovskij smotrel!
play on [s]pizdth). Ne zvezdi, nice- Yesterday I saw a terrific film!
go takogo, kak ty govorih, ne bylo. ZDORVYJ LOB, idiom, neg. A big,
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107 ZUBV BOTHS V ROT NE DAVTH

strong man (lit., a big forehead). Ty ue
zdorovyj lob, a vs u materi denhgi
prosih. Youre already a big strong
man, and youre still asking your mother
for money!
ZDRVSTVUJ, ZDRVSTVUJ, XUJ
MORDSTYJ. See under xuj.
ZDRSTE-MORDSTI! idiom. An
expression of surprise or incredulity.
Zdraste-mordasti, kak to moet
byth! Heavens! How could that be!
ZBRA, -y, f. A pedestrian crossing. Ego
maina sbila prmo na zebre. He was
hit by a car right in the middle of the
zebra.
, -, f. Bushes or trees suitable advanced materials and technology (lit.,
for an ambush (lit., greenery). golden collars). Zolotye vorotnicki
, toe sejcas bez raboty sidt. The
. Things will be tougher in the high-tech people are also out of work
spring, when the vegetation thickens.
ZELNYE TOVRY, idiom, business.
Environmentally harmless products.
ZELNYJ, -ogo, m. A dollar (lit., green
fellow). Zelnye esth? Do we have
any greenbacks?
ZLENH, -i, f. Dollars (lit., greenery). U
men malo zeleni ostalosh. Im run-
ning low on greenbacks.
ZMA, -y, m., army. A person from ones
hometown; a friendly greeting to any per-
son. Zma, daj zakurith. Hey,
buddy, give me a smoke.
ZEML, -i, m., army. See zma.
ZNKI, znok, pl., rude. Eyes. Protri
zenki, ne vidih, kto pril. Rub
your eyes look whos here!
ZERN, -, n., crim. Drugs in tablet form
(lit., grain). Pora dostavath zerno, u
men vs koncilosh. Its time to get
some more pills; mine are all gone.
ZIM, -, f., crim. A knife. Vozhmi,
zatoci mne zimu, sovsem tupa.
Sharpen my knife for me, would you?
Its completely dull.
ZPER, -a, m., youth. A zipper in trousers,
fly (from Eng. zipper). U men ziper
slomals. My zipper is broken.
ZLOEBCIJ, -a, -oe, rude. Sexually
insatiable (cf. b-). Ona taka zloebu-
ca, noci ne xvataet. Shes such a
nympho, she cant get enough in a whole
night.
ZNKOVYJ, -a, -oe. Very important,
significant. to znakova rech, sno,
cto on xocet stath prezidentom.
This is a key speech, it means that hes
going to run for President.
ZNOJ, -, m., crim. A wound. Smotri,
kakoj znoj u nego, ot noa, navernoe.
Look at that wound of his! It must be
from a knife.
ZOLOTE VOROTNICK, idiom,
business. High-class specialists in
these days.
ZONTRH, -r, m., crim. A thief special-
izing in robberies through a breach in the
ceiling (from zont, as of someone who
descends like a parachutist). Zdesh
rabotali zontari. Parachutists have
been at work here.
ZRPLTA, -y, f., joc. Salary (by word-
play on platith zr, to pay at random
or to pay pointlessly; the idea is that the
pay doesnt amount to much, but then,
neither does the work). Kogda u nas
zrplata? Whens playday around
here?
ZUBLO, -a, n. A model 9 car of the
Zhiguli make. This is a prestigious and
expensive but inconveniently delicate
vehicle, which tends to meet with disaster
on bumps or potholes. (By wordplay on
iguli and zubilo, a metal cutter that is
thought to resemble the front end of this
car.) On ezdit na zubile. He drives a
tin-snip.
ZUBV BOTHS V ROT NE
DAVTH, idiom, joc. Nothing ventured,
nothing gained (lit., if youre afraid of
teeth, youll never get a blow job; from
the proverb Volkov boths v les ne
xodith, If youre afraid of wolves,
youll never go into the woods). Ne
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
ZUBV NE DOSCITEHS
nado boths, a nado dejstvovath.
vs-taki bosh. Zubov boths ZBY: Zubv ne doscitehs! see
v rot ne davath. Dont be scared.
This is a situation where you have to act.
Well, I am scared. If youre afraid
of teeth, youll never get a blow job.
ZUBV NE DOSCITEHS, idiom,
neg. Ill knock your teeth out (lit., you
wont get the full count of your teeth).
Sejcas kak dam, zubov ne dosci-
taehs! The way Im going to give it
to you, youll find some of your teeth
missing.
ZUBR, -a, m., crim. 1. An important person
in a prison, a boss of prison inmates (lit.,
a bison). On zubrom stal, pomogaet
organizovath raboty. Hes become a
boss, helping to organize the work
crews. 2. A specialist, expert. On zubr
v matematike. Hes an expert in
mathematics.
ZUBRLA, -y, m. & f., students. A dili-
gent student, a bookworm, nerd, grade
grubber (from zubrith, to learn by
heart). On gulth s nami ne pojdt,
to izvestnyj zubrila. A bookworm
like him wouldnt go out on the town
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108
with us.
under zubv. Teb zby ne mut? see
under teb.
ZUDTH/ZAZUDTH, neg. To speak
monotonously or boringly (lit., to buzz).
Sluaj, ne zudi, vs ravno sdela
po-svoemu. Dont keep harping on it!
Im going to do as I please anyhow.
ZRITH/POZRITH, neg. To stare,
gape. Xvatit zyrith na vitriny,
pora domoj. Stop gaping at the shop
windows its time to go home.
ZRKATH, imperf. only, neg. To look
around. Cto ty po storonam zyrka-
eh, sidi prmo. Why are you looking
around like that? Sit still!
ZK, -a, m., crim. A convict, prisoner
(abbr. of zaklcnnyj). tot zavod
postroili zki. This plant was built
by convicts.
ZCKA, -i, f., crim. A female convict.
ZBRY: Brath/vzth za zbry, see
under brath.
ZMA, -y, m. & f., neg. A Jew. On cto,
zma, cto li? What is he, a Jew?
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 109

I TO XLEB, idiom. Not bad; could be ocko, proigral, rasplacivajs. You

worse; nothing to sneeze at (lit., thats
bread too). Tebe k zarplate dobavili
10,000 rublej. I to xleb. Youre
getting a 10,000-ruble raise. Well, its
not nothing.
IVN IVNYC, idiom, crim. A public
prosecutor (lit., Ivan Ivanovich). Sej-
cas Ivan Ivanyc pridt, on tebe
rasskaet, kuda teb i na skolhko
opredelt. Now the prosecutor will
come and tell you how long your sen-
tence is and where youll be serving it.
/ , Cto vy igraete v molcanku, pora
idiom. To run away (lit., to play with
ones heels). , me the silent treatment? Its about time
we made up. Sygrth v mrki,
. Theres no way out, theyll idiom. To die (lit., to play hide-and-seek).
take to their heels when the tanks attack
them.
IGRTH/SYGRTH: Igrth/sygrth
na gitre, idiom, crim. To break safes
(lit., to play the guitar). Nado nam
najti celoveka, ctob umel igrath na
gitare. We need to find someone who
knows how to break safes. Igrth/
sygrth na klarnte, idiom, youth. To
engage in oral sex (lit., to play the clar-
inet). Ona igraet na klarnete?
Does she play the clarinet? Igrth/ awful player he is he couldnt score
sygrth na skrpke, idiom, crim. To
saw through an iron bar (lit., to play the
violin). Teperh ty igraj na skripke,
posto, postorou. Now you do
the sawing, and Ill stand guard.
Igrth/sygrth na tri kstocki,
idiom, crim. To play a game of chance
where the stakes are life and death or
where the loser must kill someone (lit., to
play the three bones [skull and cross-
bones]). On vsem nadoel, davaj ego
sygraem na tri kostocki. Every-
ones sick of him; come on, lets play for
his life (i.e., lets play to see who will
kill him). Igrth/sygrth pod ock,
idiom, crim. To play at cards where the
stakes are homosexual acts (lit., to play
for ones ass, cf. ock). Igral pod
played for your ass and lost; now pay up.
Igrth/sygrth s gosudrstvom v
azrtnye gry, idiom, joc. Lit., to play
games of chance against the government,
that is, to buy government lottery tickets,
bonds, and so on. Davaj kupim paru
lotereek. s gosudarstvom v
azartnye igry ne igra. Lets buy a
couple of lottery tickets. No thanks. I
dont gamble against the government.
Igrth v molcnku, idiom, neg. To
keep silent, give the silent treatment.
pomiriths. Why are you still giving
Babuka u nego sygrala v murki na
proloj nedele. His grandmother
kicked the bucket last week. Sygrth v
wik, idiom, joc. To die (lit., to play into
the box). Ne budeh berech seb,
bystro sygraeh v wik. If you
dont take care of yourself youll drive
yourself into the grave.
IGRL, -i, m. & f., sports, neg. A bad
athlete. Vot igrul, s pti metrov v
vorota popasth ne moet. What an
from just five meters away.
, -, f., army. An explosive
device (lit., a toy).
,
. Dont pick up anything in
the streetright now there are gim-
micks everywhere.
DOL, -a, m., crim. A tooth. Mne idol
vybili v drake. My tooth was knocked
out in a fight.
IDT/POJT: Idt/pojt brom,
idiom, neg. To be pushy, insolent. Ty
vs vrem idh burom, o ldx ne
dumaeh. Youre always so pushy! You
dont consider other people. Idt/
pojt vintm, idiom, joc. To walk like
a propeller; used of the unsteady gait of a
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
IZVLINA
drunken person. Smotri, on vypil
cuth, a ue pol vintom. Look! Hes
hardly had anything to drink but hes
already walking like a propeller. Id
ty!, idiom. An expression of incredulity
or surprise: Impossible! It cant be! You
must be kidding! Ty znaeh, u nix
rodilash trojn. Idi ty! Did you
hear they had triplets? You must be kid-
ding! Id (ty) v odn msto! idiom,
rude, euph. Go to hell! Idi ty v odno
mesto so svoimi denhgami, ne
prodash. Go to hell with your money.
Im not for sale. Id ty, zneh kud!,
idiom. Go to hell! (lit., go you-know-
where, euph. for idi na xuj [v pu].)
Idi ty, znaeh kuda, so svoimi
spletnmi. Go to hell with your gos-
sip! Id ty v Katmand! idiom, rude.
Get out of here, go to hell (lit., go to Kat-
mandu; by wordplay on mand). Ne
pristavaj, idi v Katmandu so svoimi
delami. Dont keep pestering me! The
hell with you and your problems!
IZVLINA, -y, f., joc. Intelligence,
brains (lit., a bend, curve, as in a river;
with reference to the convolutions of the
brain). U nego odna izvilina. Hes
stupid (lit., hes got only one convolu-
tion to his brain). Poeveli izvili-
nami. Move your brains (Think!)! U
kog-l. odn izvlina i ta na pe,
see under pa.
IZGVZDYVATHS/IZGVAZDTH-
S, neg. To get dirty, soiled. Gde to
ty tak izgvazdals? Where did you
get so dirty?
IZGOVNTHS, perf. only, rude. To
become corrupted (cf. govn). On
bert vztki, izgovnls vkone. He
takes bribes hes completely corrupt.
IZGOLTHS, imperf. only, neg. To
ridicule, abuse, humiliate. U kak on
nado mnoj izgolls, strano vspo-
minath! Its awful to even think of how
he humiliated me.
IZMYVTHS, imperf. only. See izgo-
lths.
IZNASLOVATH mrtvogo, idiom,
neg. To be persistent, insistent (lit., to
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110
rape a corpse). Ona teb vs ravno
zastavit to sdelath, ona i mrt-
vogo iznasiluet. Shell get her way in
spite of everything; she would even rape
a corpse.
IZNS: Rabtath na izns, see under
rabtath.
/.
To beat up (probably from , obs., a
tricky person).
, ?
Who beat you up like that? You dont
have a good spot left.
IZOBRATH/IZOBRAZTH um
morskgo prib, idiom, joc. Not to get
involved, to be a mere bystander (lit., to
imitate the sound of the tide). ne
stal ix mirith, izobraal um mor-
skogo pribo. I didnt try to reconcile
them; I just made like the sound of the
tide.
IKONOSTS, -a, m., joc. Badges and
medals worn on the chest (lit., an icono-
stasis, the wall of icons over the altar of a
church). Posmotri, kakoj u nego
ikonostas, kakix tolhko nagrad net!
Look what an iconostasis hes wearing
every possible kind of medal!
IKR: Metth ikr, see under metth.
ILJ, -, m., crim. An honest person.
On ilaj, on ne podvedt. Hes an
honest fellow. He wont let us down.
IMTH/POIMTH, neg. 1. To have sex
with a woman. Kto e tolhko ne
imel! Is there anyone who hasnt had
her? 2. To spit on, despise. Imel
tvoi ugrozy! The hell with your
threats! Cto im, to i vved, idiom,
rude. Never mind; none of your business;
I have no intention of answering your
question (lit., what I have, I insert). On
ne pridt. Cto ty imeeh v vidu?
Cto ime, to i vvedu. He wont
come. What do you mean? None of
your business.
IMPRI, -i, f., crim. The female geni-
tals (lit., empire). tany pronosila,
vs imperi vidna. Youve got a hole
in your slacks the whole empire is
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
111
showing.
M: Poloskth ch-l. m, see under
poloskth.
INDS, -a, m., crim. A prisoner receiving
punishment for bad behavior (lit., an [east]
Indian). Budeh tak seb vesti,
popadh v indusy. If you act like that
youll be put in a punishment cell.
INDK, -k, m., neg. An (east) Indian
(lit., a turkey). Indki nam bolhe
caj ne postavlt. The Indians
arent exporting tea to us any more.
, -, f. A foreign-made car. Punk haircuts are in fashion with the
. There is kids these days.
a great demand for foreign-made cars in
Russia.
INOSRNH, -i, f., collect., youth, rude.
Foreigners (by wordplay on inostran-
nyj, foreign, and srath). Za takie
denhgi tu kartinu razve tolhko ino-
sranh kupit. Only foreign shit would
spend that much money on this painting.
INSJDER, -a, m., business. An inside-
company spy (from Eng. insider).
INSLHTNIK, -a, m., youth, neg. An
elderly, weak man (lit., a stroke victim).
Zacem ty privela togo insulht-
nika? Why did you bring that old
geezer along?
INSLHT-PRIVT, idiom, joc. A
greeting mocking the Soviet-style ath-
letes salutation Fizkulht-privet!
(Phyzcult greetings! [i.e., physical cul-
ture greetings!]), by wordplay on in-
sulht, a stroke. The effect is something
like Hi, stroke victims!
INTERDVOCKA, -i, f. A hard-cur-
rency prostitute (by wordplay on inter-
national and devuka, girl). Sejcas
predel e mectanij stath inter-
devockoj. What shes dreaming of now
is to become a currency prostitute.
INTM, -a, m. A cozy situation (from
Eng. intimate). Zagi sveci, davaj
ustroim intim. Light some candles;
lets make ourselves cozy.
INTUT, -a, m., youth. A highly intuitive
person, a person with a good ability to
guess. V karty emu vezt, on intu-
Page 111
ISXODTH/IZOJT
it. He does well at cards because hes
so intuitive.
INTUCITH/PROINTUCITH,
youth. To foretell, guess, divine. Kak
ty prointuicila i zabrala denhgi iz
banka, vcera on lopnul. How did you
have the foresight to withdraw your
money from the bank before it collapsed
yesterday?
IROKZY, -ov, pl., youth. A punk
haircut, a cocks-comb (lit., Iroquois).
U molodyx sejcas v mode irokezy.
, perf. To beat up (from
, sausage). ,
, .
Youll be beaten up if you report who
was drinking in the barracks.
, perf. To get caught red-
handed (lit., to be baked).
. Another
policeman has been caught taking
bribes.
ISPIZDCIVATH/ISPIZDCITH,
rude. To beat severely (cf. pizd). On
tebe obewal ispizdcith. He swore
that hed beat you to a pulp.
SPOVEDH, -i, f., crim. A denunciation,
informers report (lit., confession).
Kto-to na men ispovedh napisal,
interesno kto. Someone informed on
me I wonder who.
ISPRCENNYJ TELEFN, idiom.
Distorted rumors, unreliable information.
Kto tebe skazal, cto eny povy-
sts, ne verh, to prosto isporcen-
nyj telefon. Who told you that prices
are going up? Its not true its just a
distorted rumor.
ISTRIKA: Zaktyvath/zakatth
istriku, see under zaktyvath.
ISXODTH/IZOJT derhmm, idiom,
rude. To get angry, be beside oneself with
anger (lit., to shit oneself out). On e-
lyj cas isxodil derhmom iz-za tvoego
vystupleni. He was in a rage for a
whole hour about the way you walked
out.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 112

ISXURIVATH/ISXURITH 112

ISXURIVATH/ISXURITH, rude. budh ujdh, iak potnyj? When

To beat severely (cf. xuj). Ego opth
za bab isxurili. Again theyve beaten
him up for his philandering.
IK PTNYJ, idiom, rude. An idiot,
ass (lit., sweaty mule). Ty kogda-ni-
are you going to get out of here, you ass?
ICITH/POICITH, neg. To
work hard (like a mule, iak). Mne za
teb iacith nadoelo. Im sick of
doing your work for you like a mule.

, adv. No, not, nothing (from Per-
sian). , ,
. Theres no tobacco,
no canned foodtotal bummer.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KABAKTRIJ, -, m., youth, joc. A res-
taurant (by wordplay on kafeterij,
cafeteria, and kabak, bad restaurant).
tot kabakterij ue otkryt? Is
this restaurant open?
KABN, -, m., crim. An aggressive, dom-
ineering lesbian (lit., a boar). Raz u nix
tot kaban zavls, ona vsex pre-
vratit v lesbinok. If that boar
shows up among them shell turn them all
into lesbians.
KABYSDX, -a, m., neg. A skinny man,
a weakling. (From kaby, if and
sdoxnuth, to die). Ot togo kaby-
sdoxa pomowi ne di, on sam edva
xodit. You wont get any help from
this 90-pound weakling, he can hardly
even walk.
KAGL, -a, m., neg. A large group, crowd
(from Heb. kahal). Cto ty v dom
privl elyj kagal? Why did you
bring that whole crowd to the house?
KADT, -a, m. A student in a military
academy. On ue kadet dva goda.
Hes been in military school for two
years.
KADR, -a, m., pos. A girl or woman (lit., a
qualified person or a frame of film).
Smotri, kakoj kadr idt! Look at
that sharp gal!
KADR, -, f., pos. See kadr.
KADRVIC, f., indecl., youth, joc. See
kadr.
KADR, -a, m. Flirtation, chasing girls,
meeting and going out with girls (cf.
kadr). Ty, kak vsegda, zanimaehs
kadrem? Kto ta devuka? I see
youve been chasing girls as usual. Whos
that one youre with?
KADRTH/ZAKADRTH. To meet,
become acquainted with, pick up a girl or
woman. Pojdm, zakadrim kogo-
nibudh na tanax. Come on! Lets go
pick up some girls at the dance.
KADKA, -i, f., neg. A fat woman (lit.,
a barrel). Zacem tebe ta kaduka?
What are you doing going around with
that barrel?
Page 113
KDYJ SXDIT S UM PO-
SVEMU, idiom. Lit., everyone goes
crazy in his own way. On xocet,
ctoby ego deti stali monaxami.
Nu cto , kadyj sxodit s uma po-
svoemu. He wants his children to
become monks. Well, everyone has
his little quirks.
KAZK KOLNKAMI NAZD, idiom.
A rhyming teasing phrase (lit., a Cossack
with his knees on backwards).
, rhyming phrase.
Two inseparable friends (lit., Kazan and
Ryazan, Russian city names).
,
? Where are Tweedledee and
Tweedledum? Have they gone AWOL?
KAZCITH/KAZACNTH, crim. To
hold up, rob (from kazak, Cossack).
Vcera kazacnuli odnogo, dublnku
snli. Yesterday they stole someones
sheepskin coat in a holdup.
KAJF, -a, m. 1. Enjoyment, good time
(from Arabic). Tebe zdesh nravits?
Kajf! Do you like it here? Its
wonderful! 2. pl., youth. Pleasure, fun.
Poexali na g v Krym, tam budut
kajfy. Lets go for a vacation in the
Crimea. Itll be fun there. 3. pl., youth.
Profit, advantage. Kakie mne kajfy
ot togo budut? Whats in it for me?
Po kjfu, idiom. Pleasing, good, to
ones taste. to pivo po kajfu. I like
this beer. Ne v kajf, idiom. Unpleas-
ant, unsatisfactory. Takie reci mne ne
v kajf. I dont like to hear that kind of
talk. Lovth/pojmth, slovth kajf,
see under lovth. Lomth/slomth
kajf, see under lomth.
KAJF-BAZR, -a, m., crim. A meeting
place for drug users. Zdesh u nix kajf-
bazar. This is where the druggies hang
out.
KAJFOVTH/KAJFONTH. To have
a good time, have a party. My polu-
cili premi i xoroo kajfonuli.
When we got our bonus we went out and
had a night on the town.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KAJFVWIK
KAJFVWIK, -a, m. A do-nothing,
playboy, good-time Charlie. tot
kajfovwik rabotath ne budet. That
playboy will never do any work.
KAJFOLM, -a, m., youth, neg. 1. A
heavy drinker. On kajfolom izvest-
nyj. Hes known to be a heavy
drinker. 2. A party-pooper, wet-blanket.
Ne priglaaj togo kajfoloma, on
nam vs isportit. Dont invite that
party-pooper; hell spoil the whole occa-
sion for us.
KAJFOLMSTVO, -a, n., youth, neg.
Something that spoils the fun, depresses
the spirits (from kajf, good time, and
lomath, to break). to kajfo-
lomstvo rabotath v voskresenhe.
Bummer! Ive got to work this Sunday.
KAJFOMN, -a, m. A playboy, one who
likes drinking and partying. Nu cto,
kajfomany, pora pogreths. Well,
party people, time to warm up.
KAK BLKA V KOLES, idiom. Very
busily, actively (lit., Like a squirrel on a
treadmill). Math elyj denh kak
belka v kolese, a ty znaj sebe otdy-
xaeh. Mom runs around doing chores
all day, while you just lie there.
KAK BLYJ CELOVK, idiom, joc.
Comfortably, luxuriously (lit., like a
white man). Davaj poivm kak be-
lye ldi, poedem v Krym, otdoxnm.
What do you say we live it up a little?
Lets go to the Crimea for a vacation.
KAK V LCIX DOMX Filadlh-
fii, idiom, pos. Properly (lit., as in the
best homes in Philadelphia). Vs goto-
vo k prixodu gostej? Kak v lucix
domax Filadelhfii. Is everything
ready for the dinner party? Sure, just
like in the best Philadelphia families!
Kak v lcix domx Londna (i
Konotpa), idiom, joc. An expression
playing on the preceding idiom: Good,
but not all that good. (The stress on
London is nonstandard; Konotop is a
small provincial town in middle Russia.)
KAK V SKZKE: CEM DLHE,
TEM STRANJ, idiom, joc. Things
are going from bad to worse (lit., like a
fairy tale the further you go, the more
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114
scary it gets). Used to answer the question
Kak iznh? Hows life?
KAK DVA PLHA OBOSSTH,
idiom, rude. Easy as pie, a cinch. Tebe
slabo vypith stakan vodki? Kak
dva palha obossath. Cant you drink
a glass of vodka? Sure I can, easily.
KAK DKTOR PROPISL, idiom, joc.
Properly, correctly (lit., as the doctor
prescribed). Kvartiru vam otremon-
tirovali kak doktor propisal. The
way your apartment has been renovated is
just what the doctor ordered.
KAK ZJU TRPPER, idiom, rude.
Unnecessary, irrelevant (lit., like gonor-
rhea to a hare). Mne ta rabota nu-
na kak zaju tripper. I need that job
like a hole in the head.
KAK KORVE SEDL, idiom, neg., joc.
Unsuitable, out of place (lit., like a saddle
on a cow). Ej novoe palhto idt kak
korove sedlo. That new dress suits her
like a saddle on a cow.
KAK MLHCIK NH SU, idiom,
youth. Industriously, obediently, devot-
edly (lit., like the boy Yung Su). ue
god rabota nad slovarm, kak malh-
cik nh Su. Ive been slaving away at
this dictionary like a Chinaman for a year
already.
KAK MRTVOMU PRIMCKI,
idiom, neg. Useless, futile (lit., like an ice
pack for a corpse). ti lekarstva
pith ne budu, oni kak mrtvomu
primocki. Im not going to take this
medicine it would be like giving an ice
pack to a corpse.
KAK NADNEH ADIDS, TEB
LB BBA DAST, rhyming
phrase. If you wear Adidas (shoes) you
can have any girl you want.
KAK PPA KRLO, idiom, joc. With
effort and patience; laboriously, devot-
edly (lit., like Papa Carlo, referring to
the character in Collodis Pinocchio).
Ty spih, a , kak papa Karlo, obed
gotovl. While youve been sleeping
Ive been making your dinner, like Papa
Carlo.
KAK RBE ZNTIK, idiom. Superflu-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
115
ous, out of place (lit., like an umbrella for
a fish). Mne tvo kniga nuna kak
rybe zontik. I need your book like a
hole in the head.
KAK S KUST, idiom, youth. Easily,
without effort (lit., as if [taken] from a
bush). My zarabotali million, kak
s kusta. We earned a cool million like
falling off a log.
KAK SOBKA POSSAL, idiom, rude.
Uneven, crooked (lit., as if a dog pissed
it). Ty sama sila cebe bku? Sboku
ov kak sobaka possala. Did you
make that skirt yourself? The side seam is
cockeyed.
KAK UGORLA KKA, idiom.
Excessively, to the point of stupefaction.
elyj denh noush kak ugorela
koka, sobira ego v dorogu. Ive
been running around like a madman all
day, trying to get him ready for his trip.
KAK UGORLYJ, idiom. Dizzy, giddy,
confused. Cto ty nosihs kak
ugorelyj, sdh, otdoxni, uspeem.
How come youre acting so giddy? Sit
down and take a rest weve got plenty
of time.
KAK MNA MA, idiom, joc. Like a
fool (lit., like clever Masha). Zavtra
prazdniki, vse ue davno uli, a ,
kak umna Maa, siu, pecata.
Tomorrow is a holiday, everybody has
gone home, and I sit here typing like a
fool.
KKA, -i, f., neg. Junk, trash, poor-quality
stuff (lit., shit, usu. in childrens speech).
Zacem ty kupil tu kaku, to ne
kotlety, a crt znaet cto! What
did you buy that crap for?! Those arent
cutlets, but heaven knows what!
Kkoj kvrxu, idiom, joc. An evasive
or irritated reply to the question Kak?,
How are things?, How did it go? (lit.,
shit upwards). Nu kak? Kakoj kver-
xu. So how did it go? Never mind.
Xotth/zaxotth i kku i mku, see
under xotth.
KAK MXA TEB UKUSLA?
idiom, neg. Whats gotten into you?
Whats wrong with you? (lit., what fly bit
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KAMS
you?). Ty vesh denh xodih zloj,
rugaehs, kaka muxa teb ukusila?
Youve been going around in a foul
mood all day. Whats gotten into you?
KAKE LDI I BEZ OXRNY!
idiom, joc. A greeting alluding to the pre-
tensions of the people greeted (lit., What
[important] people and walking
around without their bodyguards!).
KKOM KVRXU, idiom, joc. Lit., ass-
upwards; cf. kkoj kvrxu under kka.
KKTUS BRTYJ, idiom, joc. An
unshaved man (lit., a shaved cactus).
KKTUS LSYJ, idiom, joc. A bald
man (lit., a bald cactus).
KKCESTVO, -a, n., neg., joc. Bad qual-
ity (by wordplay on kacestvo, quality,
and kka). Kak tebe to kakcestvo
nravits, nedel ponosil tufli i
otletel kabluk? How do you like the
quality of these shoes! Ive only been
wearing them for a week, and the heels
already fallen off!
, , pl. Money.
. We dont have enough cash
for a ticket.
KAL, -, m., army. A Kalashnikov
(automatic rifle). Ty strell iz kala-
a? Have you ever used a Kalash?
KALGN, -a, m., neg. Head. Kalgan
cto-to bolit. Ive got a headache.
KLIKI, klik, pl., youth. Pills, nar-
cotics. Skolhko ty ue zaglotil
kalik? How many pills have you swal-
lowed so far?
KALTKA, -i, f., joc. A zipper in slacks,
fly (lit., gate). Zatvori kalitku!
Close your fly!
KALMITH/ZAKALMITH. To earn,
make money (from kalym, dowry).
My xoroo zakalymili na strojke.
We earned a lot on that construction
job.
KMEEK, kmeka, m., army. A
kilometer (lit., a little stone). Ew
kameek, i my doma. One more kilo-
meter and well be home.
KAMS, -, f., collect., crim. Young,
inexperienced thieves (lit., small fish,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KANARJKA
typically eaten smoked and salted and
accompanied by beer). tot kiosk
kamsa brala, mnogo sledov ostavili.
The people who robbed this kiosk were
small fry look at all the evidence they
left.
KANARJKA, -i, f., youth, obs. Police
patrol car (lit., canary; from the yellow
color of the cars). Opth kanarejka
vo dvore stoit, cto slucilosh? How
come theres a canary in the yard
again?
KANTH/POKANTH, youth. To go.
Kanaj otsda, poka el! Get out of
here while you still can!
/ ego izbili, ne pojmu. I dont under-
, idiom. To try repeatedly to talk
someone into doing something, to per-
suade. - idiom, neg. To bore, be insistent, be
, . wearisome (lit., to drip on someones
You dont need to continue trying to talk
me into it; Im not going to sell the
house.
KANTOVTHS/PEREKANTOVTH-
S. To spend time (lit., to maneuver or
jockey something heavy or awkward).
Vy zdesh noch perekantujtesh, a
zavtra v gostiniu. You can spend
the night here tonight, but tomorrow
youll have to go to a hotel.
KANTVWIK, -a, m., crim., neg. One
who avoids or shirks work. On davno v
kantovwikax xodit, na nego ne ras-
scityvaj, on rabotath ne budet.
Hes a slacker. You cant count on him
to do any work at all.
KNTRI, f., indecl., youth. A country
house, dacha (from Eng. country).
Cto vy na kantri delali? What
did you do in the country?
KANTRVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Rural, provincial, from the sticks (cf.
kntri). On e kantrovyj, cto s
nim govorith. Hes such a hick, theres
no use talking to him.
KANTRNIK, -a, m., youth, neg. A
country bumpkin, hick, provincial (cf.
kntri). Kantruniki priexali na
sovewanie. The country people came to
the meeting.
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116
KANTRNIA, -y, f., youth, neg. See
kantrnik.
KNUR, -a, m., rude. A penis. Takim
kanurom ty naskvozh protknh.
With a prick like that youll puncture me
right through. Nasivath/nasadth
na knur, see under nasivath.
KANCITH/ZAKANCITH, neg. To
nag, to pester with requests (lit., to cry).
Ne kanch, ne kupl tebe tu
igru. Stop pestering me, Im not going
to buy that game.
KPATH/NAKPATH, neg. To inform
on, report (lit., to drop [water] on some-
one). Kto e mog nakapath, cto my
stand who could have informed on us for
beating him up. Kpath na mzgi,
brains). Ne kapaj na mozgi, vs ravno
ne pover tomu. Dont keep insist-
ing I wont believe it anyhow. S
kon kpaet u kog-l., see under s.
, m. Disaster, death (from ,
the end).
, ,
. If they dont supply us with
shells now, we wont hold out for even an
hourits curtains for us.
, -, f., army. A bomb (lit., a drop).
KPOCKA: Po kpocke, idiom. A little
to drink, a glass (from kapl, a drop).
Davaj nalivaj vsem po kapocke!
Pour everyone a glass!
KAPSTA, -y, f. youth. Money (lit., cab-
bage). Kapusty net, cto delath
budem? Were out of money. What
should we do? Rzath (rubth) ka-
pstu, see under rzath.
, -, m., neg. A short man.
, ,
. At
first they only trained shorties as para-
troopers, but modern equipment enables
them to take tall guys as well.
KARSIK: Bulh-blh karsik, see
under bulh-blh.
KARSH, -s, m., crim. A wide-hipped
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
117
woman (lit., a carp). Nu ty i karas
sebe nal! What a broad-beamed gal
you found yourself!
, -, m. Death (lit., a Russian
pagan evil spirit). Dont forget to bring your cassette
, . No one knows player.
when his number will come up.
KARDN, -a, m., joc. A hand (lit., an
axle). Deri kardan! Lets shake
hands on it!
KARDF, -a, m., crim. Black bread.
Mne kardif nadoel, u kogo esth be-
lyj? Im sick of black bread. Where
can I get some white?
KARKALK, -a, m., rude. A penis.
Karkalyk otrastil, a uma vs net.
Youve got a big prick but no mind.
Nasivath/nasadth na karkalk,
see under nasivath.
KARMN: Der karmn re, see
under derth. Utith karmny,
see under utith.
KARTVYJ, -ogo, m., neg. A nickname
for Lenin, referring to his guttural speech.
Kogda e kartavogo uberut iz Mav-
zole? When are they going to move
Old Funny Voice out of the Mauso-
leum?
KARTAFN, -a, m., army. Potatoes.
Kartafana ew mnogo, s goloda ne
pomrm. Weve still got plenty of
potatoes, so at least we wont starve to
death.
KART, -a, m. Card playing, card games.
U nix tam vs noch idt kart.
They play cards there all night.
KARTKA, -i, f., crim. A hand
grenade. Nam by paru kartoek,
togda by otbilish ot mentov. If we
had some grenades wed blast our way
out of the police cover.
KRTY: Rzaths v krty, see under
rzaths.
KSSA: V kssu, idiom. Opportunely, at
the right time. Ty v kassu pril.
Youve come at just the right moment.
Ne v kssu, idiom, youth. Mistaken,
wrong. to ty sovsem ne v kassu
govorih. What youre saying is com-
pletely off the mark. Proletth/pro-
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KATTHS/DOKATTHS
letth mmo kssy, see under prole-
tth.
KASSTNIK, -a, m. A cassette player.
Ne zabudh vzth svoj kassetnik.
KSTOMER, -a, m., business. A client,
customer (from Eng. customer). to
na staryj kastomer, nado emu
sdelath skidku. Hes an old customer
of ours, so he gets a discount.
KASTRL, -i, f., neg. A head (lit., a
saucepan). U teb sovsem kastrl
ne varit! Youre not thinking clearly!
2. Army. A helmet.
x. "American hel-
mets are lighter than ours."
KATAVSI, -i, f. 1. A mess, hulla-
baloo, commotion. Prodavali sapogi,
tam taka podnlash katavasi, i
ul. There was such a mob scene
when they put the boots on sale that I sim-
ply left.
\KATASTRJKA, -i, f., joc. Perestroika.
Gorbachevs reforms (by wordplay on
perestrojka and katastrofa, catastro-
phe). Teperh vse ponli, kuda nas
katastrojka privela k finiu.
Now its obvious to everyone that
catastroika has brought us to ruin.
KATTH1/POKATTH, crim. To play
cards (lit., to roll). Nu, budem ew
katath ili vs? Well, shall we keep
playing, or have you had enough?
KATTH2/NAKATTH. To write some-
thing quickly, to jot down. uspel
nakatath dva pishma, poka ty bril-
s. I managed to write two quick letters
in the time it took you to shave.
KATTH/POKATTH balln, idiom,
neg. To be annoyed with someone, pick
on someone (lit., to roll a tire at some-
one). Cto ty na men ballon
katih, ne bral tvoi knigi. Why
are you picking on me? Im not the one
who took your books.
KATTHS/DOKATTHS, neg. To
go into decline, let oneself go, hit the
skids. On dokatils do togo, cto
ue poproajnicaet na bazare. Hes
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KATMANDNH
sunk so low that now hes actually beg-
ging in the marketplace. Katsh kol-
basj (kolbskoj) (katsh kolbskoj
po Mloj Spsskoj), idiom, rude. Get
out of here! (lit., roll like a sausage).
Nu-ka, katish kolbasoj, teb sda
ne zvali. Get yourself out of here. You
werent invited! Katsh otsda,
idiom, rude. Scram, get out of here.
Katish otsda, poka po ee ne
polucil. Get out of here before you get
it in the neck.
KATMANDNH, -i, f., rude. Junk, some-
thing worthless or bad (by wordplay on
Katmand and mandnh). Cto to za
katmandenh? to pith ne budu.
What kind of junk is this? Im not going
to drink it.
KATMAND: Id ty v Katmand! see
under idt.
KATK, katk, m., joc. A bald patch (lit.,
a skating-rink). Katok vs rastt,
skoro sovsem oblyse. My bald patch
is getting bigger and bigger, soon Ill be
completely bald.
KATRN, -a, m., crim. A hangout of card-
sharps. Ty v tot katran ne xodi,
teb bystro obcistt. Dont go to
that den of cardsharps theyll pick you
clean.
KATKA, -i, f., neg. An unshapely,
unattractive woman (lit.. a spool, bobbin).
Kak mono lbith taku katu-
ku! How could anyone fall for that bob-
bin! Na vs katku, idiom. With all
ones might, as much as possible. mi
na vs katuku! Drive as fast as you
can!
KT, -i, f., obs. A hundred rubles, a hun-
dred-ruble bill (a Katie, named for
Catherine the Great, under whom the first
such bills were issued). Daj ew odnu
kat dl rovnogo scta. Add another
hundred to make a round sum.
KFA, -y, f., crim., obs. A kopeck. U
teb kafa esth? Have you got a
kopeck?
KAP, -a, m., neg., rude. A Russian
(from the point of view of non-Russians,
esp. Ukrainians; with special reference to
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118
Russian pronunciation). Na Ukrainu
sejcas kaapy pocti ne ezdt. These
days there are hardly any Russkies going
to Ukraine. l xoxl, nasrl na
pol, l kap, zubmi ap! A
hostile rhyming phrase used by non-
Russians, esp. Ukrainians, for taunting
Russians; lit., A Cossack went and
crapped on the floor, along came a
Russky and slurped it up (cf. xoxl).
Kap, za ja ap, idiom, rude. A
hostile rhyming phrase aimed against
Russians (lit., If you see a Russky, grab
him by the balls).
KAPWINA, -y, f., joc. Russia (cf.
kap). Nu kak u vas tam v kaap-
wine iznh? So hows life over there
in Russkyland?
KA, m., indecl. A Georgian (from the
Georgian word for friend). Gde tot
kao ivt? Where does that Georgian
guy live?
KACLKA, -i, f., youth. A workout room,
exercise center (cf. kacths). Kto
vas treniruet v kacalke? Whos your
trainer at the workout center?
KACTH/NAKACTH: Kacth/naka-
cth mskuly, idiom. To do bodybuild-
ing exercises. On nacal kacath mus-
kuly, sejcas vse kacat. He started
pumping iron, and now everyones doing
it. Kacth prav, idiom, neg. To be
demanding, make a lot of demands. Ty
zdesh prava ne kacaj, nikto teb
sluath ne budet. Dont be so
demanding! No one around here is going
to pay attention to you.
KACTH/SKACTH. To get information
with a computer (lit., to pump). iz
Interneta skacal ego novyj roman.
I got his new novel on the internet.
KACTHS/NAKACTHS. To do
gymnastic exercises, bodybuilding (cf.
kaclka). Tebe nado kacaths po
utram, ty oslab. Youve gotten
flabby; you should work out every morn-
ing.
KACLH: Tud/tud eg (e, ix) v
kaclh, see under tud.
KACMN, -a, m., youth. Someone who
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119 KIDLA

goes in for athletics, gymnastics, body-
building (cf. kacths). U nas v
klasse vse kacmany. Everyone in our
class is a jock.
KACK, kack, m., youth. See kacmn.
KELH, kl, m., crim. Complaints
(lit., coughing). Koncaj kaelh, vse
tak sejcas ivut. Stop whining!
Everyone has it hard nowadays.
KLTH: Budh zdorv, ne klj! (from Eng. case). Posmotri v kej-
see under budh.
KAWJ, -, m. A thin, gaunt person
(After Kawej Bessmertnyj, a bony, thin
character in Russian folktales). Ty
stal prmo kak Kawej. Youve turned
into skin and bones.
KVKALO, -a, n., neg. A mouth. (From
kvakath, to croak). Kvakalo u teb
ne zakryvaets, ty pomolcal by
minutu! You never can keep your
mouth shut.!
KVKATH/KVKNUTH. To drink
quickly (lit., to croak). Gde my s toboj
kvaknem? Where can we go to toss back
a quick one?
KVARTIRNT, -a, m., crim. A convict,
prison inmate (lit., a tenant). Novyx
kvartirantov privezli. Theyve
shipped in some new tenants.
KVSITH/ZAKVSITH. To have a
long drinking session (from the long
process of preparing kvas). S kem ty
to vcera kvasil? Who was that you
were drinking with yesterday?
KVLYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Limp, inert,
slack. Ot ary vse sidt kvlye.
Everyone is drooping from the heat.
, idiom, army. Upside nom, see under dlo.
down. , , KEROSNITH/ZAKEROSNITH. To
. Fix the flag, dont drink, get drunk. A gde oni kerosint,
you see its hanging upside down?
KVITTHS/POKVITTHS. To
pay back, in a positive or negative sense;
to avenge oneself; to pay up, settle
accounts. s toboj ew za to
pokvitash. Ill get back at you for
this. Davaj pokvitaems. Ty mne
dolen 30 dollarov. Lets settle
accounts. You owe me 30 dollars.
KVTY, pred. use. Even-steven, quits,
settled up (from Eng. quits; cf. kvi-
tani). Vot tebe stolhnik i my
kvity. Heres another hundred, and
now our accounts are settled.
KGL, -i, f., joc. A fist (lit., skittles).
Kegl u teb ne daj bog, ubhh s
odnogo udara. With that enormous fist,
you could kill someone with a single blow.
KEJS, -a, m. Briefcase, attach case
se, ty vse bumagi vzl? Look in the
briefcase. Have you taken all the papers?
KENF, -a, m., crim. Hashish. Idm k
nemu, u nego mono po devke kupith
kenaf. We can buy hash cheaper from
him.
KE, -, m. The high front
bumper on a jeep. From , kanga-
roo.
. I only smashed the
front bumper in the accident.
KENT, -, m., youth. A friend, pal. to
tvoj novyj kent? Is that your new
friend?
, -, m., army. A helicopter (lit.,
a centaur).
? ,
. How many choppers do we
need? Five would be just right.
/. To be
friendly with someone. See .
, .
Weve been buddies for years, I trust
you.
KEROSN, -a, m., joc. Liquor (lit.,
kerosene). Kerosin kupil? Did you
buy the liquor? Dlo pxnet keros-
v garae? Where do they do their drink-
ing in the garage?
KERXA, -i, m., obs. A friend, acquain-
tance. j, kerxa, idi sda. Come
over here, buddy.
KEF, -a, m., crim. A dose of drugs. Mne
vsego odin kef nado. I need just one fix.
KIDLA, -y, m., neg. A cardsharp, con
artist (cf. kidth). Budh ostoroen,
kogda budeh prodavath mainu, na
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/ 120

rynke polno kidal. Watch out when here? Podnimth/podnth kpe,

you go to sell your car. The market is full see under podnimth.
of con artists. KIR, -a, m., youth. Drink, liquor (cf. ki-
KIDTH/KNUTH, youth. To cheat, rth). Cto-to kira malo. We
defraud (lit., to throw). Men vcera havent got much to drink.
kinuli na dve tysci. Yesterday I was KIRZ, -, f., army. 1. Imitation-leather
cheated out of two thousand. Ki- boots. Kogda ue snimu kirzu? I
dth/knuth , idiom. To act dis- cant wait to get these boots off. 2. Pearl
honestly. See and barley, lumpy cooked grain. Opth
. ta kirza na obed! Lumpy kasha for
, . dinner again?!
Dont even think of trying something , -, pl., army. Boots made
shady! In this outfit theyll tear your head of artificial leather (from
off for it. Kidth/ knuth na brigdu, , , a surface of soil).
idiom, crim. To gang-rape. Oni kinuli ,
e na brigadu, polucili semh let. . These kirzachi
They got seven years for gang-raping leak no matter how much you grease
her. Kidth/knuth , them.
idiom. To cheat, to deceive.
KIRXA, -i, m. 1. A friend (lit., a nick-
,
name for Kirill). On moj davnij
. He never found out who
kirxa. Hes an old friend of mine. 2.
gypped him like that and why.
A drinking buddy (from kir, kirth).
KIDTHS/KNUTHS V UR, ti kirxi s toboj prili, togda
idiom, youth. (Cf. ur.) 1. To quarrel, nalej im. If those guys who came with
to make a scene. 2. To run away.Kak you are your drinking buddies, pour them
uslyih sirenu, kidajs v ur. something to drink.
If you hear a siren, run for your life.
KIRTH/KIRNTH. To drink (cf. kir).
, -, m. Cheating, deceit (from Cto u teb kirnuth esth? What do
, to cheat). See . you have to drink?
. I never KIS, -a, m., youth, obs. A kiss (from Eng.
expected such cheating from you! kiss). Nu ew odin kis i pol.
, perf. To die (lit., to rush). Give me another kiss and Ill be on my
. Im way.
afraid he might die of grief. KSA, -y, f. A girl, girlfriend (lit., cat; cf.
KLLER-PRFI, kllera-prfi, m. kis). Ty svo kisu priglasil na
A professional killer. Killer-profi tany? Have you invited your girl-
moet pristrelith i za tyscu friend to the dance?
baksov. A professional hit-man will do a KSATHS/POKSATHS, youth,
job for a mere thousand bucks. obs. To kiss (cf. kis). Prekratite
KIMRITH/ZAKIMRITH. To sleep, kisaths. Enough kissing.
doze. Xoroo by zakimarith na KSLO: Ne kslo! adv. Excellently,
polcasika. A half hours nap would be very well (lit., not sourly). Oni v Soci
good right now. ne kislo otdoxnuli. They had a great
KIND, -, m., youth. A child (from Ger. vacation in Sochi.
Kind). U ne kindy esth? Does KISLOT, -, f., youth. LSD (lit., acid).
she have any children? U teb ew ostalash kislota? Do
KNDER, -a. See kind. you have any more acid?
KPE, -a, m., youth, neg. Noise, disor- KISTEVJ, -, -e, youth. 1. Luxuri-
der (from kipeth, to boil). Cto ous, plush (of things). Kurtka u nego
zdesh za kipe? Whats the ruckus kisteva. Hes got a very luxurious
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 121
121
coat. 2. Wealthy, rich (of people).
ego zna, on parenh kistevoj. I know
him hes a really rich guy.
KITAZA, -y, m., neg., rude. A Chinese.
U kitaz reformy luce idut, cem
u nas. Those Chinks are doing better
with their reforms than we are.
KITJSKIJ TELEVZOR, idiom,
business. Manual examination of baggage
at customs (lit., Chinese television).
KCA, -i, f., crim. A prison. Tam v kice,
mnogo naix vstretil. I ran into a lot
of our friends in the prison there.
KICMN, -a, m., crim. A prison. V
kakoj kicman nas vezut? What prison
are they taking us to?
KIK MAR IGRT, idiom, joc.
My stomach is growling with hunger (lit.,
my innards are playing a march).
Pojdm v stolovu, cto-to kiki
mar igrat. Lets go to the cafeteria
Im famished.
KIKODRM, -a, m., youth, neg. A
poor-quality cafeteria serving as the dining
room of a school, plant, or other place of
work (lit., gut-field). Neoxota idti v
na kikodrom, tam sejcas oceredh.
I dont want to go to our cafeteria because
theres a long line there at this hour.
KIKOPRV, -a, m., crim. Switchblade
(lit., gut-straightener, after kostoprav,
bonesetter). Vozhmi kikoprav na
vskij slucaj. Take along your switch-
blade just in case.
KILK, -, m., youth, joc. A beer bar
(lit., an eastern mountain village, with
reference to the inferior sanitary condi-
tions). Zaglnem v kilak, pivka
pophm. Lets stop in at the bar and have
a beer.
KLPAN, -a, m., youth, neg. A mouth
(lit., valve). Zakroj klapan! Shut
up!
KLSSNYJ, -a, -oe. Good, excellent
(from Eng. class). to klassnyj
komphter. Thats a great computer.
KLASTH/POLOTH: Klasth/polo-
th na kog-l. (s pribrom), idiom,
rude. To feel or express contempt for
someone, spit on someone (lit., to put
KLZMA
[excrement] on someone [with a whole set
of tableware]). Poloil na nego. I
felt the utmost contempt for him.
Klasth/poloth glaz na kog/cto-l.,
idiom. To take a liking to, to be sexually
attracted to, to notice with interest. Ka-
ets, on na teb glaz poloil. It
looks like hes attracted to you.
Klasth/poloth podlhe, pobl-
e brath/vzth, idiom. Lit., The farther
you hide something, the easier it is to get it
back.
KLEVTH/POKLEVTH, joc. To eat a
little, have a bite (lit., to peck). Po-
klj, vot mso. Heres some meat
have a bite to eat.
KLVO, adv., youth. Well, excellently.
My klvo otdoxnuli v gorax. We
had a wonderful vacation in the moun-
tains.
KLEVOT, -, f., pred. use, youth, pos.
Something excellent, good. ti griby
klevota! These mushrooms are fan-
tastic!
KLVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Fashionable,
classy (cf. klvo). Klva u nego
rubaka! What a stunning shirt hes
wearing!
KLITH/SKLITH, youth. To become
acquainted with a girl, pick up a girl, go
out with a girl (lit., to glue). Kogda ty
uspel e skleith? When did you man-
age to start going out with her?
KLEPTH/NAKLEPTH. To do or pro-
duce something quickly and carelessly
(lit., to rivet). Skolhko e ty kartin
naklepal za nedel? How many pic-
tures did you churn out in one week?
KLPOK NE XVATET u kog-l.,
idiom, neg. Used of someone stupid or
foolish (lit., his rivets arent holding). U
nego cto, klpok ne xvataet, emu e
nelhz pith. He shouldnt drink; he
just falls apart when he does.
KLVER, -a, m., crim. & youth. A necktie
(lit., a type of sail). Gde ty takoj lox-
matyj kliver kupil? Where did you
get that stylish tie!
KLZMA: Stvith/postvith klzmu,
see under stvith.
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/ 122

/. To click, to How much is that garment?

push a button on a computer. KLUBNCKA, -i, f. An erotic scene or
" ", feature in a film or novel (lit., a straw-
"". Click on My Documents, berry). tot roman s klubnickoj.
then find the file called Letters." This novel has some sexy stuff in it.
KLIKXA, -i, f., crim. & youth. A name, KLK, -, f., crim. A church (lit., walk-
nickname. Kak tvo klikuxa? ing stick, crutch, staff). Tam stara
Whats your nickname? klka stoit, nedaleko ivt na
KLIKNIK, -a, m., crim. & youth, A kore. Our friend lives not far from
church robber. Klikuniki neploxo where the old church is.
segodn zarabatyvat, ikony sej- KLKRH, -, m., crim. A church rob-
cas v ene. Church robbers are making ber. to rabota opytnogo klkar.
big profits these days, with icons fetching This is the work of an experienced
so much on the market. church robber.
/. 1. To take a KLKATH/KLKNUTH. To have a
great interest in, to go mad about some- drink. Davaj klknem po 100 gramm.
thing. From , wedge. Lets have us a little nip.
. My neighbor is KLKA, -i, f., joc. A foot (lit., hockey
crazy about pop music. 2. To repeat puck). Uberi svo klku, projti
over and over. , , nelhz. Move your foot youre
. blocking the passage.
Whats with you? You talk about it all KLCA, -i, f., neg. An ugly old woman
the time. Youve already recalled that (lit., an old mare). Cto ty v toj
holiday a hundred times. klce nal? What do you see in that
KLINCESKIJ SLCAJ, idiom, old hag?
joc., neg. A crazy person (lit., a clinical KNATH, imperf. only, crim. To guard.
case). On vs vrem govorit o sebe, tot magazin, znaeh, kak knaa-
prmo kliniceskij slucaj. Hes con- t, zabudh o nm, tam delath necego.
stantly talking about himself clearly a Forget about that store; its too heavily
clinical case! guarded for us to accomplish anything
, -, m. A video clip. there.
, KNKATH/ZAKNKATH, NAKN-
. I cannot watch that video clip, it KATH, youth. To see, notice. teb
was made by head cases. zaknokal vozle kinoteatra srazu. I
KLIFT, -, m., crim. A jacket, overcoat. noticed you right away near the movie
Gde ty takoj klift kupil? Where theater.
did you get that jacket? KNURH, -, m., crim. A member of a
KLP, -, m. A hidden microphone (lit., a cooperative enterprise. U togo knur
bug). Kak tut s klopami, cisto? denhgi vodts. That entrepreneur is
Whats the situation with bugs here? Is it always flush with cash.
clean? Davth klop, see under KOBL, -a, m., crim., neg. A lesbian who
davth. plays a masculine role (from koblh,
KLOPVNIK, -a, m., neg. A dirty place dog). U nix tam ue esth svoj
(from klop, bedbug). to ne gosti- kobl. That set already has its butch
nia, a klopovnik, zdesh nocevath member.
ne xocu. I dont intend to stay in this KOBELTHS, imperf. only, neg. To run
fleapit. after women, be a skirt-chaser. Oni vs
KLUZ, -a, m., youth. See klus. vrem na tanax, kobelts. Theyre
KLUS, -a, m., youth. Clothes, a garment always trying to pick up girls at dances.
(from Eng. clothes). Pocm klous? KOBLH, -, m., neg. A highly sexed or
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 123
123
oversexed man (lit., a he-dog). On
nikak ne uspokoits, kobelh nescast-
nyj. That poor dog just cant calm him-
self down.
KOBNITHS/ZAKOBNITHS,
neg. To be stubborn, resistant, uncooper-
ative. Zr ty kobenihs, vyxodi
za nego zamu. Dont be so tempera-
mental go ahead and marry the guy!
KOBLXA, -i, f., crim. & youth. A pas-
sive or feminine lesbian (from kabluk,
heel). U ne podrugi vse kobluxi.
All her friends are heels.
KBRA, -y, f., crim. 1. A prostitute.
Skolhko ta kobra za cas bert?
How much does that prostitute charge
for an hour? 2. A debt-collection agency
or agent. Pora kobru nanimath, tak
prosto on denhgi ne vernt. Its time
to hire a cobra. Hes not going to return
the money otherwise.
KOBLA, -y, f., neg. A large girl or
woman (lit., a mare). Nu i kobyla,
kogda ona uspela vyrasti? When did
she manage to turn into such a big girl?!
Koble pod xvost, idiom, neg. In vain,
to no effect (lit., under a mares tail).
Denhgi vybrosili kobyle pod xvost.
With that purchase they were simply
throwing their money under a mares tail.
KOBLKA, -i, f., crim. A high-spirited
gathering, jolly company. Tam kobyl-
ka zavelash, vse rut, veselts.
Theres a high-spirited crowd there,
laughing and having a good time.
KOVYRLKA, -i, f., crim., neg. A
female masturbator (from kovyrth, to
pick, as at a wound). Ej muikov ne
nado, ona stala kovyrlkoj. She has
no more need of men; shes taken to mas-
turbating.
KGTI: Pokzyvath/pokazth kgti,
see under pokzyvath. Rvath kgti,
see under rvath.
KDLA, -y, f., neg. A group, gang. Cto
tam za kodla vo dvore? Whos that
crowd in the yard?
KA: Vtirth v ku, see under
vtirth. Ni ki, ni ri, see under
ni.
KOZVKA
KON, -, m., youth. A leather jacket.
Skolhko stoit takoj koan? How
much does a leather jacket like that cost?
KOZ, -, f. Lit., a she-goat. 1. A fidgety,
restless girl. U teb doch koza, na
meste ne sidit. Your daughter is so
fidgety she just cant sit still! 2. A fool-
ish, stupid girl or woman. Koza i esth
koza, opth vs pereputala. What a
nanny goat! Shes gone and got every-
thing mixed up again.
KOZL: Kozl voncij, idiom, rude. A
bastard, scoundrel (lit., smelly goat).
Zacem ty ego udaril, kozl von-
cij? What did you hit him for, you
filthy bastard! Kozl krebcij,
idiom, rude. A bastard, scoundrel (lit.,
scratching goat). Pol otsda,
kozl krebucij! Get out of here, you
bastard!
KOZLETN, -a, m., joc. A high, unpleas-
ant voice (lit., goat-tone). U nego kozle-
ton, a ne golos. Hes got a goat-tone
for a voice.
KOZLNA PORDA, idiom, rude. A
stubborn person (lit., goat-breed). A
ty, kozlina poroda, vs delaeh po-
svoemu. You stubborn goat, you always
have to do everything your own way.
KOZLTHS/ZAKOZLTHS, neg.
To be stubborn, difficult, contrary. Cto
ty kozlihs, vs ravno to delath
nado. Dont be stubborn; youll have to
give in in the end anyhow.
KOZLODJ, -, m., rude. A stubborn
person (lit., goat-milker). Skolhko
tebe, kozlodoj, mono govorith: ubi-
raj za soboj! You stubborn goat
how many times do I have to tell you to
clean up after yourself!
KOZLOTNH, -i, f. Nonsense. Nesh
ty splonu kozlotenh. Youre
talking sheer nonsense.
KOZYRK, kozyrhk, m., army, neg.
An officer in charge of keeping a check
on soldiers reliability, loyalty (lit., a
vizor or cap-peak). Tixo, ne govori
linego, kozyrk idt. Hush, not
another word here comes the vizor.
KOZVKA, -i, f., neg. An insignificant
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KKI
person, cipher, mere child (lit., a gnat).
A ty, kozvka, y, ne sporh so
starimi. Shut up, small fry, dont
argue with your elders.
KKI, -ov, pl., joc. Testicles (lit., chicken
eggs). Na ulie xolodno, koki mrz-
nut. Its cold enough out to freeze your
balls.
, perf. To kill (from , an hole in pavement (by wordplay on
egg, something easy to break). -
, koldobiny poli. Slow down, here
, . He come some fucking potholes.
was killed because he didnt know how to
keep his mouth shut.
KOKSY, -ov, pl., neg. Testicles (lit.,
coconuts). Ploxomu tanoru kokosy
meat. A poor dancer will blame his
coconuts.
KOL, -, m., obs. A ruble (lit., a club, post,
stick). Goni kol! Give me a ruble!
Kol teb v gltku! idiom, rude. Damn
you! (lit., a stick in your throat). Kol
tebe v glotku za vs, cto ty natvo-
ril. Damn you for all the mischief
youve done! Xoth kol na golov
te, see under xoth.
KOLBASTH1/ZAKOLBASTH, joc.
To play excitedly, indulge in horseplay,
be disorderly (cf. kolbas). Deti do
six por kolbast, spath ne xott.
The children are still horsing around and
dont want to go to sleep.
KOLBASTH2/NAKOLBASTH. To
do something poorly, carelessly (cf. kol-
basa). Cto ty tut nakolbasil, nu,
kto tak rabotaet! What a mess
youve made there thats no way to
work!
KOLBASTH3/PRIKOLBASTH. To
go (cf. kolbasa). Tolhko k veceru my
prikolbasili domoj. It was getting
toward evening by the time we went
home.
KOLBASN, -, f., neg. Nonsense,
baloney (cf. kolbasa). Ne xocu ucast-
vovath v toj kolbasne s vyborami.
I dont want to take part in this nonsense
about elections.
KOLGOTTHS/ZAKOLGOTTHS.
1. To crowd. Ne kolgotitesh v kori-
Page 124
124
dore, proxodite v komnatu. Dont
crowd around in the hallway; go on into
the room. 2. To make an uproar, be
upset. Vse srazu zakolgotilish,
kogda uznali, cto deneg ne budet.
They all got upset when they found out
that there wouldnt be any money.
KOLDOBINA, -y, f., joc. A pothole,
koldobina and b-). Tormozi,
KOLEBTH/ZAKOLEBTH, neg. To
annoy, wear out (lit., to vibrate, with allu-
sion to ebth). Ty men sovsem zako-
lebal proshbami. Youve fucking
worn me out with your requests.
KOLENKR: Drugj kolenkr, see
under drugj.
KOLSA, kols, pl. Lit., wheels. 1. neg.
Nonsense, garbage, baloney. Ne verh
emu, to vs kolsa. Dont believe
him, hes talking nonsense. 2. youth.
Shoes. ti kolsa tebe po razmeru?
Are these shoes your size? 3. youth.
Pills, drugs. Mne kolsa ne nuny,
kolsh. I shoot up; I dont take pills.
KOLSNIK, -a, m., youth. A drug addict,
one who takes drugs in the form of pills
(cf. kolsa 3). Ty togo kolsnika
znaeh? Do you know that pill pop-
per?
KOLESOVTH, youth, neg. To go, leave
(from koleso, wheel). Kolesuj ot-
sda podalhe. Get out of here!
KOLI`CESTVO I KCESTVO ZAEB-
L (ZATRXALO) NAS NCIS-
TO. See under ebth.
KOLLEKTVKA, -i, f., crim. Gang rape
(lit., a collective). On sidit za kol-
lektivku. Hes serving time for gang
rape.
, -, f. A blow.
, , ,
? OK, youve already
taken two good blows, do you understand
whos boss or do you need some more?
KOLDA, -y, f., youth. A group, set of
people (lit., pack of cards). Ty iz chej
kolody, iz mikinoj? Whose set do
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125

you belong to Mishas? theres barbed wire everywhere.

KOLDE: Upsth v kolde, see KOMENDNT, -a, m., crim. An experi-
under upsth. enced prostitute managing younger ones.
KOLOTTHS/PROKOLOTTHS. Cto-to komendant umit, obmanu-
To bustle around, be busy (lit., to strike, li e, cto li? Whats the commandant
hammer away). s timi bumagami so upset about? Did someone rip her
kolocush vesh vecer, ne mogu razo- off?
braths. Ive been fussing around with KOMISSR, -a, m., crim. A robber who
these papers all evening, and I cant make impersonates a police officer. Vcera
head or tail of them. komissary vzli bank. Some com-
KOLOTN, -a, m. Cold weather, freezing missars robbed a bank yesterday.
cold (lit., hammering, i.e., shivering from KOMISSXA, -i, f. A secondhand shop
cold). Nu i kolotun segodn! trading on commission. Otnesi
Theres a real cold snap today. kostm v komissuxu, paru tuk za
KLOTYJ BOJ, idiom, crim. Marked nego dadut. If you take that suit to a
cards (from koloth, to prick, referring commission shop, you can get a couple of
to the practice of marking the cards with thousand for it.
needles). to kolotyj boj, igrath KOMITTCIK, -a, m. A KGB-agent
ne budu. Thats a marked deck; Im not (lit., committee man). A ty ne znal,
playing! cto to komitetcik? You mean you
KOLOTH, -, crim. Cards, a deck of didnt know hes KGB?
cards. Peredaj koloth, mne banko- KOMMUNKA, -i, m., neg. A commu-
vath. Hand me the deck; Im banker. nist. Kommunki opth xodt na
/ mitingi, xott, navernoe, snova po-
, idiom. To confess, to admit (lit., stroith kommunizm. There go the
to be split up to ones ass). communists with their meetings again
, , - apparently they want to rebuild commu-
! Spill it! Tell me everything you nism.
know or Ill beat you some more. KOMD, -a, m., army. A platoon com-
KOLN, -a, m., army. A sentry (lit., a mander (lit., a cupboard). Komod sej-
wood-chopper). Skolhko kolunov cas povedt v nard. The platoon com-
postavim na noch? How many sentries mander is taking them on duty now.
should we station for the night? KOMK, komk, m. A store that sells on
KOLUPTH/KOLUPNTH, crim. To commission (by wordplay on komis-
rob (lit., to pick at, as locks). Nedavno v sionnyj magazin, commission store,
naem dome kolupnuli kvartiru. An and komok, lump). Nado sdath v
apartment in our building was robbed komok paru kostmov. Ive got to
recently. bring a couple of suits over to the com-
KOLXZ: Vsem kolxzom, idiom, joc. mission store.
All together (lit., with the whole collec- , -, m. A computer (abbr. of
tive farm). Tuda pojdm vsem kolxo- ). -.
zom. Lets go there all together. When it comes to computers, I dont
KOLYXTH: On let i le det, have a clue.
tlhko jami kolet, see under KOMPKA, -i, f. A group of close
j. to kog-l. ne kolet, see friends, a set. A cto za kompaka tam
under to. sobiraets? What group is that hang-
, -, f., army. Barbed wire ing out over there?
(lit., a thorn, a barb). , -, m. An informer (lit.,
, . Its a composer). ,
not possible to simply pass through there, , .
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KOMPT 126

Well figure out whos been reporting us that, youll be struck down by paralysis.
to authorities (lit., whos been compos- KONDK, -, m., crim. A conductor (of a
ing an opera). railroad train). Sprosi u kondka, caj
KOMPT, -a, m. Lit., boiled fruit drink. budet? Ask the conductor whether
1. joc. A bad situation. Takoj kompot, theyre going to be serving tea.
nikto ne pril na denh rodeni. KON, kon, m., rude. A penis. Cto-
Heres a nice kettle of fish! No one came to kone bolit, nado sxodith k
for my birthday. 2. youth. A broth made vracu. Ive got a pain in my dick Ill
from poppyheads for use as a narcotic. have to see a doctor. Kon tlu
Daj xlebnuth kompota. Let me have ven, idiom, joc., rude. Everything ends
a sip of the broth. up in bed; sex is what everything always
, -, m. A computer (lit., a leads to (lit., the end [i.e., extremity,
ticket punch). prick] is the crown of the body; playing
KOMPOSTROVATH/ZAKOMPOS- on the saying kone delu vene, the
TROVATH mozg, idiom, neg. To completion is the crown of a work).
annoy, pester (lit., to puncture someones On e ulomal, uloil v postelh.
brains, as in punching tram tickets). Ne Kak govorits, kone telu vene.
kompostiruj mne mozgi, vs ravno He talked her into going to bed with
nicego ne polucih. Stop addling my him. As they say, the ending is the crown
brain theres no way youre going to of the body. S kon kpaet u kog-
get what you want. l., see under s.
, -, f. Compromising materials KNI, -j, pl. Lit., horses. 1. An army
(abbr. of - hockey team. 2. Parents. Koni doma?
). Are your folks home?
, . Destroy KONNA, -y, f. Lit., horse meat.
all traces of these compromising materials; 1. Brandy (by wordplay on konhk).
they could get us into trouble fast. 2. Meat of poor quality. piroki s
KOMPTER, -a, m., joc. A computer (dis- koninoj ne em. I wont eat those lousy
torted from komphter by wordplay on meat pies.
putath, to entangle, perplex). Ty na , adv. Excellent, good (lit.,
komputere moeh rabotath? Do particularly).
you know how to work a compooter? . We definitely had a great
, indecl. Said time there.
about an ambulance, imitating the sound , -, -. Aggressive,
of the Japanese language (lit., some- strong-minded. -
bodys feeling bad). See . ,
, , . Here, with us, everyone is
. Dont you see that ambu- very strong-minded, you cant fool
lance behind us? Get off the road! around with us.
KONVRT, -a, m., crim. Lit., envelope. A KONS, -a, m. A music school, conserva-
way of interrogating a detained person by tory. Ty idh segodn v kons? Are
making him lie down with his legs pulled you going to the conservatory today?
up. Pora emu konvert delath, tak KONSNSUS, -a, m., joc. A penis (lit.,
on nicego ne skaet. Its time for him consensus, a political term introduced by
to do the envelope, otherwise he wont Gorbachev).
talk. KONSERVATRI, -i, f., joc. A fac-
KONDRTIJ XVTIT, idiom. Lit., tory producing preserved food (from kon-
paralysis will strike; a warning of dire servy, tinned food). On rabotaet v
consequences. Budeh tak pith, konservatorii po rybe. He works in a
kondratij xvatit. If you drink like fish conservatory.
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127 KOPA

, -, pl., army. Mines (lit., Emu ne telo tawith meok?

tin cans). Da ty cto! On e konh s jami!
. Lay the tin cans on the Wont that sack be too heavy for him?
road and get the hell out of here.
KONSTATROVATH fak, idiom, joc.,
rude. To approve or confirm a sex act as a
good one (from the idiom konsta-
tirovath fakt, to confirm a fact).
konstatiru udacnyj fak. I con-
sider that a really good fuck!
KONTCITH/ZAKONTCITH. To be
acquainted (from Eng. contact). S
nim nado zakontacith, on celovek s
vesom. Hes an influential guy Ive
got to meet him.
KONTRA, -y, f., joc. 1. An office. V
kakoj kontore on rabotaet? What
office does he work in? 2. A security
division of the police. Vidih, vyves-
ki net, znacit, kontora. Look,
theres no sign it must be an office of
the security forces.
, adv. Good, excel-
lent (lit., conceptually).
. He
writes music excellently.
KON: Kon v vdu, idiom. In such a
way as to escape notice (lit., with ones
guy ropes in the water). Oni nedavno
kvartiru vzli i kony v vodu. They
robbed an apartment without leaving any
traces. S konami, idiom. Completely,
altogether (lit., with the guy ropes).
Oni uexali s konami. Theyve
cleared out lock, stock, and barrel.
Otdavth/otdth kon, see under
otdavth.
KONCNA, -y, f., rude. Semen, come
(from koncath, to have an orgasm).
Postiraj prostyn, ona vs v
koncine. Wash the sheet; its all cov-
ered with come.
KONH, -, m., youth. Father (lit., steed).
Konh doma? Is your old man at
home? Konh v konom palht,
idiom, rude. A penis (lit., stallion in a
leather overcoat). The phrase is usually
used as a response to the question Kto?
Konh s jami, idiom, rude. A strong,
robust man (lit., a horse with balls).
What are you talking about hes a
horse with balls! xath/poxath
konm, see under xath. Stryj konh
borozd ne prtit, see under stryj.
KONHK, -ov, pl. Feet (lit., skates).
Otbrsith konhk, idiom. To die.
On skoro konhki otbrosit. Hes
going to kick the bucket soon. Zan-
imths grblej na konhkx, see
under zanimths.
KONHK TRI SVKLY, idiom, joc.
Home brew from beets, esp. of a crude
rural type (lit., three-beet cognac, by word-
play on konhk tri zvezdy, three-star
cognac, i.e., three-year-old cognac).
Budete pith? K soaleni, u men
tolhko konhk tri svkly. Can I
offer you a drink? Unfortunately, all I have
is some three-beet cognac.
, -, f. A tracker, a tunnel rat,
a person who digs up trenches and graves
after WWII in search of weapons and
other artifacts (from , to dig).
KOPLHWIK, -a, m., crim. A criminal
investigator (cf. kopth2). tot
kopalhwik ue mnogo naryl. This
detective has already dug up a lot of dirt.
KOPTH1, imperf. only. To undermine.
On pod teb kopaet, xocet sesth na
tvo mesto. Hes sabotaging you he
wants your job.
KOPTH2/KOPNTH. To investigate
(lit., to dig). Nado to delo kopnuth
kak sleduet. This matter has to be
properly investigated.
KOPTHS/PROKOPTHS, neg. To
dawdle (from kopath, to dig). Cto
ty kopaehs? Opozdaem! What are
you dawdling for? Were going to be
late!
KOPN, -, f., crim. An old female robber
(lit., a haystack). Cto toj kopne
nado? What does that old robber woman
want?
KOPA, -i, f., joc. A slowpoke,
dawdler. Teb dath odno muce-
nie, nu ty i kopua! What a slowpoke
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KOPCNYJ
you are! Its a torture to wait for you!
KOPCNYJ, -ogo, m., neg. A black per-
son (lit., a smoked fellow). A kopcnyj
segodn pridt v gosti? Is that black
fellow coming to visit today?
KOPTA, kopt, pl., rude. Feet (lit.,
hooves). Uberi svoi kopyta s divana.
Get your hooves off the couch. S
kopt (dolj), idiom. Off ones feet
(said of a hard fall). Emu cuth vmazali,
on srazu s kopyt. They barely touched
him, and he fell right off his feet. Otk-
nuth kopta, see under otknuth.
KOPTITH/NAKOPTITH, neg. To
make a mess (from kopyto, hoof).
Vcera vy zdesh nakopytili, a kto
ubirath budet? Whos going to clean
up the mess you made here yesterday?
KRENH, krn, m., youth, neg. An idiot,
ignoramus, country bumpkin (lit., root).
ti korni v Moskve nicego ne
znat. These provincials are clueless
in Moscow.
KRE, -a, m. A friend, pal. Esth u
men kore, on pomoet. I have a
buddy wholl help out.
KORETHS/ZAKORETHS.
To be friendly, to get on friendly terms.
Ty s kem-nibudh zakoreiths
uspel? Did you have time to make
friends with anyone?
KORIFN, -a, m., army. A friend, pal.
Korifan, skai, kotoryj cas?
Whats the time, buddy?
KORIFNITHS/SKORIFNITH-
S, youth. To meet, become acquainted
(cf. korifn). Oni davno kori-
fants. Theyve known each other
for a long time.
KRKA, -i, f., youth. Lit., rind, crust.
1. An adventure, occurrence. S toboj
vsegda kakie-to korki slucats.
Youre always having some sort of
adventure. 2. An anecdote, story. Ras-
skai korku, cto ty nedavno rasska-
zyval. Tell that story of yours again.
KORM, -, f., joc. Rear end (lit., aft part
of a ship). Smotri, kaka korma
pola, ne oxvatih. Look at the ass
on her! You could never get your arms
Page 128
128
around it.
KORMLE, kormlha, m., crim. A
shop paying protection money (lit., a
bread-winner). Magaziny zakryva-
ts, a my terem kormilha za kor-
milhem. The stores are going broke,
and were losing one breadwinner after
another.
KORMOVE (DNHGI), pl. Money put
aside for food, a special fund for food
(from korm, fodder). U men osta-
lish tolhko kormovye. Im broke; all
Ive got left is my lunch money.
KORMKA, -i, f., neg. 1. An official
position that can be used to personal
advantage (lit., a feeding trough). Mi-
nisterstvo to bolha kormu-
ka. That ministry is a regular feeding
trough. 2. joc., obs. A refrigerated dis-
play case in a store. Navernoe, mso
vybrosili, ldi tolpts u kormu-
ki. They must have put out some meat
look how the people are crowding
around the feeding trough!
KORVA, -y, f., crim. A person taken
with them by prison-camp escapees as
food for the period of flight and hideout
(lit., a cow). Zaxvatili oni s soboj
korovu i v bega, no cerez mes ix poj-
mali. They took a cow and fled, but
they were caught a month later.
KOROD, -a, m., joc. A child (lit., a bark-
eating beetle). Skolhko u teb koro-
edov? How many kids do you have?
KORLH: Kud korlh pekm xdit,
see under kud.
KORNKA, -i. See kornnyj nmer.
KORNNYJ NMER, idiom. A per-
sons favorite or regular trick or behavior
(lit., the crowning number). to u
nego koronnyj nomer, poobewath i ne
sdelath. Thats his usual trick, to
promise and not deliver.
KROCKI, krocek, pl. (From kora,
bark). 1. An entry pass. Smotri
korocki v institut ne zabudh! Dont
forget your entry pass when you go to the
institute. 2. A diploma. Ne vano gde
ucihs, glavnoe polucith koroc-
ki. It doesnt matter where you study, as
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 129

129 KOSTYLTH/NAKOSTYLTH

long as you get your diploma. sumasdego (pod durak, pod inva-
KROCNIK, -a, m. A fool, an idiot. lda), idiom. To act or seem like a mad-
Kak ty emu verih, to e izvest- man (an idiot, an invalid). Men ne
nyj korocnik. Dont believe him obmaneh, ne kosi pod sumasedego.
everyone knows hes an idiot. Dont play the fool; you cant take me in
like that.
KRCITH IZ SEB NE ZNMO CTO,
idiom, neg. To show off, give oneself airs, KOSTH/OTKOSTH OT ARMDY,
pose. On korcit iz seb ne znamo idiom. To avoid being drafted into the
cego, a na samom dele ni v cm ne army. Kto xocet otkosith ot
razbiraets. He poses as an expert, but armady, idt v aspiranturu. Every-
in fact he knows nothing about it. one who wants to avoid the draft goes to
graduate school.
KORGA, -, f. A clumsy person (lit., a
snag). , KOSJ, -, -e, neg. Drunk (lit.,
- . Shes such a crooked, cross-eyed). Tam kosoj pesni
klutz, she breaks something every time ort. Theres a drunk bawling some
shes here. songs over there.
KORCITHS1, imperf. only. To be in KOSOPZYJ, -ogo, neg. (From kosoj,
wait, in store for someone. Tebe crooked, and puzo, belly). 1. An
otpusk korcits letom. Youve got unattractive, plain, insignificant person.
a vacation in store for you this summer. Kak ona mogla vyjti zamu za
takogo kosopuzogo? I cant understand
KORCITHS 2 /NAKORCITHS,
why she married that hayseed. 2. A poor
neg. To work hard in an awkward posi-
person. ti kosopuzye ne mogut
tion (lit., to squat). My zdesh korcim-
dae igruki detm kupith. Theyre
s, moem poly, a ty muzyku slua-
so poor, they cant even buy toys for their
eh. Here we are slaving away on our
children.
knees, scrubbing the floors, while youre
hanging around listening to music. KOSORLOVKA, -i, f., neg. A cheap,
inferior alcoholic drink (lit., face-twister).
KOS, -j, f., obs. A thousand rubles.
Videth ne mogu tu kosorylovku. I
Ty mne dolen kosu. You owe me
cant drink that rotgut.
a thousand.
KOSTH/OKOSTH, joc. To get drunk. KOSTERTH/POKOSTERTH. To
Ty ue okosel, cto li? Drunk scold, bawl out (lit., gnaw on). Math
already, arent you? ego kosterila pocm zr za ploxie
otmetki. His mother really chewed
KOSTH/ZAKOSTH, crim. & youth. him out for getting such bad marks.
To hide, secrete, stash away (lit., to
mow). My tut zakosili paru kilo- , -, pl. Parents (lit., bones).
gramm blok. Weve got a couple of ,
kilos of apples stashed away here. . My parents are at the dacha,
Kosth/zakosth na volhtantogo, we can have a party.
youth, neg. To act crazy or pretend to be KOSTYL, -j, pl., neg. Legs (lit.,
crazy (from volht, volt, in reference to crutches). Podberi svoi kostyli,
electric shock). Ne kosi na volhtanu- projti negde. Move your legs; youre
togo, vedi seb normalhno. Dont act blocking the passage.
like a maniacbehave yourself! KOSTYLTH/NAKOSTYLTH, neg.
K x, idiom. (from , a To beat up, give a beating (from kos-
madman). See / tylh, crutch). Tebe nado nakosty-
. , lth za takie dela, ctob znal.
idiom. (from , a crazy per- Well have to beat you up for that to
son). See / - teach you a lesson. Kostylth/na-
. Kosth/zakosth pod kostylth po nogm, idiom, sports. To
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KOSTH
hit in the legs. Oni tolhko i delat,
cto kostylt po nogam, igrath
nevozmono. They just keep going for
the legs. Its impossible to play like that!
KOSTH: Ne v kosth, idiom. Displeasing,
not to ones taste. Vs, cto ty govo-
rih, mne ne v kosth. Everything you
say is displeasing to me. Brosth/
brsith kosth, see under brosth. Dve
ksti sleny, (mdu nmi pizd
vlena), see under dve.
KOSXA, -i, f., crim., obs. One thousand
rubles (cf. kos). Vot kosuxa, poka
xvatit tebe na iznh. Heres a thou-
sand that should be enough for you.
KOSK, -, m., youth. A papirosa ciga-
rette emptied of tobacco and refilled with
hash or any drug for smoking. (Originally
a twist of paper [cf. kosj] for smoking
tobacco). Zabil kosk (zard) v pu-
ku tugo / I dumal: ugowu druga. I
pushed a twist (a cartridge) tightly into the
gun / And thought: Ill treat a friend to
this. (Play on famous lines of Lermon-
tovs poem Borodino.) Zabi-
vth/zabth kosk, see under zabivth.
KOT, -, m., neg. Lit., a tomcat. 1. A pimp.
Pri nej vsegda dva kota. There are
always two pimps hanging around her.
2. A lover. Ona enwina bogata,
derit dvux kotov: odin blondin,
drugoj brnet. Shes a rich woman
she keeps two lovers, a blond and a
brunette. Kot pod xvost, idiom, neg.
In vain, to no purpose (lit., under a cats
tail). Vs naa rabota pola kotu
pod xvost. All our work has gone for
nothing. A potm sup s kotm, see
under a.
KOTL, kotl, m. A head (lit., a boiler).
U teb kotl sovsem perestal rabo-
tath. Youre not thinking clearly.
KOTELK, kotelk, m., joc. A head (lit.,
pot, cauldron). Cto-to kotelok
bolit. Ive got a bit of a headache.
Kotelk ne vrit u kog-l., idiom.
Someone isnt thinking clearly (lit.,
someones pot isnt cooking). Ustal,
kotelok ne varit, davaj projdms.
Im tired; my head isnt functioning.
Lets go for a walk.
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130
KOTL, -v, pl., crim. & youth. A wrist-
watch (lit., a large pot). Nado emu
podarith kotly. Lets give him a
watch as a present.
KOFEMLITH/POKOFEMLITH,
neg. To chat (from kofemolka, coffee
grinder). Xvatit kofemolith, pora
i porabotath nemnogo. Enough
yakkety-yak, its time to get some work
done.
KATH/OTKATH, youth. To admire,
to appreciate. Ty otokal von tu
blondinku? Xoroa! Did you get a
load of that blonde over there? Shes a
real looker!
KOCN, -, m., joc. Lit., a head of cab-
bage. 1. A head. Ty budeh dumath
svoim kocanom? Use your head! 2. A
revolver. Prodaj mne kocan. Sell me
your revolver. Po kocan, idiom, joc.
Rhyming nonsense answer to the ques-
tion Pocemu? Why? Pocemu ty ne
xoceh exath? Pocemu? Po kocanu!
Why dont you want to go? Why?
Just because!
KOCEVRITHS/ZAKOCEVR-
ITHS, neg. To be stubborn, put up
resistance, act naughty. Eh, ne koce-
vrhs. Eat dont be naughty.
KOCM, -a, m., youth & crim. Time off,
leisure time, fun; esp., drunkenness.
On, kak vsegda, v kocume. Hes on a
spree, as usual.
KOCUMTH, imperf. only. 1. crim. To
think, consider, deliberate. Tut kocu-
math nuno, ne vs prosto. I need to
think this over its not so simple. 2.
youth. To finish, stop. Kocumaj ku-
rith, poli rabotath. Time to stop
smoking and get to work.
KORH, -, m., crim. A sack, bag.
Poarh v koare, tam eda esth.
Feel around in the sack there should
be something to eat there.
KOLKA, -i, f., rude. Lit., a sack with
handles. 1. A lesbian. Vse znat, ona
kolka. Everyone knows shes a
lesbian. 2. An ugly woman. U nego
devuka kolka. His girlfriend is a
bag.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
131
KKA: Vo rtu, kak kki nasrli,
see under srath.
KKI I SOBKI, idiom, business.
Risky, low-priced securities (lit., cats and
dogs). Koki i sobaki ue mes ni-
komu ne nuny. No ones been inte-
rested in cats and dogs for the last
month.
KOMTERNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Horri-
ble, dreadful (by wordplay on komar,
nightmare, and maternyj, obscene).
So mnoj proizol komaternyj
slucaj. Something horrible happened to
me.
KRAB, -a, m., joc. 1. A hand (lit., crab).
Deri kraba, davno ne videlish.
Let me shake your hand; its been a long
time since weve seen each other! 2.
Army. A marine cockade, an insignia on
a military cover (lit., a crab).
KRL, -i, f., joc. A beautiful woman
(from the Polish word for queen). Ot-
kuda ty tu kral privl? Where
did you find that beauty-queen?
KRANT, pl. Curtains! The end! Its all
over! Za to, cto s nej perespal,
mne kranty. Itll be all over with me
if they find out that I slept with her.
KRASV DO BEZOBRZI, idiom,
joc. Lit., handsome to the point of ugli-
ness (said of extreme good looks). Nu,
kak enix? Krasiv do bezobrazi.
So whats her beau like? So hand-
some it hurts.
KRSKA, -i, f. 1. neg. Cheap, strong red
wine. tu krasku pith ne budu. I
wont drink that rotgut. 2. youth. Red
Square in Moscow. Znacit, na Kraske
v semh, smotri, ne opazdyvaj. So,
seven oclock at Red Square dont be
late.
KRSKI, krsok, pl. Menstrual period.
Ona v sorevnovanii ne ucastvuet, u
ne kraski. Shes not playing in the
competition because shes got her
period.
KRSNA KRA, krsnoj kri, va kniga, pocitaj. This is an extraor-
f. Illegal police protection of private
enterprises, banks, etc. (lit., red roof).
Ni pod krasnu, ni pod blatnu
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KREM
kryu ne pojdu. Im not going to pay
protection money either to the police or to
the mob.
KRSNENHKA, -oj, f., obs. Ten rubles
(from the red color of ten-ruble bills).
Daj ew krasnenhku na metro.
Give me another ten rubles for the sub-
way.
KRASNOPZYJ, -ogo, m., neg. A com-
munist (from krasnyj, red, and puzo,
belly). O cm govoril tot krasno-
puzyj po teliku? What was that
redbelly talking about on the TV?
KRSNYJ PPA, -ogo, -y, m. A
nickname of Gennady Zyuganov, the
leader of the Communist Party of Russia
(lit., Red Daddy).
KRASNK, -, m., neg. Cheap, strong red
wine (cf. krska). Vot kupil kras-
nka, xvatit na vsex. Ive bought
enough wine for everybody.
KRASK, -, m., crim., neg. A good-
looking man. tot krask tolhko o
babax i dumaet. All that Adonis ever
thinks about is dames.
KREVTKA, -i, f., youth, neg. A small or
short young person (lit., a shrimp).
Pusth krevetka sbegaet za sigare-
tami. Send the shrimp out for ciga-
rettes.
KREJZ, -, f., youth, joc. 1. An insane
asylum, psychiatric hospital (from Eng.
crazy). On leit v krejze. Hes in
a psychiatric hospital. 2. m. and f. An
insane person. On polnyj krejza.
Hes completely out of his mind.
KREJZANTYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Crazy (from Eng. crazy). Ty cto,
krejzanutyj, cego orh? What are
you, crazy, yelling like that?
KREJZANTHS, perf. only, youth. To
be crazy about someone or something.
On krejzanuls na tlom roke.
He went crazy over hard rock.
KREJZVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, joc. Out-
standing, extraordinary. to krejzo-
dinary book you ought to read it.
KREM, -a, m., joc. The Kremlin (lit.,
cream; a dialectal variant used for comic
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 132

132

effect). Vse v Krem rvuts, vse until payday. Takj xoldnyj, kak
xott pravith. Everyones running to krokodl goldnyj, see under takj.
the Kremlin these days they all want to , -, m. A hashish dose (from
rule. , to sprinkle, referring to a small
, -, f. A special direct con- size of any substance).
nection to high officials in the Kremlin. . For you, I
, . can always find a dose of hash.
Keep it down, the boss is on the Kremlin KROSS, -v, pl. Sports shoes, running
line. shoes. Moi krossy sovsem razvali-
KREMLVSKIE BRVI, idiom, joc. A lish. My running shoes are completely
nickname for Leonid Brezhnev or Victor worn out.
Chernomyrdin, alluding to their bushy KROTH batn, idiom, youth, neg. To
eyebrows (lit., Kremlin eyebrows). scold, reprimand (lit., to crumble a loaf of
KREP IZ BUXENVLHDA, idiom, bread). Koncaj baton kroith,
army, neg. A skinny weakling (lit., a nicego ne bral. Stop yelling at me! I
strong man from Buchenwald). Ty didnt take anything.
xoth raz na turnike podtnuths /
moeh, krepy iz Buxenvalhda? , idiom. 1. To sleep. Lit., to crum-
Can you do even a single chin-up, you ble a loaf of bread on ones heels.
ninety-pound weakling? ,
, -, m., army, neg. A stupid igno- . You are a master when it
rant soldier (lit., a cross, from comes to rack-ups, youve been sleeping
, to consider someone (racked out) for almost 24 hours. 2. To
so stupid that he ought to simply be boast and lie.
crossed out). , ,
, ? . Now is
Are you sure that our fool will do every- when hell start his bullshit bragging about
thing as it was explained to him? how he killed five men at once with his
, -, f. A slogan repeated bare hands.
loudly by fans of a football or hockey KRUTHS, imperf. To be busy trying
team, a cheer (from , to scream). to make money (lit., to spin). Krucush,
KRVNA MESTH, idiom, joc. Mentrua- krucush, a deneg vs ravno ne xvataet.
tion, as an excuse for interrupting sexual No matter how I work at it, I never have
relations (lit., blood vengeance). Cto- enough money.
to ty casto primeneh krovnu U, -, f., army. Infantry (lit., grains
mesth. It seems to me youve been of cereal, describing the view of infantry
having your period very often lately. troops from above as being small, scat-
KROVH: Mloj krvh, idiom. Without tered, and of little importance).
problems, without casualties (lit., with lit- , , ,
tle bloodshed). Mne ta kvartira , .
dostalash maloj krovh. I managed We, the paratroopers, always go in first,
to get this apartment without too much of and only after weve done all the dirty
a struggle. work does the infantry come in.
KROKODL, -a, m. 1. army. An army KRUPNK, -, m., collect. Large-denomi-
vehicle for transporting troops. Vot i nation bills. U men melkix net,
na krokodil, zalezaj, poexali! tolhko krupnk. I havent got any
Heres our wagon hop on, were leav- change, just large bills.
ing. 2. joc., obs. Fifty rubles, a fifty- KRUTANTH, perf. only. To interrogate,
ruble note. Mne nado krokodil do question (lit., to spin). Nado ego kru-
polucki. I need to borrow fifty rubles tanuth kak sleduet, cto-to on skry-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
133
vaet. Well really have to grill him
hes hiding something.
KRUTIZN, -, f., youth, pos. Strength,
toughness, self-promotion (cf. krutj).
On parenh s krutiznoj. Hes a tough
customer. S povennoj krutiz-
nj, idiom, youth, pos. Strong, danger-
ous. Ego ne zavodi, on s povyennoj
krutiznoj. Dont start up with him
hes dangerous.
KRUTTH1: Krutth dinmo, idiom,
neg. 1. To flirt while refusing sex (lit., to
spin the engine). Ona s nim tolhko
dinamo krutit, ne pereivaj. Dont
worry, shes just leading him on. 2. To
stall, delay, deceive, renege. On mne
krutit dinamo ue mes. Hes been
giving me the runaround for a month
already. Krutth riki, idiom, neg.
To deceive, trick, cheat (lit., to spin
someones ball bearings). Ona emu
ariki krutit, a sama gulet s dru-
gim. Shes cheating on him and going
out with someone else. Krut pedli,
pok ne dli, rhyming phrase, joc. Get
out of here! Scram! (lit., turn the pedals
before you get beaten up). Krutth
ja, see under j.
KRUTTH2/ZAKRUTTH, neg. To pre-
varicate (lit., to spin, fishtail). Ty ne
kruti, govori pravdu. Dont beat
around the bush tell the truth. Kru-
tth/zakrutth lbvh, idiom, joc. To
go out with someone, be someones boy-
friend or girlfriend (lit., to spin love). S
kem on sejcas lbovh krutit?
Whos he going out with now?
KRUTTH3/POKRUTTH To interrogate
(lit., to whirl, to twist, to spin).
, him just now; hes swearing at everyone
. You grill him here, in sight. Kryth/pokrth na cm svet
squeeze out all the information you can
while I search his apartment. K-
/ barnku, idiom. To abuse]). On svo rabotu kroet na
work as a chauffeur (lit., to twirl the
wheel). Ty dumaeh, legko krutith
baranku elyj denh? You think its so
easy to twirl the wheel all day long?
Krutth/pokrutth dnhgi, idiom.
To speculate in money. V kakom banke
ty krutih denhgi? What bank are
Page 133
KRA
you investing your money in?
KRUTNK, -, m., youth. 1. A tense situa-
tion, quarrel, fight. Skoro krutnk nac-
nts. Soon the fighting will start.
2. See krutj.
KRTO, adv., youth. Excellently, well.
Nu i kruto on vyduvaet na sakse.
Wow, he blows that sax really well.
KRUTJ, -, -e, pos. 1. Strong, strong-
willed, strict, tough, pushy. U teb
muik krutoj. Your husband is quite a
tough guy. 2. Making a strong impres-
sion, frightening, terrific. to filhm
krutoj, ne dl slabonervnyx. That
was a powerful film not for the weak-
kneed! Krce teb byvt tlhko
ja! see under j.
, -, -, neg. 1. A sharp per-
son (lit., twisted).
, ,
. That recruit is
locked-on, hes smart, clever, hell make
a great leader. 2. Treacherous, double-
crossing. ,
, . He cannot be
trusted, hes a double-crossing bastard!
/-
, neg. To steal from fellow soldiers
in the barracks (lit., to rat).
,
. Its been a long time
since weve had to worry about a rat
(thief) among us, but dont worry, well
catch this one and string him out to dry.
KRYTH/POKRTH: Kryth/pokrth
matgmi, neg. To swear at someone.
Ne xodi sejcas k nemu, on vsex pod-
rd kroet matgami. Dont go near
stot, idiom. To curse, abuse (lit., to
cover the foundation of the world [with
cm svet stoit. Now hes cursing his
work. Kryth/pokrth mtom, see
gnuth/zagnth mtom.
KRA: Kra poxala (potekl)
(kru otorvlo) u kog-l., idiom,
neg. Lit., someones roof has flown off
(used to describe strange or crazy behav-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KRKA
ior). U nego, vidath, krya poexala,
raz reil v svoi gody ew raz e-
niths. He seems to have flipped his
lid. Imagine, deciding to remarry at his
age! Kra v put, idiom, neg. Lit.,
someones roof is on the move; used to
describe strange or crazy-seeming behav-
ior. Cto s nego vzth, u nego davno
krya v puti. What can you expect
from him? Hes been off his head for a
long time.
KRKA kom-l., idiom. Someone is in
for punishment or trouble (lit. cover, lid).
Esli ob tom uznat, nam kryka.
If they find out about this, its curtains
for us.
, perf. To die (lit., to quack). ior.
, , - KUD KORLH PEKM XDIT,
, . idiom, joc. A toilet (lit., where even the
Didnt you hear? That soldier that was
imprisoned for treason suddenly croaked
about a month before his trial.
KSREVO, -a, n., joc. A photocopy (by
wordplay on kseroks, xerox, and
serevo, a turd). poloil tebe
kserevo na stol, pocitaj! I already put
the xerox on the table for you. Read it!
KSRITH/POKSRITH, OTKS-
RITH. To make photocopies (cf. ks-
revo). Skolhko tebe strani ew
kserith. How many more pages do you
need xeroxed?
KSVA, -y, f., crim. A document, identifi-
cation card (from Heb.). Pokazyvaj
ksivu, a to ne projdh. Show your
identification or you cant pass.
KTO NE ZNET, TOT OTDYXET,
idiom. Lit., He who doesnt know how [to
make money] gets to rest.
KTO NE RISKET, TOT NE PHT
AMPNSKOGO, idiom. An expres-
sion used to urge or praise bold, decisive
behavior (lit., He who takes no risk
drinks no champagne). Ne zna, cto
delath, menth kvartiru? Reaj,
kto ne riskuet, tot ne pht am-
panskogo. I cant decide whether to
move to another apartment or not. Do
it! Nothing ventured, nothing gained!
KTO OPOZDL, TOT NE USPL,
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134
idiom. Whoever is late misses out. A
mne ostalosh vypith? Kto opoz-
dal, tot ne uspel. Is there anything
left for me to drink? Youre late,
youre out of luck.
KTO SPRIT, TOT GOVN NE
STIT. See under govn.
KUBL, -, n., neg. Bad company, a gang,
den (of wolves). Ix kublo mne ne
nravits, tam oni pht, irts.
I dont like that gang; they just drink and
shoot dope.
KUGT, -a, m., south, neg. An unsophisti-
cated, provincial person. togo kugu-
ta ne naucih vesti seb prilicno.
That hick will never learn proper behav-
king goes on foot). Mne nado, kuda
korolh pekom xodit. I need to go to
the bathroom.
KUD TY DNEHS, KOGD
RAZDNEHS, rhyming phrase, joc.
Theres no use getting dressed when
youve already taken your clothes off.
Used of a situation in which expectations
established by previous compliance make
it hard to extricate oneself later on. ne
budu bolhe pecatath ti bumagi
nacalhniku! Kuda ty denehs,
kogda razdenehs. Im not going to
type any more of these papers for the
boss. No use getting dressed when
youve already taken off your clothes.
KUKARNIK, -a, m., crim. An isola-
tion cell for holding prisoners pending
trial (lit., a chicken coop). Kto u nas
sidit sejcas v kukarenike? Whove
we got waiting in the coop?
KUKARKU: Ni b, ni m, ni kuka-
rku, see under ni.
KKLA, -y, f., crim. A roll of bills in
which the inner bills have been replaced
by worthless paper (lit., a doll). Pri
rascte emu vmesto deneg vsucili
kuklu. When they paid up they slipped
him a doll instead of real money.
KUKNR, -a, m., youth. 1. Ground poppy-
heads. 2. A decoction of poppyheads.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 135
135
Kuknar gotov, nacinaj! The poppy
brew is ready. Have some!
KUKOVTH/ZAKUKOVTH. To live
alone (lit., to play the cuckoo; from the
cuckoos habit of slipping her eggs into
other birds nests for hatching; cf.
kukka). Xvatit kukovath, pora
eniths. Enough playing the cuckoo
its time to get married.
KKOLHNIK, -a, m., crim. Someone
who passes bad money in the form of
dolls (see kkla). Budeh proda-
vath mainu, beregish kukolhnikov.
Watch out for doll-passers when you sell
your car.
KU-K, idiom. 1. Crazy. On cto, sov-
sem u teb ku-ku? What is he, crazy?
2. So long! See you around! Nu,
pol, ku-ku! Well, Ive got to go now.
Ta-ta!
KUKKA, -i, f., neg. 1. A mother who
gives up her child to be raised by others
(lit., a cuckoo). ta kukuka i raz v
nedel ne zajdt provedath syna.
That cuckoo wont drop in to see her son
even once a week. 2. f., army. A sharp-
shooter (lit., a cuckoo, meaning that
sharpshooters hide in the trees).
KULMA, -y, f., joc. A dumb, awkward
girl or woman (from kulh, a big, heavy
sack). Ty e ne to kupila, kulma,
prosil moloko, ne kefir. You dumb
sack! I told you to buy milk, not kefir!
KULH S DERHMM, idiom, neg. A bad
person (lit., a sack of shit). Menhe
vsego nado verith tomu kul s
derhmom. The last thing you should ever
do is believe that sack of crap.
KUM, -a, m., crim. A prosecutor, official
who determines what offense a criminal
is to be charged with (lit., a godfather).
Kum mne ht ubijstvo. The prose-
cutor is pinning a murder on me. Kum
plett lpti, idiom, crim. The prose-
cutor is putting together material against
the accused (lit., the godfather is plaiting
bast shoes). Smotri, vedi seb osto-
rono, kum plett lapti. Watch out
the prosecutor is putting together a
case against you.
KREVO-PREVO
KUMRITH/PEREKUMRITH, youth.
To have a hangover from use of narcotics.
Teb kumarit, vot vypej. Youre in
a bad way drink some of this!
KUMKATH/POKUMKATH, joc. To
think, consider. Vot i kumeka,
stoit to delath ili net. Im con-
sidering whether its worth doing or not.
KMPOL, -a, m., joc. A head (distorted
from kupol, cupola). U teb na
kumpole ika. Youve got a bump on
your dome. Brath/vzth na kmpol,
see under brath.
KPOL poxal. See kra poxala.
KUR, -, m., crim. Income, winnings,
profits. Poslednee vrem ty vs
vrem v kurae. Youre always flush
these days.
KRVA, -y, f., rude. A prostitute, whore
(term of abuse). Ot toj kurvy der-
ish podalhe. Keep away from that
prostitute. Ax ty kurva! You whore,
you!
KURVNY, -a, m., rude. Good-for-
nothing, worthless person (usually said of
a young person; cf. krva). teb,
kurvny, ctoby zdesh bolhe ne
videl. Dont let me see you around here
again, you little bastard.
KURV, -, m., rude. A bastard, scoun-
drel. U togo kurvea ni styda ni
sovesti. That bastard has no shame and
no conscience.
KRVITHS/SKRVITHS, rude. To
become corrupted, go bad (of a person).
Ty sovsem skurvils, razgovarivath
protivno. Youve turned into such a
creep, its disgusting to even talk to you.
KURVWE, -i, m. & f., irregular, rude. A
loose woman, slut (cf. krva). Ty vi-
dih tu kurviwu? Tak i prosits v
postelh. See that floozy over there?
You can see shes just asking to be taken
to bed.
KREVO, -a, n., collect. Cigarettes, papi-
rosi. Kurevo esth? Have you got
anything to smoke?
KREVO-PREVO, -a, n., rude. Sexual
activity. Kadyj denh kurevo-porevo
mne ue ne po silam. I havent got the
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
KUROLSITH/ZAKUROLSITH
nergy to bed a woman evey day.
KUROLSITH/ZAKUROLSITH,
neg. To misbehave, to be naughty.
Uspokojtesh, ne nadoelo kurole-
sith? Calm down, arent you tired of
acting up?
KUROPTKA, -i, f., crim. An informer
(lit., a wild chicken). Nado nam najti
kuropatku. Weve got to find out whos
ratting on us.
KURCITH/RASKURCITH. To
break. Kto to raskurocil moi ca-
sy? Who broke my watch?
KURS, -a, m., army. A cadet (abbreviated
from kursant). On ew kurs. Hes
still a cadet.
KUSMN, -a, m. A chunk, block, big
piece. Vot tebe kusman kolbasy,
eh. Heres a chunk of sausage for you.
Eat up.
KUSK, kusk, m. 1. army, neg. An
ensign, an army officer usually working
in provisions. Von kusok idt, opth
nado stroiths na rabotu. Here
comes the ensign better get back to
work! 2. A thousand rubles, a thousand-
ruble bill. to tebe budet stoith
kusok. Thats going to cost you a thou-
sand. 3. neg. A greedy person (lit., a
piece, from the saying On ne dast kuska
xleba, He wont even give you a piece
of bread). tot kusok kolbasy ne
dast. That hog wouldnt even share a
piece of sausage.
, -, m. 1. A greedy person na polcasika zakucumarith. Ill just
(from , a piece of something).
, /. To have
, a good time.
. Serving in this detachment KAJTE, GSTI DOROGE, VS
has made a miser out of me. Around here
one has to scrounge for food and goods
to survive. 2. Army. A cook. - selves at home. Lit., Help yourselves,
, . Its dear guests, we were going to throw it out
hard to work as a cook, but they never
starve.
KUSCNICATH/ZAKUSCNI-
CATH, neg. To be miserly, to hoard.
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136
Cto u ty tak kusocnicaeh, kak
niwij? Why are you hoarding crumbs
like that, as if you were a beggar?
KUST: Kak s kust, see under kak.
KUTK, kutk, m., crim. A thieves den
(from kut, a hiding place). U nix v
kutke vsegda vypith najdts. Over
at their den theres always something to
drink.
KUX-TRST, -a, m., crim. A gathering of
prostitutes (lit., a kitchen consortium).
Segodn u nix kux-trest, vse budut
tam. The gals are having a get-together
today; everyone will be there.
KCER, -a, m. A driver, a taxi driver (lit., a
coachman). Kto u nego za kucera?
Whos his driver?
KUCERVA IZNH, idiom, pos. Easy
life, easy street (lit., curly life, with re-
ference to luxurious, uncombed hair).
U teb sejcas otpusk, pola kuce-
rva iznh. Now that youre on leave,
youre on easy street.
KUCKOVTHS/POKUCKOVTHS
1. To get together, meet, have a gathering
(from kuca, heap, pile). Gde oni
segodn kuckuts? Where are they
getting together today? 2. To be on
friendly terms. Ona s nim davno kuc-
kuets. Shes been friends with him for
a long time.
KUCUMRITH/ZAKUCUMRITH,
youth, crim. To sleep, to dream. lgu
lie down for a half-hour nap.
RAVN VYBRSYVATH! idiom, joc.
Dont stand on ceremony; make your-
anyway! Nu, cto vy sidite, kuaj-
te, gosti dorogie, vs ravno vybrasy-
vath. Dont just sit there. Dig in! Make
yourselves at home!
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
LABTH/SLABTH, youth. To play a
musical intrument. Slabaj cto-
nibudh duevnoe. Play something lyri-
cal. Labth/slabth muzn, idiom,
youth. To play (on a musical instrument).
Ty umeeh labath muzon? Can you
play?
LABUD, -, f., neg. Nonsense, baloney,
garbage. Ne govori tak, to vs
labuda. Dont talk like that its all
nonsense. V labud, neg. Extremely
drunk. Ty vcera pril v labudu,
nado umeth pith. You were com-
pletely soused yesterday you dont
know how to hold your liquor.
LBUX, -a, m., youth. A musician. On v
labuxi podals. Hes become a musi-
cian.
LAB, n., indecl., crim. Money. Skolh-
ko lab on tebe dolen? How much
money does he owe you?
LVOCKA: Po phnoj lvocke, idiom,
neg. While drunk, because of intoxica-
tion. Oni po phnoj lavocke kogo-to
tam izbili. They beat someone up
while they were drunk.
LADRA, -y, f., crim. A wedding. Ty
idh na laduru pogulth? Are you
going to the wedding? Itll be fun.
LAD, adv. Okay, agreed! (from ladno).
Nu, lady, prinesu tebe knigi.
Okay, Ill bring you the books.
LA, -i, f. Nonsense; misunderstanding.
Vs, cto on piet, laa. Every-
thing he writes is garbled.
LATH/LAANTH, neg. To
deceive, cheat, break a promise. Ty
opth nas laanul, ne privz stroj-
materialy. You cheated us again by
not bringing the construction materials.
LATHS/LAANTHS, neg. To
fail, fall short, lose out. On laanuls
na kzamenax. He flunked his exams.
LAVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Bad. Zdoro-
vhe u men stalo sovsem laovym,
revmatizm zamucil. My health has
become very bad; my rheumatisms been
killing me.
Page 137
LZITH/SLZITH na bbu, idiom,
rude. To have sex with (lit., to climb
onto) a woman. Ty uspel slazith na
babu do otqezda? Did you manage to
get her to bed before you left?
LJBA, -y, f., obs. An old or poor vehicle
(originally a bicycle). Sadish na
lajbu, goni v magazin za sigaretami.
Get in the jalopy, and run over and buy
some cigarettes.
LJKATH/ZALJKATH, youth. To like
(from Eng. like). Ty mso laj-
kaeh? Do you like meat?
LAJF, -a, m., youth. Life (from Eng.
life). Lajf pola kruta. Life
has become harder. Bez kjfa ntu
ljfa, see under bez.
LKER, -a, m., youth. A lacquered jewelry
box (from lak, lacquer). Pocm na
Arbate ti lakery? How much are
these lacquer boxes selling for on the
Arbat?
LAMPDA, -y, f. A light bulb, light (lit.,
an oil lamp, esp. for burning before
icons). Zagi lampadu! Turn on the
light!
, idiom, army.
The right of senior officers to give orders
(lit., the right of the stripes).
,
. We follow our comman-
der because we respect him, not because
he has rank and authority to give orders.
LMPOCKA: Do lmpocki, idiom, neg.
It doesnt matter, its all one. Mne do
lampocki, cto ty obo mne dumaeh.
I dont care what you think of me.
LPA, -y, f. Lit., paw. 1. Pal, friend, dear,
darling . Postavh, lapa, cajnik. Put
the kettle on, dear. 2. neg. Corruption,
protection. U nego esth lapa v minis-
terstve. Hes got a connection in the
ministry. Davth/dath na lpu, see
under davth. Moxnta lpa, see
under moxnta. Sch lpa, see under
scij.
LPATH/ZALPATH, neg. Cf. lpa.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
LPKI KVRXU
1. To soil something with dirty hands.
Vy mne vs skaterth zalapali.
Youve gone and dirtied my tablecloth
with your filthy paws. 2. To feel up,
paw. Ne lapaj devuku, ona ne tvo.
Dont paw her; shes not yours.
LPKI KVRXU, idiom. Surrender (lit.,
paws up). Teb cuth tronuli, pom-
li, a ty i lapki kverxu. They hardly
touched you just roughed you up a lit-
tle and you gave up!
LPOTNIK, -a, m., crim. One who takes
bribes. On lapotnik, sidit za
vztki. Hes doing time for taking
bribes.
LPOTH, lpt, m., neg. 1. A bungler,
good-for-nothing, oaf (lit., a bast shoe
worn by peasants). Opth, lapoth,
ty ne smog kupith vs, cto nado.
You bungler, you never manage to buy
everything youre told to. 2. pl. Ugly
shoes. ti lapti nosith ne budu.
I wouldnt be caught dead in those clod-
hoppers. Lpti gnu, idiom. Lit., Im
bending lapti; a nonsense rhyme used in
evasive reply to the urging nu, nu, come
on, tell me about it (cf. nkath). Nu,
nu, rasskazyvaj! Nu, nu! Lapti gnu.
Come on, tell me, already! Come on,
come on! Nothing doing, Im not telling.
Otbrsyvath/otbrsith lpti, see
under otbrsyvath.
LAP, -, f., obs. A cable-knit sweater
(lit., noodle). Nadenh lapu, ona
idt k serhgam. Wear the cable-knit;
itll go with your earrings. Vath/
povsith lap n ui, see under
vath.
, -, m. A liar, an unreliable LAXDRA, -y, f., neg. 1. A slovenly
person, a person who should not be
believed. See . dra, priodenhs nemnogo. Why are you
LSTA, -y, f., neg. Hand, foot (lit., flip-
per). Uberi lasty, ne trogaj, ne
tebe. Get your paws off! Its not for
you, so dont touch it. Otknuth
lsty, see under otknuth.
LSTOCKA, -i, f., 1. army. A truck (lit.,
a swallow). Gruzi snardy na las-
tocku! Load the ammunition onto the
truck! 2. A method of immobilizing
violent drunks by tying them face-down.
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138
Budeh umeth, poleih u nas
lastockoj. One peep out of you and
well give you a swallowtail 3. A pros-
titute (lit., a swallow). ,
,
. If youre looking for a
call girl go into that cafe and youll find
the whole lot of them sitting at a table on
the right. 4. Any attractive woman.
,
,
! I cant figure out why he
constantly runs around on her, shes such
a looker! 5. Army. A special kind of tor-
ture used to bend a mans back by tying
his legs and head from behind. 6. A
woman in a secret service. 7. A soldier
with a concussion caused by a mine
(describing soldiers flying like birds after
an explosion).
LATN, -a, m. A Latin American. Ko
mne odin latin prixodit, govorit,
cto v Urugvae perevorot. So this Latin
guy comes up to me and says theres a
revolution going on in Uruguay.
LAF, -, f., pos. A comfortable or luxu-
rious life. U teb ne iznh lafa,
vs u teb esth: i dom, i maina!
Youre really on easy street with your
house, your car, and everything!
LAFTNICEK, laftnicka, m., obs.
A vodka glass (originally of thick, green-
ish ribbed glass.) Davaj po lafet-
nicku derbnem s moroza. Lets have a
shot to warm up.
LAXMN, -a, m., crim. The cancellation
of a gambling debt. Tebe laxmana ne
budet. Your debt wont be forgiven.
woman. Cto ty xodih kak laxu-
going around like such a frump? Put on
some nice clothes. 2. A whore. Ty
opth k toj laxudre xodil? Did you
visit that whore again?
LDPR, abbr. Zhirinovskys Liberal Demo-
cratic Party of Russia, deciphered as
Lbl duracith prostyx rebt, I
love making fools of simple people.
LEBEDNH, -i, f., joc. Any speech of
Alexander Lebed, Governor of Krasno-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
139
yarsk and a prominent public figure (by
wordplay on drnh, rubbish). Lebe-
dnh vsem podnadoela. Everyone is
sick of Lebeds speeches.
LEBEZTNIK, -a, m., neg. A fawning
person, toady. U nas zavls lebezt-
nik. Weve got an ass-licker among us.
, -, f. A prostitute (a wordplay we walk?
on , a swan, and , a prosti- LETH/LECH, youth. To be amazed
tute).
LEVK, -, m., obs. From levyj, left
side. 1. The driver of a private car who
moonlights by carrying passengers for a
fee. Davaj vozhmm levaka, zdesh
taksi ne pojmaeh. Lets hire a
lefty; its impossible to get a regular
taxi here. 2. A fence, dealer in stolen or
resold goods. Nado kupith kirpic u
levaka. Well have to buy the bricks
from a lefty.
LVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg. Unpleasant,
bad (lit., left). to vs levye priko-
ly, to ne lajka. I dont like all
this nasty nagging. Lva rabta,
idiom. Moonlighting, doing a supplemen-
tary job (lit., work on the left). On vs
vrem delaet levu rabotu. Hes
always got some moonlighting job.
Lvoj nogj, idiom, neg. Carelessly,
any old way (lit., with ones left foot).
Ty tot risunok delal levoj nogoj.
You made that drawing carelessly.
LEGVKA, -i, f., neg. A police station (cf.
legvyj). V legavku luce ne popa-
daths, snacala pobht, potom
otrafut. Better not fall into the
hands of the police; first theyll beat you,
then theyll fine you.
LEGVYJ, -ogo, m., neg. A police officer
(from legava sobaka, a hunting dog).
Legavye idut, smatyvaems. Here
comes the law. Lets cut bait.
LEG, -a, m., neg. See legvyj.
LGCE DATH, CEM OBQSNTH,
idiom, joc. Lit., Its easier to give (you
what you want, i.e., to go to bed with you)
than to explain. Used to express
exasperation with someones failure to
understand.
LD, lhda, m., crim. Lump sugar (lit.,
Page 139
LMON
ice). Skolhko u nas lhda ostalosh,
bolhe kilogramma? How much sugar
is left? Is there more than a kilogram?
, -, m. An apartment (lit., a deck
chair). ,
? Wheres your
pad, do we need to take the metro or can
(lit., to lie down). tak i legla, kogda
uznala, cto on uexal za bugor. I practi-
cally fainted when I heard he had gone
abroad!
LECIJ: Ne bej lecego, see under
ne.
LKA: V lku, idiom, neg. Very
drunk. Oni tam v lku perepilish.
Theyve drunk themselves under the
table over there.
LEZTH v butlku, idiom. To lose control
of oneself, become aggressive (lit., to
crawl into the bottle). Uspokojs, ne
lezh v butylku. Calm down; dont get
all hot under the collar.
LEJTXA, -i, m., army, joc. A lieutenant.
A na lejtxa sovsem zelnyj. Our
lieutenant is completely inexperienced.
LEKLITH/POLEKLITH, youth. To
engage in oral sex (from lekalo, a guide
for drawing curves). Oni tam v sosed-
nej komnate lekalt. Theyre mak-
ing curves over there in the other room.
LEKLHWIA, -y, f., rude. A girl who
engages in oral sex (from lekalhwik, a
skilled metal turner). Ona izvestna
lekalhwia. Everyone knows she
gives blow jobs.
LEKRSTVO, -a, n., joc. Liquor, esp.
when drunk as a supposed remedy for a
hangover (lit., medicine). Lekarstvo
esth, poleciths nado. Is there any-
thing to drink? I need a cure.
, idiom, army,
joc. Two years of army service (lit., a
cure for love, meaning that girlfriends
rarely wait for soldiers to come home).
LMON, -a, m. A lemon (distorted from
limon, imitating the English pronuncia-
tion). Caj s lemonom budem pith ili
tak? Shall we have our tea plain or with
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
LNA, RAZDVNH KOLNA
lemon?
LNA, RAZDVNH KOLNA, idiom,
rude. A rhyming chant used to tease girls
named Lena. Pocemu ty ne dala spi-
sath zadacu, Lena, razdvinh kolena.
Why didnt you let me copy your math
problem, Lena-spread-your-knees?
LENVYJ RNOK, idiom, business.
Absense of trade in the market or
exchange (lit., lazy market). Segodn
kak nikogda lenivyj rynok, nikto ne
xocet riskovath. The market is slower
than ever these days. No one is willing to
take any risks.
LNKA-PNKA, idiom. A rhyming
phrase used to tease girls named Lena
(lit., Lena is scum).
LEPIZDRCESKIJ, -a, -oe, joc.
Electric (by wordplay on pizd and
lektriceskij, electrical). U teb
esth lepizdriceskij palhnik? Have
you got an electric soldering iron?
LEPIZDRCESTVO, -a, n., joc. Elec-
tricity (cf. lepizdrceskij). U nas
vcera lepizdricestvo vyrubilosh, a u
vas? We had a power outage yesterday.
Did you?
LEPLA, -y, m. & f., youth. A liar,
hoaxer. Pojdm posluaem, cto tam
lepila govorit. Lets go hear what
that hogwash artist is saying.
LEPLOVO, -a, n., youth. Lying, a pack
of lies (cf. lepla).
LEPTH/ZALEPTH: Lepth/zale-
pth gorbtogo, idiom, crim. 1. To put
down an improper card in card games
(lit., to paste on a deformed one). Ty
lepih gorbatogo, nuny piki.
Youve put down the wrong card you
need a spade. 2. To lie. Cto ty le-
pih gorbatogo, my tam ne byli.
Why are you lying? We werent there at
all. Lepth/zalepth skok, idiom,
crim. To rob an apartment. Oni vdvoem
zalepili skok, neploxo porabotali.
The two of them did an apartment rob-
bery; they made out pretty well.
, -, f. Something beautiful. , -, m. 1. A reservist who
. The participated in cleaning up debris after
weather today is beautiful.
Page 140
140
LSBA, -y, f. A lesbian. Ona cto,
lesba? Is she a lesbian or what?
LESNK, -, m., army, neg. A general
(lit., a forest ranger, with reference to the
fancy uniform). Nu, vot lesnik pri-
exal, sejcas povedut na uceni. Here
comes the general time for maneu-
vers.
LTERG, -a, m., crim. A police lieutenant.
Kto teb dopraival, leterg von
tot ili drugoj? Who interrogated
you? Was it that lieutenant over there or
someone else?
/. To be out of
order, to be broken (lit., to fly).
, .
My generator has been broken, its got
to be dismantled and repaired.
, -, f. A briefing (from ,
to fly). ,
. The pre-flight
brief starts in an hour, lets grab some
chow beforehand.
LECTH/POLECTH, neg. Lit., to cure.
1. To scold, punish. Prigotovhs, sej-
cas roditeli lecith budut. Get
ready; your parents are really going to
give it to you now. 2. To insist, try to
persuade. Ne nado men lecith, vs
ravno sdela po-svoemu. Dont bother
trying to convince me; Im going to do it
my own way anyhow.
LEK, -, m., neg. A forest ranger.
Zajti k leaku, cto li? On nepo-
dalku ivt. Would you run over to
the forest rangers? Its not far.
, -, m. A spanking, a smack on the
butt with the palm of ones hand. See
/ .
LVER, -a, m., joc. A fat man. togo
livera ne nakormih, rt za dvoix.
That fatso will eat you out of house and
home.
LIZTHS/POLIZTHS, joc. To
kiss. Xvatit lizaths, pora i dela-
mi zanths. Enogh smooching! Its
time to get down to business.
the Chernobyl catastrophe (lit., a liquida-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 141

141 /

tor). , leave unnoticed (lit., to bleach out, fade

, . He helped away). Kogda to on slinl, nikto
clean up after Chernobyl. He is disabled ne zametil? When did he manage to
now, for he got radiation poisoning. 2. slip away without anyone noticing?
Anyone working for the Ministry of Linth/slinth v nor, idiom, youth.
Extreme Situations (, - To leave, go home (lit., to slip into ones
). burrow). lin v noru v 12 casov.
LIKR ASS, idiom, army, joc. An Im going home at 12 oclock.
alcoholic drink made by flavoring pure LPA, -y, f. Forgery, fakery (lit., linden
spirits (lit., chassis liquor). Razlivaj wood). U nego dokumenty lipa.
likr assi, pora rasslabiths. His papers are phony.
Pour us some crankcase oil; its time for LIPCKA, -i, f., crim. A stick with a
a break. gummy or gluey end for stealing money
LIMN: Na limne, idiom, crim. In hid- from a counter at a store (lit., flypaper).
ing from the police (lit., in the marshes). Ona denhgi derit v wike pod pri-
On ue mes na limane. Hes been lavkom, zdesh nuna lipucka. She
in hiding for a month. keeps the money in a box under the
LIMIT, -, f., collect., neg. Temporary counter. Well need a sticky-stick. Na
workers who dont have regular autho- lipckax, idiom. By means of Velcro,
rization to live permanently in the city with Velcro fastenings. U nego kurtka
where they are working. V tom dome na lipuckax. His coat fastens with Vel-
ivt odna limita. The people who cro.
live in that building are all transients. LIST, -, m., youth. A packet of pills, a
LIMTCIK, -a, m., neg. An individual sheet or card of pills (narcotics). U me-
of the limit. n ew list ostals, vozhmi v wike.
LIMN, -a, m., youth. A million rubles I still have another sheet of pills get it
(lit., a lemon; from the yellow color of the out of the drawer.
one-million-ruble bill of the 1920s). LITVRY, litvr, pl., crim. & youth.
On vesit limon. Hes worth a mil- Breasts (lit., cymbals). Litavry u ne
lion. Bolhj limn, idiom. A billion cto nado. Shes got quite a pair of
rubles (lit., a big lemon; cf. arbz). knockers.
LIMOND, -a, m., youth, neg. A million- LITERTH/ZALITERTH, crim. To
aire. Tuda ne pojdm, tot kabak dl be obsequious, servile; to fawn on some-
limonadov. Lets not go there that one (cf. esterth). Kto u nego
restaurant is strictly for millionaires. literit sejcas? Whos dancing
LIMNKA, -i, f., crim. A woman who attendance on him these days?
engages in perverse sexual practices. LTERKA, -i, f., crim., neg. A toady, ass-
ta limonka na vs gotova. That licker. Ty v literki zapisals, vsem
lemon is willing to do anything. ugodaeh? How come youre toady-
LNZA, -y, f., crim. A shop window, dis- ing to everyone like that?
play window (lit., a lens). Esli tu lin- LITRBL: Mster sprta po litr-
zu razbith, to mono mnogo vzth v blu, see under mster.
magazine. If we can break that window, / ,
theres a lot we can loot in that store. idiom. To tease, to pester, to challenge
LINTH/POLINTH, business. To (lit., to pour , a Russian drink
suffer losses (lit., to fade, to bleed). made from boiled fruit and starch).
Osenh vse polinli i namnogo. ,
This autumn everyone suffered great . If you quit
losses. pestering me theres a possibility we can
LINTH/SLINTH, joc. To slip away, work this out calmly, OK?
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
LITH/OTLTH
LITH/OTLTH, rude. To urinate. Nado
by otlith, gde zdesh tolcok? I need
to take a leak. Wheres the can around
here?
LIXORDKA, -i, f., crim. A trial, court
process (lit., a fever). Kogda u nego
lixoradka? Whens his trial?
LI KAVKZSKOJ NAIONLH-
NOSTI, idiom. A person of the
Caucasian nationality, a Caucasian. V
Moskve milii ne dat proxodu
liam kavkazskoj naionalhnosti,
to trafuet, to proveret doku-
menty. In Moscow the police are
harassing Caucasians by fining them and
checking their ids.
, f., army. A personal bodyguard
(from ). - ix delax znaet slikom mnogo naro-
, . Hes not da, nado lech na dno. There are too
important enough to have a personal
body guard.
LKU: Vpith lku, see under
pith.
LOB: Zdorvyj lob, see under zdorvyj.
LOBNIK, -a, m., joc. A forehead,
brow (from lob). Sejcas polucih v
lobenik. Now youre going to get it
right to the head.
LOVTH, imperf. only, youth. To succeed
in getting, acquiring (lit., to catch).
Zdesh lovith necego, v magazine
piva net. We wont be able to pick up
anything here; theres no beer in the
store. Ne lovth myj, idiom, neg.
Not to do ones duty or carry out ones
assignment (lit., not to catch mice). Emu
porucili kupith knigi v biblioteku,
a on myej ne lovit. They commis-
sioned him to buy books for the library,
but hes not catching any mice.
LOVTH/POJMTH, SLOVTH kajf,
idiom. To get drunk, get a thrill. Ot
stakana srazu pojmal kajf. I got
really high just from that one glass.
LVKOSTH RUK, I NIKAKGO
MONSTVA, idiom. Its skill, not
fraud; used in ironic explanation of
unexpected success. Kak tebe udalosh
dostath ampanskoe na Novyj god?
Lovkosth ruk, i nikakogo moen-
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142
stva. How did you manage to get cham-
pagne for New Years? Believe me, it
was skill, not fraud.
LGOVO, -a, n. Home, abode On sidit
v svom logove na dace, nikuda ne
xodit. He just sits home at his dacha
and doesnt go anywhere.
, imperf., army. To eat greedily
(from , a spoon). ,
,
. The way you
shovel food down your throat spoils
everybodys appetite. You dont even
bother to use forks and knives!
LOTHS/LECH na dno, idiom. To be
in hiding, keep out of sight (lit., to lie on
the bottom, as of a submarine). O na-
many people who know about our affairs;
wed better lie low for a while.
Lots/lech na xo, idiom. To stick
in ones memory. ta muzyka srazu
legla na uxo. That tune stuck in my
head the minute I heard it.
LOKTOR, -a, m. An ear (lit., radar set).
Ne nastraivaj lokatory, ne pro
teb razgovor. Dont tune in on this,
its not for your ears.
LOK, -a, m., crim. Bad luck, misfortune.
U nego lok, ego arestovali. He
had a piece of bad luck he got
arrested.
LOK, -, f., crim. Poor-quality
clothes. Ne mogu nosith tu loku.
I wouldnt be caught dead in those rags.
LOM: Ne v lom, idiom, youth, neg.
Against ones will. Citath ti uceb-
niki mne ne v lom. I dont want to read
these textbooks at all. V lom, idiom.
Completely, utterly. On narals v
lom. He drank himself into uncon-
sciousness. Prtiv lma net prima
(, okrom druggo lma), see under
prtiv.
LOMANTHS, perf. only, youth. To
try, make a strong effort. Lomanms v
kabak? Shall we have a go at getting
into the restaurant?
LOMTH1, imperf. only. To dicker with,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 143
143
haggle with, bargain with someone. Ix
ew lomath nado, oni ne xott ski-
nuth enu. Well have to dicker with
them some more; so far theyre unwilling
to give a discount.
LOMTH2/OBLOMTH rog kom-l.,
idiom, neg. To beat up (lit., to tear out
someones horns). tebe roga oblo-
ma za vs. Ill tear you limb from limb
for what you did.
LOMTH3/POLOMTH butlku,
idiom. To drink a bottle of liquor, usually
with another person (lit., to break a bot-
tle). Ne mnogo li budet? Cto my,
ne moem polomath butylku? Isnt
that a lot to drink? Are you kidding?
We can certainly break a bottle between
us.
LOMTH4/SLOMTH kajf, idiom. To
spoil the fun, ruin the enjoyment of an
occasion. Ty nam vesh kajf slomal
utockami. Youve spoiled the fun
with your tricks. Lomth/slomth
crez kolno, idiom, neg. To do
something quickly and violently (lit., to
break over ones knee). Nelhz e vs
stranu lomath cerez koleno,
segodn stroim kommunizm, zavtra
kapitalizm. You cant just turn the
whole country upside-down like that,
building communism one day and
capitalism the next!
LOMTHS/SLOMTHS. 1. To
drink oneself unconscious. Ty, viu,
slomals, tebe xvatit. I see youve
drunk yourself into a stupor enough,
already! 2. To be tired, exhausted. Vs,
pora otdyxath, slomals. Enough!
Time for a rest. Im knocked out.
LOMNA, -y, f., youth, neg. A strong
man (from lom). Cto e ty, takoj
lomina, a rabotath ne xoceh.
Whats wrong with you? A big fellow
like you, and you wont work? V
lomnu, idiom, youth. Much, a lot (said
of drinking). Gde to vy uspeli
nadraths v lominu? Where did you
manage to get so loaded?
LOMOVJ, -, -e, youth. 1. Good,
fine, excellent. U nas budet lomova
poezdka. Were going to have a great
LXMY
trip. 2. Expensive, high (of prices).
eny segodn lomovye. Prices are
high today.
LONGVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Tall, long
(from Eng. long). ti truzera lon-
govye budut. These pants are too long.
LOPTA, -y, f., crim. A wallet, purse (lit.,
a spade). Dostavaj lopatu, platith
pora. Wheres your wallet? Its time to
pay up.
LPATH/SLPATH, neg. To eat raven-
ously, greedily. Kogda to vy slopali
vs mso? When did you wolf down all
that meat?
LPNUTH: Ctob mne lpnuth, see
under ctob.
LOPX, -, m., neg. A fool, idiot, simple-
ton (lit., burdock). Teb, lopuxa,
netrudno obmanuth. Its not hard to
fool you, you idiot.
LOPUXTHS/LOPUXNTHS, neg.
To be deceived, cheated, fooled. Zna-
eh, kak my vcera lopuxnulish, kupi-
li kostm, a on ne togo razmera.
You know how we got fooled yester-
day? They sold us a suit, but it was the
wrong size.
LOX, -a, m., youth, neg. A country bump-
kin, provincial person. On Moskvu
sovsem ne znaet, lox on i esth lox.
He doesnt know Moscow at all; hes a
complete hick.
LOXNKA, -i, f., neg. A mouth (lit., a
wooden tub). Zakroj loxanku, ruganh
nadoelo sluath. Shut your trap. Im
tired of your scolding.
LOXMTA KRA, idiom, crim. Rape
(lit., hairy theft). Za cto sidih, ne za
loxmatu krau, slucajno? What are
you doing time for? Not rape, by any
chance?
LOXMTYJ, -a, -oe, adj. 1. Unkempt,
ratty (referring especially to hair).
2. youth, pos. Fashionable. U teb
ocenh loxmatye ocki. Those are really
fashionable glasses youre wearing.
LXMY, pl. Hair, especially when shaggy
or unkempt. Otrastil sebe loxmy,
pora strichs. My mop has grown
really long. Its time for a haircut.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
LOXKA
LOXKA, -i, f., youth, neg. An unat-
tractive girl. Ty v tom plathe sto-
proentna loxuka. You really look
like a dog in that dress.
LADI, -j, pl. Horsepower (lit.,
horses). Skolhko loadej v tix
igulx? How much horsepower do
those Zhigulis have? j, zovt
loadj, see under j.
LOADNA DZA, idiom. A large
amount (lit., a horses dose). Ne nali-
vaj takie loadinye dozy, davaj
potixonhku, ne goni konej. Dont
pour such enormous drinks. Take it easy
dont be in such a hurry.
/. 1. To beat up (lit., kadu nedel. His parents beat him
to tin). , every week.
, . Dont piss LCE PEREBZDTH, CEM NEDO-
us off or well beat you to a pulp. 2. To
build, to construct, to work hard.
risks (lit., Better to overfart than to fart
. Weve slaved and finished half incompletely). Zacem zakryvath
of the dictionary.
LA, -i, f., Moscow. A sports center in
Moscow where a clothing market is held
(Luniki). Ty segodn pojdh v
Luu? Are you going to the Luzha
today?
LKATH/POLKATH, LUKNTH,
youth. 1. To look (from Eng. look).
Lukni, kto pril. Look whos
here! 2. To listen, be attentive. Lukaj
sda, cto tebe govort. Pay attention
to what youre being told.
LUKC, -a, m., youth. Lenin. Vstre-
tims vozle Lukica na Oktbrhskoj.
Lets meet at the Lenin monument at
October Square.
LUNTIK, -a, m., crim. A night robber
(lit., a sleepwalker). Sejcas opasno na
uliax, moeh vstretiths s luna-
tikom. Its dangerous in the streets at
this hour; there are night robbers out
there.
LUPRA, -y, f. A sawed-off shotgun.
Beri svo luparu, idm oxotiths.
Bring your gun and lets go hunting.
LUPTKI, luptok, pl., youth, rude.
Eyes (from lupiths, to stare). Ube-
ri lupetki, nicego interesnogo v
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144
tom net. Turn your eyes away; theres
nothing to look at here.
LPILKI, lupilok, pl. See luptki.
LUPTH/OTLUPTH. To beat up. De-
laj. cto tebe govort, poka ne
otlupili. Do what youre told, or
youll get a beating.
LUPTH/SLUPTH, joc. To eat very
quickly (lit., to beat, punish). Vy ue
slupili vs moroenoe, nicego ne
ostavili. Youve already wolfed down
the ice cream and you didnt leave any for
me!
LUPEVTH/OTLUPEVTH. To hit,
to beat up. Roditeli ego luput
BZDTH, idiom, rude. Its better to be
overcautious than to take unnecessary
dverh na vse zamki, odnogo xvatit.
Luce perebzdeth, cem nedo-
bzdeth. Why bother locking all the
locks on this door? Ones enough. Bet-
ter safe than sorry.
LCE PZDNO, CEM NIKOM
(DATH), idiom, joc. Lit., Better late than
to no one, an off-color twist on Better
late than never.
LCE STUCTH, CEM PEREST-
KIVATHS, idiom. Its better to inform
on someone than to go to jail yourself.
Cf. stucth.
LCE CSTNO PRDNUTH, CEM
PO-PINSKI BZDNUTH, idiom,
rude. Better to fart honestly than secretly
like a spy. Ne skryvaj ot nas, vs
ravno uznaem. Luce cestno prd-
nuth, cem po-pionski bzdnuth.
Dont hide it from us, well find out any-
way. Its better to fart honestly than
secretly like a spy.
LCIE NKI FRNII,
SLI POBRTH I VPRMITH,
idiom, joc. Lit., The best legs in France,
if you just shave them and straighten
them out; used to describe an unattrac-
tive woman.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
145
LUPJKA, -i, f., crim., neg. A
slovenly woman (from Ukr., husk of a
sunflower seed). Kto ta lupajka,
nu i strana. Whos that hag? Shes
really awful.
LBITHS/ZALBITHS, neg. To
grin. Cto ty lybihs, to ne
smeno. What are you smirking at?
This isnt funny!
LYSK, -a, m., joc. A bald man. Bli
rysakmi, stli lysakmi, idiom. A
rhyming phrase used of aging people:
Formerly trotters, now baldies.
LSIK, -a, m., joc. A bald man. Ty u
men sovsem lysik. Youve gone com-
pletely bald.
LSINA, -y, f., rude. A penis (lit., bald
spot). U men lysina pokrasnela,
nado lecith. Theres a red mark on my
dick. Ill have to see a doctor.
LSYJ1, -a, -oe. Bald. Crt lsyj,
see under crt. (A crta) lsogo ne
xceh?, see under crt.
LSYJ2, -ogo, m., joc., obs. 1. A ruble
coin with a portrait of Lenin. U men
ew odin lysyj esth. Ive got one
baldie left. 2. A bald tire. U men vse
iny lysye, pora ix menth. All
my tires are bald; its time to change
them.
LCKA: Vath/povsith lcki, see
under vath.
LBA, SLEZJ S DBA, idiom, joc.
Rhyming phrase for teasing girls named
Lyuba. Lba, slezaj s duba, my s
toboj ne igraem. Lyuba-come-down-
from-the-oak-tree, we wont play with
you.
LBER, -a, m. A member of the Lyubertsy
youth group, which arose under Gor-
bachev as an anti-Western, military-fla-
vored gang and ultimately became associ-
ated with organized crime. Lbery
kontrolirut vs torgovl v svom
gorode. The Lyubers control all com-
mercial activity in their city.
LBTH: Vy ne lbli, vam ne po-
nth, see under vy.
LBVH: Krutth lbvh, see under
krutth. Prol lbvh, zavli LRVA, -y, f., rude. 1. A promiscuous
Page 145
LRVA
pomidry, see under prol.
LDI: Kake ldi i bez oxrny!
see under kake. Budh prwe, i k teb
potnuts ldi, see under budh.
, idiom, army. Dish-
washers (lit., men in a swamp).
,
. Its almost
time for lunch but the mess men havent
even started washing the dirty dishes.
LKSVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Good,
excellent. to lksova muzyka.
This is wonderful music.
LJBL, -a, m., youth. A label, make (from
Eng. label). Ljbl ne tot, ti
truzera ne beru. Im not going to buy
these slacks theyre not the right
make.
LGUTNIK, -a, m., neg. A French-
man (lit., a frogger). Lguatniki ne
pht vodku, oni pht vino. Those
frogs drink wine instead of vodka.
LGKA, -i, f., crim. A sexual position
(lit., frog). Sdelaj lguku, davno
tak ne probovali. Make the frog
we havent tried it that way in a long
time.
LD: Nu kog-l. k ldu! idiom., rude.
The hell with (somebody). Nu ego k
ldu, ne xocu ego videth. The hell with
him! I dont want to see him.
LLHKA, -i, f., students. A girl (lit., doll).
A ne pozvath li nam paru llek
potanevath? Why dont we ask a
couple of dolls out dancing?
L-L: Ne ndo l-l (nim reb-
tam), see under ne.
LLKATH/POLLKATH, neg. To
chitchat. Nekogda mne s vami ll-
kath. I have no time to yak with you
guys.
LMR, -a, m., joc. Love, a love affair
(from Fr. lamour). U nix davno
lmur? Have they been in love for a
long time?
LPATH/LPNUTH, neg. To speak
unguardedly. A on vozhmi i lpni
ob tom. He up and spilled the beans
about it.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
LSY-BALSY
woman. Da ona e sama nastowa
lrva. Shes a real whore. 2. An unat-
tractive, ill-tempered woman. toj
lrve obrugath celoveka nicego ne
stoit. That shrew thinks nothing of
bawling people out.
LSY-BALSY, rhyming phrase, neg.
Page 146
146
Empty chatter (from lsy, wooden forms
for making spoons, a winter evening
activity accompanied by lots of chatting).
U vas vs lsy-balsy o politike, a
dela net. You babble about politics all
the time, but you never do anything.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MAGARC, -a, m. A drink offered as a
kind of payment for help. My tebe
pomogali, stavh magaryc. We helped
you, so stand us a drink.
MADJRA, -y, f., army, joc. Diluted spir-
its. Ty kak raz vovrem, ugowajs,
madejra pervyj sort! Youre just
in time. Help yourself to some Madeira
its top quality!
MAR, -a, m., youth, neg. 1. A child of
high-ranking parents. tomu maoru
ith legko, vsegda roditeli pomogut.
That silver-spoon has it easy; his parents
always help him out. 2. crim. A homo-
sexual. tot maor k tebe ne pri-
staval? Did that fairy come on to
you?
MZA, -y, f., youth. 1. An influential con-
nection, useful acquaintance. U nego
esth maza na samom verxu. Hes got a
friend at the top. 2. Advantage, benefit.
Net mazy to delath. Theres no
advantage in doing that. Bez mzy,
idiom, youth. Uninteresting, profitless,
without advantage. Mne to delath
bez mazy. Theres nothing in it for me.
Derth mzu, see under derth.
MZATH1/ZAMZATH, youth. To bet,
stake money. Mau na sto rublej,
cto ty togo ne sdelaeh. I bet you
a hundred rubles you wont do it.
MZATH2/PROMZATH. 1. To miss (a
target). Ty vs vrem maeh, daj
pokau, kak nado strelth. You
keep missing let me show you how to
aim. 2. To pass by (mistakenly), over-
shoot ones goal. Kaets, proma-
zal mimo povorota, nado vozvrawath-
s. I seem to have missed my turn. Ill
have to go back.
MAZLA, -y, m., neg. 1. A bad soccer
player. tot mazila s dvux metrov
popasth v vorota ne moet. That
klutz couldnt get a goal from two meters
away. 2. A bad artist.
MAZN, -, f., neg. A bad drawing or
picture. Za tu mazn i rubl ne
dam. I wouldnt pay a single ruble for
Page 147
that junk.
, -, m. 1. A petty thief. 2. A
dead body. -
, ,
. Thats one of theirs, dont bother
the medics with that piece of meat.
MAZT, -a, m., army, joc. 1. An officer of
a tank division (lit., grease, with reference
to grimy appearance). On mazut ue
10 let i vsego lih starij lej-
tenant. Hes been a tank officer for 10
years and hes still only a lieutenant.
2. A soldier from the artillery or tank
corps (wearing black epaulets). K nam v
gosti priedut mazuty. The artillery
guys are coming to visit.
MAJ: Ne maj ms, see under ne.
MAJDN, -a, m., crim. A railroad train.
to na majdan? Is that our train?
MAJDNNIK, -a, m., crim. A thief who
specializes in robbing passengers in rail-
road trains. Na toj linii majdanni-
kov polno. This line is full of train
thieves.
MAKKA, -i, f., neg. An ugly person (lit.,
macaque). Nu i roa u nego, cista
makaka! What a mug! A real monkey!
MAKR, -a, m., army. A Makarov gun.
Bez makara na uliu ne vyxou
noch. I never go out at night without a
gun.
MAKARNINA, -y, f. A thin person
(from makarony, macaroni). Na
toj makaronine vs visit, kak na
vealke. That scarecrows clothes hang
on him like on a pole.
MAKARNNIK, -a, m., neg. An Italian.
Makaronniki nikogda ne umeli voe-
vath. Those wops have never known
how to fight.
-, idiom,
army. Said about any badly cooked food
(lit., macaroni cooked for animals, in a
beastly way, from -
, macaroni in a naval way, usu-
ally macaroni cooked with minced meat).
,
-. This
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MAKTH/MAKNTH
stuff they give us to eat is horrible, shit on
a shingle.
MAKTH/MAKNTH, youth, neg. To
scold, blame (lit., to dip). Xvatit
men makath, raz oibs, vy vs
iznh vspominath budete. Okay,
stop rubbing my nose in it. I make one
mistake and you never let me forget it.
MAKA, -j, pl., neg. Rightist, fol-
lowers of former general A. Makashov
(by wordplay on alk). U makaej
vrag odin evrei! Makashovs people
recognize only one enemy the Jews.
MAKI, -a, m. Makeup, cosmetics.
Ne mnogo li na tebe makia?
Arent you wearing a little too much
makeup? Navodth/navest maki-
, see under navodth.
, -, f. A head, a crown, a MLHCIK, -a, m., crim. A key (lit., a
cupola. boy). Dostavaj malhcika, svoj za-
, . byl. Get the key; Ive forgotten mine.
Youd better keep a low profile or youll
get it straight in the head.
MALNA, -y, f. Lit., raspberries, berry
patch; with reference to sweetness.
1. crim. A thieves den. Segodn so-
biraems na maline u Vithki. Today
were getting together at Vics place.
2. A gathering place, hangout. Tam u
nix nastowa malina, ne zna, kuda
roditeli smotrt. Theyre running a
regular hangout there I dont know
why their parents dont seem to notice.
MALNNIK, -a, m., joc. A group of
women among whom there is only one
man (from malna). Smotri, v kakoj
malinnik ty popal. Look what a
berry patch of women youve fallen
into!
MLO NE POKETS, idiom. A
threat or warning of disaster (lit., It wont
seem like too little). Esli vse ax-
try vyjdut na relhsy, malo ne
pokaets. If the miners block the
railways, therell be hell to pay.
MLOJ KRVH. See under krovh.
MALOFH, -, f., rude. Semen. U teb
tany v malofhe. Youve got come
on your pants.
MALOXLHNYJ, -a, -oe, neg.
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148
Depressed, stuporous. Cto ty sidih
takoj maloxolhnyj? Why are you
sitting around with such a long face.
MLYJ: Mlyj ne durk, idiom, pos.
A clever guy. Znacit, ty reil na
nej eniths? Ty malyj ne durak,
ona bogata nevesta. So youve
decided to marry her? How clever of you!
Shes real rich. Mlyj ne durk i
durk ne mlyj, idiom, neg. A fool, no
small fool. (By wordplay on malyj,
guy, and nemalyj, small). Zna-
cit, ty reil na nej eniths? Ty
malyj ne durak i durak ne malyj, ona
ue byla tri raza zamuem. You
think youre awfully clever to marry her,
but in fact youre quite a fool shes
been through three marriages already.
Kak mlhcik nh Su, see under kak.
-, -, m. An electric outlet
(lit., mom and dad connection).
, ,
-
. I have a male. If you have a
female, we can get this cable TV work-
ing.
MAMD, -a, m. A Central Asian (from a
popular name). Mamedy svininu ne
edt. Mameds dont eat pork.
, -, f. The motherboard of a com-
puter. -
, . My mother-
board must be gone. My machine is not
working.
MAMLK, -a, m., neg. A Central Asian,
implying aggressive, wild character
(from mamelk, Mameluke). U mam-
lkov samyj doxodnyj biznes tor-
govl ldhmi. Those Asians have
found the most profitable business the
slave-trade.
MMONT, -a, m., joc. A big, heavy man.
Pusth tot mamont sdet na
divan, a to on stul razdavit. That
giant had better sit on the sofa, a chair
wont survive him.
MANTKI, mantok, pl., neg. Things,
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149
possessions. Sobiraj svoi manatki i
ubirajs! Take your things and get out
of here!
MAND, -, f., rude. Female genitals.
Idi v mandu. Go to hell.
MANDAVKA, -i, f., rude. 1. Pubic
lice, crabs. U men mandavoki zave-
lish. Ive got crabs. 2. A worthless
person, scoundrel. Kto privl tu
mandavoku, ona e vorovka. Who
brought that nasty woman here? Shes a
thief.
MAND, -a, m., rude. Nonsense, twad-
dle. tot mand o enax mne
nadoel. Im sick of this nonsense about
prices.
MANDNH, -i, f., neg., rude. 1. Large
female genitals. Nu u ne i mandenh!
What a cunt shes got! 2. Trash,
garbage. tu mandenh esth ne budu.
Im not going to eat that garbage.
Mandnh cets u kog-l., idiom,
rude. Someone is sexually excited (lit.,
her cunt itches). U teb cto, mandenh
ceets? Whats with you, an itch in
your panties?
MANDROVTH/POMANDROVTH,
joc. To go (from Ukr. mandrovath, to
travel, to go). Pomandrovali, cto
li? Shall we go?
MANDLA, -y, f. A bid unwieldy object.
Kupili pianino, a kak tu mandulu
zatawith na ptyj ta, ne znaem.
Weve bought a piano, but now we dont
know how to get that mama up to the fifth
floor.
MANTLITH/PRIMANTLITH. 1.
To fix, to attach. Dverh skoro upadt,
pora e primantulith. The doors
falling off its hinges. Its time to fix it. 2.
To please, to flatter (lit., to work as a
lackey, a waiter). 3. To work hard.
, without saying either yes or no.
, . This isnt a MROCKA, -i, f., crim. A handkerchief.
three-day job. To finish it well have to
work like slaves for two weeks. 4. To
beat up. MARSHKA, -i, f., youth. Marijuana
, (diminutive of the name Mari).
. If you show up for inspection
looking like that theyll beat you up.
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MARSHKA
MANHCITH, imperf., student. To like,
to be fond of (from manhk, maniac).
davno ne manhcu na video. Ive
lost my taste for videos.
MRA, -y, f., crim. & youth, rude. A girl,
girlfriend; a prostitute. U nego mara
esth? Has he got a girl?
MARAZMROVATH/ZAMARAZM-
ROVATH. (From marazm, senility). 1.
To be preoccupied with trivial things.
Skolhko mono marazmirovath s
timi komphternymi igrukami?
Youre wasting too much time playing
these stupid computer games! 2. To
blike, to be fond of. Ona sovsem
zamarazmirovala na astrologiceskix
prognozax. Shes gone wild over
astrological charts.
MARAK, -a, m., youth, neg. Obscurity,
darkness, a bad situation (by wordplay on
mrak, darkness, and Marake, the city
Marrakesh). V nauke sejcas marake,
nikto ne znaet, cto delath dalhe.
The situation in science is foggy right
now; no one knows what to do next.
MARAKOVTH/POMARAKOVTH,
joc. To think. Daj pomarakovath ne-
mnogo, potom reim. Lets mull it
over a bit before we decide.
MARL: Orth kak marl, see under
orth.
MARAFT, -a, m., crim. A cocaine-type
drug. Navodth/navest maraft,
see under navodth.
MARAFTITHS/NAMARAF-
TITHS. See navodth/navest
maraft.
MARINOVTH/PROMARINOVTH.
To keep someone waiting (lit., to
marinate). Ty nas marinueh ue
cas, ni da ni net ne govorih.
Youve kept us waiting for an hour
Daj marocku vytereth ruki. Let
me have a hankie to wipe my hands.
Sadish pokurim, marushki xvatit
na dvoix. Lets sit down and have a
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MARXA 150

smoke. Theres enouth Marianna for mastyril. Look at the dacha I built.
both of us. MASTRKA, -i, f., crim. A faked illness
MARXA, -i, f., crim. 1. A prostitute. or wound (cf. mastrith). U men
Tam odni maruxi stot. Those mastyrka, vidih, ranu raskovyrl,
women standing over there are all prosti- xocu polucith osvobodenie ot rabo-
tutes. 2. A girlfriend. to Lenhkina ty. Look at my construction I
maruxa. Thats Leonids girl. opened that wound in order to get out of
MAREFLH, -, m., youth. Narcotics, working.
drugs. U men marefalh koncils. MASTH, -i, f., crim. Narcotics for smoking.
Im out of dope. Masth prins? Did you bring the
, -, f. A fixed-route taxi- dope? V masth, idiom. Excellent, appro-
van. , priate (lit., matching the suit, as at cards).
. Take a route To, cto ty predlagaeh, prmo v
taxi; itll take twenty minutes to get masth, sam to sobirals sdelath.
there. What youre suggesting is exactly right
MARHITH/POMARHITH. 1. its what I myself was going to do.
To beat around the bush, be evasive. Ne MAT, -a, m. Obscene or abusive speech, a
marhh men, govori srazu, cto tebe swearword, an abusive expression.
nado. Dont beat around the bush with Gnuth/zagnth (kryth/pokrth, ob-
me; tell me straight out what you want. kldyvath/obloth) mtom, see
2. To distract someone in order to cheat under gnuth.
him. Ne nado men marhith, vas MATN, -a, m., youth. Mathematical
viu naskvozh. Dont try to pull the analysis (a school subject). Ty sdelal
wool over my eyes I see right through matan? Have you taken math-an?
you. MATERTH/IZMATERTH, OTMA-
MARHNA, -y, f., crim. A woman. A TERTH, neg. To scold with swear-
skolhko tam marhn budet? How words, swear at, curse. On e vs iz-
many women will be there? materil za to. He swore at her for
MASLNA, -y, f., crim. A bullet (lit., an that.
olive). Xoceh maslinu polucith? MATERWNNIK, -a, m., neg. Someone
Are you trying to get shot? who uses foul or abusive language. On
MASN, -a, m., neg. A Jew. Opth materwinnik, kakix svet ne videl.
masony packami edut za graniu. He can outswear anyone.
Again the Masons are going abroad in !, idiom, rude,
packs. army. Stand at attention! (lit., youll drop
MSSA: Davth na mssu, see under your womb!) (
davth. )! ,
, ! Stand at attention, soldier!
idiom. A corrupted traffic policeman (lit., Youre spilling your guts (womb)!
an expert in machine milking). MTKA OPUSKETS u kog-l.,
MSTER SPRTA PO LITRBLU, idiom, rude. Said of feelings of fright or
idiom, joc. A heavy-drinking, unathletic anxiety (lit., someones womb drops). U
person (lit., master of the sport of liter- men matka opuskaets, kogda vi-
ball). Kuda emu ucastvovath v sorev- u, kak deti perebegat uliu, a tam
novanii, on master sporta po litr- dvienie stranoe. My womb drops
bolu. How could he be in the play-offs? when I see the children running across the
His only sport is literball. street with all that traffic.
MASTRITH/ZAMASTRITH. To !, idiom, army,
make, construct (distorted form from rude. Stand at attention! (lit., your womb
master). Posmotri, kaku dacu za- will catch cold). See !
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
151
MAT-PEREMT, mta-peremta, m.
Much or intense swearing, bad language.
Cto u vas zdesh mat-peremat, uko-
rotite zyki. Why are you swearing
like that? Watch your language!
MATR: Raz-rz i na matr, see
under raz-rz.
MATRS: U matrsov net voprsov,
see under u.
MATR``SITH/POMATRSITH, neg.
To have a casual sex with a woman (from
matros, sailor). S nim budh poosto-
ronej, pomatrosit i brosit. Be
careful with him, hell just use you and
cast you off.
MATH: Math vu z nogu, idiom,
euph. Damn it! (lit., your mother by the
foot). Math mo nwina! idiom,
rude. Damn it! Math mo enwina!
Nu i eny stali, nicego kupith nel-
hz. Damn it! With these prices, you just
cant afford to buy a thing. pna
math!, see under pna.
MATGLHNIK, -a, m., joc. A mega-
phone. Vozhmi matgalhnik, skai
ldm, kuda nado idti. Take a mega-
phone and tell the people where to go.
MATGTH(S)/ZAMATGTH(S),
neg. To use curse words, to abuse with
foul language (cf. mat). Xvatit
matgaths! Stop cursing!
MATG, -v, pl., neg. Curse words,
swearing. Ot nego tolhko matgi i
slyih. The only thing you ever hear
from him is cuss words. Kryth/
pokrth matgmi, see under kryth.
MAFIZI, sg. & pl. Mafioso, mafiosi.
Na rynke orudut mafiozi.
Mafiosi are operating in the market.
MAX: Davth/dath mxu and Davth/
dath Mxu i Fejerbxu, see under
davth.
MAXLOVKA, -i, f. A fistfight. Uxo-
dim, sejcas nacnts maxalovka.
Lets get out of here theres going to
be a fight.
MAXTHS/MAXNTHS. To ex-
change. Davaj maxnms kurtkami.
Lets exchange coats.
MAXNTYJ -a, -oe, youth, neg. Odd,
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MEDLK
peculiar (euphemism for ebantyj).
On vsegda takoj maxnutyj? Is he
always such a weirdo?
MAXR, -y, f., neg. Interior tobacco, low-
quality cigarettes.
MATH/POMATH, south, neg. To
touch. Ne maaj bloki grznymi
rukami! Dont touch those apples with
your dirty hands!
MA-PROSTOKVA. A rhyming
chant used to tease girls named Maria
(lit., Masha sour-milk).
MA-RASTERA. An absent-
minded person. Kakoj ty Maa-
rastera, nikogda ne pomnih, kuda
ty zadeval svoi instrumenty.
Youre so absent-minded, you never
remember where you put your tools.
MACITH/ZAMACITH. 1. To be
visible, in view. Prekrati macith
pered glazami! Stop standing in front of
me! 2. To have an erection. U nego
davno ue ne macit. He hasnt had
an erection for quite a while.
MBELH: Dl mbeli, idiom, neg. To no
purpose (lit., for furniture). Ty sda
pril dl mebeli, pocemu ne pomo-
gaeh? Did you come here just as furni-
ture? Why dont you help out?
MEDVDH: Medvdh v berlge sdox,
idiom, joc. Lit., a bear died in his den;
with reference to a rare or unusual event.
Cto to ty reil materi pomoch,
medvedh v berloge sdox, cto li? How
come you suddenly decided to help your
mother? Did a bear die in his den?
Blyj medvdh, see under blyj.
MEDVETNIK, -a, m. A specialist in
breaking into safes (lit., a bear hunter,
with reference to danger and skill).
Sejcas medveatnikov ocenh malo.
These days there arent many safe-
crackers.
MEDVENOK, medvenka, m.,
crim. A small, fireproof safe. Ty tot
medveonok otkryth smoeh?
Will you be able to open this safe?
MEDLK, -, m. Something slow, esp.
music. Postavh medlk, nadoelo
trstish. Play something slow; weve
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MEDK
had enough fast dances.
MEDK, -, m., obs. Small change (lit.,
copper). V karmane odni medki. All
Ive got in my pocket is some small
change.
MEDKA, -i, f. See medk.
MDU NMI, DVOCKAMI (, go-
vor), idiom, joc. Frankly speaking (lit.,
just between us girls). Medu nami,
devockami, govor, to naglosth.
Just between you and me, hes out of
line.
MEDUSOBJCIK, -a, m. A friendly
drink, an intimate conversation (lit.,
between fellow warriors). U nas zdesh
medusobojcik, zakroj dverh. Shut
the door were having a heart-to-heart
here.
MLKIJ, -ogo, m. A short man. A kto
to tam melkij stoit? Whos that
shorty standing over there?
MLON, -a, m., business. A large extra
dividend (often in the form of free shares)
(from Eng. melon). Nikto takoj
melon ne oidal, vot povezlo-to!
No one expected such a bonanza! What
great luck!
MELOCVKA, -i, f. Details, trivialities,
little things. Vse dela na segodn
sdelal, ostalash melocvka posta-
vith podpisi. Ive finished all the real
work for today now there are just
some little things, like signing letters.
MLOCH PUZTA, idiom, joc. Chil-
dren, young people (lit., little things with
bellies). A nu, meloch puzata, ne
sporith so starimi. Come on, kids,
dont argue with your elders.
MELHTETH/ZAMELHTETH,
neg. To make a fuss, to bustle around.
Ne melhtei pered glazami. Dont
go fussing around like that.
MELHCTH/ZAMELHCTH, neg. To
squabble over trifles. Ne budem melh-
cith, pogovorim o glavnom. Lets stop
splitting hairs and get to the point.
MENZRKA, -i, f. A glass (lit., a labora-
tory measuring glass). Gde ew men-
zurka, nekuda emu nalith. Is there
another glass? I have nothing to pour him
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152
a drink in.
MENS, -a, m. Menstrual period. Kaet-
s, mens nacinaets. I think, my
period is starting.
MENT, -, m., neg. A police officer. v
menty ne pojdu. Im not going to join
the police. Ment ne kent, idiom,
youth. The cops are no friends of ours; we
dont want to have anything to do with
the police (cf. kent). Nam menty ne
kenty, uxodim. Here come the cops!
Lets get out of here.
MENTTH/ZAMENTTH. To arrest (cf.
ment). Bez dokumentov ne xodi po
Moskve, srazu zamentt. Dont go
around Moscow without identification, or
youll be areasted.
MENTVKA, -i, f. A police vehicle.
Mentovka ego zabrala. They took
him away in a police car.
MENTOVZ, -a, m. See mentvka.
MENTVSKIJ, -a, -oe. Of or pertain-
ing to the police. to maina s men-
tovskimi nomerami. That car has
police license plates.
MENTRA, -y, f., neg. The police, a
police station. Ix zabrali v menturu.
They took them in to the police station.
MENHEVTHS/ZAMENHE-
VTHS, neg. To waver, hesitate, be
indecisive. Menhevaths sejcas ne
vrem, nado dejstvovath. This is no
time for shilly-shallying; weve got to
take action.
MENHEVK, -, m. A member of a
sexual minority. Sejcas golubyx
menhevikami zovut. Now theyre
calling fags mensheviks.
MRZNUTH/ZAMRZNUTH kak -
ik, idiom, joc. To be freezing cold, to
freeze (lit., to freeze like a puppy). Daj
ca, a to my zamrzli kak uiki.
Lets have some tea before we freeze
like puppies.
, -, m. Mercedes-Benz (lit., a
gelding, a type of stallion). See .
MERKANCNA, -y, m., joc. An Ameri-
can (distorted from Amerika). Cto
ti merkanciny mogut ponth v
naej izni? What can those
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153
Americans possibly understand about our
life?
MERS, -a, m. A Mercedes-Benz car, as a
sign of wealth and success. Ucils
xue vsex, a sejcas na merse ezdit.
He was a failure in school, and now hes
driving around in a Mercedes.
, idiom. Said see under mgkoe.
of difficult exercise, work or debilitating
illness (lit., the dead never sweat).
- , tall. Hard rock is all he listens to.
, . METALLST, -a, m., youth. A fan of
Yes, true, were sweating buckets on
this forced march, but remember that only
the dead dont sweat.
MRTVYJ: Kak mrtvomu primcki,
see under kak. Ty i mrtvogo iznas-
lueh (podnmeh), see under ty.
MRTVYJ TOVR, idiom, business.
Slow-moving merchandise. Viski sej-
cas mrtvyj tovar, ne po karmanu.
Whisky is selling poorly, people just
cant afford it.
MERTVK, -, m., neg. A corpse; a list-
less, spiritless person. Cto ty xodih
kak mertvk? Why are you dragging
yourself around like a corpse?
MESLOVKA, -i, f., neg. A fistfight (cf.
mesth). U nix kadyj denh mesi-
lovka. Those guys have a fistfight every
day.
MESTH/ZAMESTH, youth, neg. To
beat, beat up (lit., to knead). Ne pris-
tavaj k nej, a to zamest. Dont
touch that woman or youll get beaten
up.
MEST/ZAMEST. To arrest (lit., to
sweep up). Vcera vsex naix zameli.
Yesterday they arrested our whole
gang.
MSTNOSTH: Sojdt dl slhskoj
mstnosti, see under sojt.
MSTNYJ ROZLV, idiom, joc. Of
poor quality, provincial, not up to high
standards (lit., local bottling). to
pot mestnogo rozliva. Hes a home-
spun poet.
MSTO: Mest znath ndo, idiom, joc.
Lit., one has to know the right places;
used to avoid answering the question
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MCENYJ
Where? Gde ty vzl tu knigu?
Gde? Mesta znath nado. Where did
you get that book? Oh, you have to
know the right places. Zanimjte
mest soglsno kplennym biltam,
see under zanimjte. Id v odn
msto, see under idt. Mgkoe msto,
METLL, -a, m., youth. Hard rock
(music). On sluaet tolhko me-
hard rock; one who wears a lot of metal
ornaments. Ty stal metallistom,
smotri, skolhko na tebe kole,
epej? What are you, a metallist,
wearing all those rings and chains?
METTH/ZAMETTH: Metth/zame-
tth ikr, idiom, joc. To be excited, be
nervous (lit., to throw off roe, used of fish
spawning). Uspokojs, cto ty ikru
meceh, vs budet xoroo. Calm
down. Dont get all lathered up. Every-
thing will be all right. Metth xarc,
idiom. To eat a lot and quickly. Smot-
ri, xarci mecet, kak budto nedel ne
el. Hes wolfing down that food as if he
hasnt eaten in a week.
METLITH/OTMETLITH,
IZMETLITH. To beat, hit. Kto
to teb tak otmetelil, fonarh pod
glazom s kulak? Who beat you up like
that? Youve got a black eye the size of a
fist!
METL, -, f. Tongue (lit., broom).
Metla u teb rabotaet denh i
noch. You never give your tongue a
rest.
MTOD TKA, idiom, joc. At random,
without checking (from tykath, to jab,
poke). ne budu dejstvovath me-
todom tyka, delo slikom serhz-
noe. Im not going to go into this blind;
its too serious a matter.
,
idiom. Said about a short person, a shrimp
(lit., a meter with a cap on skates). Cf.
five foot two in high heels.
MCENYJ, -ogo, m., neg. M. S. Gor-
bachev (lit., the marked one, alluding to
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MEK S GOVNM
the prominent birthmark on his forehead
as a mark of the devil). A cto sejcas
mecenyj delaet? Whats that devils
spawn up to these days?
MEK S GOVNM (DERHMM).
See under govn.
MIGLKA, -i, f. A police car or
ambulance (from migath, to flash).
Szadi migalka, osvobodi dorogu.
Theres a flasher behind us, youd better
pull over.
, -, f. A microelectronic cir- MOZG ZA MOZG ZAXDIT, idiom,
cuit (a wordplay on micro and ,
something tiny or small).
MIKSTRA, -y, f., joc. An alcoholic
drink, esp. as a remedy for a hangover.
Primi sto gramm mikstury, srazu
legce stanet. Take a hundred grams of
brew; youll feel better right away.
MILXA, -i, f. Dear, darling. A ty,
milaxa, s nami edeh ili net? What
about you, dear? Are you coming with
us?
MIMZA, -y, m. and f., joc. A weak,
delicate person. A ty, na mimoza,
ue zamrz! What a tender bud you are!
Youre already shivering with cold!
MIMZNIK, -a, Moscow. A student at
MIMO (Moskovskij institut me-
dunarodnyx otnoenij, Moscow Insti-
tute of International Relations).
MINERLHNYJ SEKRETRH, idiom.
A nickname of M. Gorbachev (lit.,
mineral secretary, by wordplay on gene-
ralhnyj sekretarh, general secretary,
and mineralhna voda, mineral water,
alluding to his tee-totaling).
MINT, -a, m. Oral sex, an oral sex act.
minetom ne zanimash. I dont do
blow jobs.
MINTCIA, -y, f., rude. A woman
who practices oral sex. Ty s nej mo-
eh delath cto xoceh, ona minet-
cia. You can do anything you want
with her she gives blow jobs.
MTING, -a, m. Meeting (from Eng.
meeting). Kogda u nas miting?
When is our meeting? Zabivth/
zabth mting, see under zabivth.
MNGO BDEH ZNATH, PLXO
Page 154
154
BDEH SPATH, a rhyming phrase,
joc. Its none of your business, I wont
tell you (lit., If you know a lot, youll
sleep badly).
, -, f. A mobile phone (cellular
telephone).
. Nowadays
cell phones are made with internal cam-
eras and music.
, -, m. See . A
cell phone.
joc. To be mentally exhausted, unable to
think (lit., one brain goes behind the
other). U men mozga za mozgu zaxo-
dit, nado otdoxnuth. My brains have
had it; I need to take a rest.
MOZG, -v, pl. Brains. MOZG
(nom.): Mozg poxali, idiom, neg. To
be shocked, lose ones mind. U nego ot
toj novosti mozgi poexali. His
brains have taken off as a result of this
news. Mozg sxnut, idiom. To be tired
of thinking (lit., ones brains are dried
up). Ne zna, cto delath, pokupath
ili ne pokupath mainu, mozgi sox-
nut. I just dont know whether to buy
the car or not; my brains are addled from
thinking about it. U teb mozg esth?
Are you in your right mind? Zacem ty
to sdelal, u teb mozgi esth? Why
did you do that? Are you in your right
mind? MOZG (acc.): Vpravlth/
vprvith mozg, see under vpravlth.
Zabivth/zabth mozg, see under za-
bivth. Prith mozg, see under
prith. Pdrith/zapdrith mozg,
see under pdrith. Kpath na mozg,
see under kpath. MOZGM (dat.):
Davth/dath po mozgm, see under
davth. Bith po mozgm, see under
bith. MOZGMI (instr.): S mozgmi,
idiom. Clever. On edinstvennyj
muik s mozgami vo vsej kompanii.
Hes the only one with brains in the
whole group. Rasknuth mozgmi, see
under rasknuth. evelth/ poe-
velth mozgmi, see under evelth.
MOZGOVTH/OBMOZGOVTH. To
think over, consider carefully (cf. mozg).
to delo nado obmozgovath. That
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
155
needs to be carefully thought out.
MOZGOB, -a, m., neg., rude. A pest,
annoyingly insistent or pedantic person
(lit., brain-fucker, from mozg and b-).
Sejcas tot mozgob opth so
svoej politikoj pristavath budet.
Here comes that pest again with his
relentless political talk.
MOZLITH/NAMOZLITH GLAZ,
idiom. To be an eyesore. Ujdi otsda,
ne mozolh mne glaza! Get out of here, I
cant stand looking at you!
MOZLH, -, m., joc. Belly. Xoroij
mozolh ty uspel sebe naesth za god.
Thats quite a belly youve managed to
put on in one years.
MZ, idiom, joc. One may, its okay (a
distorted form of mono). K vam moz
ili vy spite? May I come in, or you
are still sleeping?
MOKRTH, -i, f. Wet weather, rain. Na
ulie mokreth, nadenh rezinovye
sapogi. Its wet outside. Put on rubber
boots.
MKROE DLO, idiom, crim. Murder
(lit., wet business). On speialist po
mokrym delam. He specializes in mur-
der.
MOKROXVSTKA, -i, f., rude. A
young, inexperienced girl (lit., one with a
wet tail). Teb, mokroxvostku, nikto
sluath ne budet. No ones going to
listen to you, little girl.
MOKROWLKA, -i, f., rude. See
mokroxvstka.
MOKRXA, -i, f., crim. Murder (cf. mk-
roe dlo). na mokruxu ne pojdu.
Im not going to participate in a murder.
MOKRNIK, -a, m., crim. One con-
victed for murder (cf. mokrxa). tot
mokrunik davno sidit. That mur-
derer has been in jail a long time.
MOLLSK, -a, m., joc. A young person,
teenager (lit., a mollusk). Cto vy sobi-
raetesh delath, mollski? What are
you planning to do, kids?
MOLOD KAK SOLNYJ OGU-
R, idiom. A rhyming phrase of
approval: Good for you! (lit., youre as
good as a pickled cucumber).
Page 155
MOLCTH/ZAMOLCTH
MOLODNK, -, m., collect. Youth,
young people. Molodnk gulet, u-
mit. The young people are having fun
and making noise.
MOLODJ, -go, m., army, joc. A new
recruit. j ty, molodoj, prinesi
vody! Hey, young one, bring us some
water!
MLODOSTH: Prowj-mlodosth, see
under prowj.
, -, n., army. A total miss (lit.,
milk, meaning a complete miss of the
blackened center of the target).
? Did I hit anything or was
that a milk shot?
MOLOTLA, -y, m. and f., youth. A first-
fighter.
MOLOTLKA, -i, m., neg. Lit., a thresh-
ing machine. 1. A chatterbox, one who is
constantly talking. Ty kogda-nibudh
zamolcih, molotilka nescastnyj?
Cant you shut up, you wretched chatter-
box? 2. One who eats very quickly. I
ty vs to sqel? Nu ty i molotil-
ka! You already ate all that? What a
thresher you are!
MOLOTTH1/ZAMOLOTTH, joc. To
speak very quickly (cf. molotlka 1).
Ne moloti tak bystro, rasskai
vs po pordku. Dont talk in such a
rush! Tell everything in order.
MOLOTTH2/SMOLOTTH, joc. To
eat very quickly (cf. molotlka 2). Vy
ue vs mso uspeli smolotith?
Youve already managed to wolf down
all that meat?!
MOLOTK, molotk, m. A champion,
hero (lit., a hammer, by wordplay on mo-
lode). Ty u nas molotok! Youre
our hero!
MLCA, participle. Dont ask questions,
just do it (lit., silently). Kak my tuda
doedem? Molca. How are we going
to get there? Shut up. Lets just go.
MOLCNKA, -i, f., neg. Silence. ix
spraiva, a v otvet molcanka. I
ask them a question, and in reply they
give me the silent treatment. Igrth v
molcnku, see under igrth.
MOLCTH/ZAMOLCTH v trpocku,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MNSTRA
idiom. 1. To be silent out of cowardice
(lit., to be silent into ones hankie).
Kogda ego vygonli, vse vy molcali
v trpocku, a teperh vse stali druzh-
mi, kogda situai peremenilash.
When they kicked him out, not one of
you had the balls to say a word; now that
the situation has changed, youre all sud-
denly his friends. 2. To be silent. Sidi
u, molci v trpocku, teb ne spra-
ivat. Sit down and hold your
tongue. No one asked your opinion.
Molcth kak partizn (na doprse),
idiom, joc. To keep mum, keep secret,
refuse to answer questions (lit., to keep
quiet as a partisan [under questioning]).
Cto ty molcih kak partizan na
doprose, ty znaeh ili ne znaeh,
gde on? Why are you being so close-
mouthed with the investigator? Do you
know or not? Molcth, pok zby
torct, rhyming phrase, rude. A threat
to hit in the mouth (Shut up while you
still have your teeth!) Molc pog-
rmce! idiom, joc. Keep quiet, shut up
(lit., be quiet a little louder). Molci
pogromce, teb ne spraivat. Shut
up! No ones asking your opinion.
MNSTRA, -y, f., youth, neg. An ugly
person. Smotri, kaka monstra
idt navstrecu. Look at that monster
coming towards us.
MORGLY, morgl, pl., rude. Eyes
(from morgath, to blink). Otverni
svoi morgaly. Dont stare at me.
MRDA, -y, f., rude. 1. Face (lit., animals
muzzle). Nu i mordu on sebe otqel!
His face sure has gotten fatter. 2. A site
interface in a computer. Mrda li,
idiom, joc. Face (lit., muzzle face). Cto
u teb taka morda lia, ty ras-
stroen cem-to? Whats with the long
face? Is something eating you? Vozth/
povozth mrdoj ob asflht (ob
stol), see under vozth. Mrda kir-
pic prsit, see ra kirpic
prsit under ra. Mrda trsnet,
see ra trsnet under ra.
, -, m., army. A head wind See under j.
(from , face, animals muzzle, and
, Engl. wind). - naval infantry (from , sea, and
Page 156
156
, .
We cant make headway against this
wind, its blowing right up our noses.
MORDNT -a, m., neg. A man with a fat
face (see mrda).
, -, m. From , face,
and , a punch, a stroke. This wind
were up against is like a punch in the
nose. See .
MORDNH, -i, f., neg. Face. Nael ty
sebe mordenh. Youve put some flesh
on your face.
MORDOVORT, -a, m., neg. A thuggish,
dangerous-looking man (lit., a face-dis-
figurer). Cto tam za mordovorot
sidit? Whos that thug sitting over
there?
MRE RAZLIVNNOE, idiom. A lot of
alcoholic liquor (lit., an overflowing sea).
Prixodim vcera k Nikola, a tam
spirtu more razlivannoe. So we
went over to Nicks yesterday, and we
had a regular ocean of drink.
-, m. A sailor (from ,
sea, and , a man).
,
. Hes a former seaman, he
served in the Navy in the Baltic.
MOR, -a, m., abbr., rude. A Jew (from
morda idovska. Vse mori, kto
xotel, ue uexali v svoj Izrailh. All
the Jew-faces who wanted to leave for
their dear Israel, already left.
MORKVKA, -i, f., joc. A penis (lit., car-
rot). Cto ty vs vrem svo morkov-
ku trogaeh, bolit, cto li? How
come you keep touching your carrot
does it hurt? Vvka-morkvka, see
under Vvka.
MORZKO, -a, n., youth, neg. A dull,
boring person. Nu i drug u teb
morozko. Sidit, vs vrem molcit,
skucno s nim. What a cold fish your
friend is, sitting there without a word.
MORKA: Razvodth/razvest mor-
ku, see under razvodth.
MORCITH/ZAMORCITH ja.
, -, m. A marine or member of
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 157

157 MOCTH/ZAMOCTH

, infantry). time.
/ , MOXNTA LPA, idiom, neg. An
idiom, rude. 1. To think hard (lit., to wrin- influential friend, connection (lit., hairy
kle ones ass). , paw). U nego, kaets, moxnata
. Dont wrin- lapa v banke. Apparently hes got a
kle your ass about that, its not your prob- connection at the bank.
lem. 2. To worry. MOXNTKA, -i, f., crim., rude. Female
, . genitals (lit., hairy one). Ty tolhko o
Im not going to wrinkle my ass about moxnatke i dumaeh. All you ever
whats going to happen when I get out of think about is getting some pussy.
the army. MOC V GLOVU UDRILA/ UD-
/ , RIT, idiom, rude. Lit., someones urine
idiom. 1. To frown, to express displeasure goes to his head; used of bizarre or unpre-
(lit., to wrinkle ones turnip). See . dictable behavior. Nikto ne znaet,
, kogda emu moca v golovu udarit, i on
. Wipe that frown off your vse plany izmenit. No one knows
turnip, life will look better tomorrow. when hell suddenly get a bee in his bon-
2. To think. net and change all the plans.
, MOCLITH/NAMOCLITH, idiom.
? No need to wrinkle your turnip To punish, to scold (lit., to sponge
about it, either buy the car or dont. someones neck). Tebe ef namoca-
MORK S P`ECKI BRK, idiom. A lit e, esli budeh opazdyvath.
rhyming phrase describing an inexperi- The boss will punish you if you keep
enced sailor. Kakoj on mork? coming late.
Mork s pecki brk. What sort of a MOCLKA, -i, f., neg. An unattractive or
sailor is he? A good-for-nothing promiscuous woman (lit., a piece of bast).
sailor. Opth ta mocalka v gosti pri-
MOSL, mosl, m. A leg or an arm (lit., a dt? Is that fright of a floozy coming to
bone). Mosly u teb bolhno xudye. visit again?
Your legs are awfully skinny. O , idiom, army.
MOSKLH, -, m., neg. A Muscovite; a Rainy weather not fit for flying (lit., blad-
Russian (from the point of view of non- der). ,
Russians, esp. Ukrainians). Na pre- ,
zident prodals moskalm. Our pres- . Theres a bag of rain out there.
ident has sold out to Moscow. We cant fly today, clouds and rainlike
MOTTH srok, idiom, crim. To serve from a bucket.
time, serve a prison sentence (lit., to wind MOCNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Very good.
[as thread] ones term). On davno srok Mne by tu mocnu tacku. Id
motaet? Has he been in prison long? sure like to have that great car.
MOTTHS/MOTANTHS. To go MOCLOVO, -a, n., youth, neg. A scuf-
quickly (lit., to flap). Motanish v ma- fle, fight (cf. mocth). Mne mocilovo
gazin, kupi xleba. Run into the store zdesh ne nado. I dont want any fighting
and buy some bread. here.
MOTR, -a, m. A car, taxi. Nado motor MOCTH/ZAMOCTH, crim. & youth.
brath, a ne to opozdaem. Wed better 1. To kill (lit., to wet). Sejcas v Mosk-
take the car or well be late. ve mocat bankirov. These days theyre
MOTRNYJ, -a, -oe. Active, busi- murdering bankers in Moscow. 2. To hit,
nesslike, efficient. On parenh motor- beat. Sejcas my vas mocith budem.
nyj, sdelaet cto nado v srok. Hes Now were going to beat you up.
an efficient fellow; hell do it right and on Zamocth lo, idiom, rude. To have
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MOCKOVTHS/ZAMOCKOVTHS
sex with a woman (lit., to wet ones
stinger). S kem by alo zamocith?
Which woman should I go to bed with?
Zamocth rog, idiom, crim. To get into
an unpleasant situation, get into trouble
(lit., to wet ones horns). My v kvar-
tiru cerez okno, a tam sobaka, zamo-
cili roga i beath. We entered the
apartment through a window, but there
was a dog inside, so we were in hot water
and had to run for it.
MOCKOVTHS/ZAMOCKOVTH-
S, youth, neg. To be frightened, show
cowardice. Ne mockujs, oni nas ne
tronut. Dont be scared; they wont
hurt us.
MOCKVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Cowardly
(cf. mocth).
MOCK, mock, m., youth, neg. A cow-
ard. S mockami del ne ime. I wont
have anything to do with cowards.
MO TVO NE PONIMJ, idiom, joc.
I dont understand what youre saying
(imitation of broken Russian).
MRAK, pred., neg. Awful, terrible (lit.,
gloom, darkness). Pogoda mrak,
xolod sobacij! This weather is awful,
cold as hell!
, -, n. A bad mood, drh mths.
depression, misery (from , dark-
ness). - foolish chatterer (lit., one who rings his
, . Im in a balls; from mud and zvonith). Nicego
dark mood, I feel like killing myself.
MUDK, -, m., neg. A fool, idiot (cf.
mud). Mudakom byl, mudakom i
ostals. He always was a fool and he
still is.
MUDAVLI, m., indecl., joc. A fool,
an idiot (from mudk and the typical
Georgian surname formative -vili).
Cto xocet tot mudavili? What
does that idiot want?
MUD, -, n., rude. Male genitals. Zace-
slos v mudx, bdet peremna pog-
dy na dnx, idiom, rude. An itch in the
crotch means the weather will change
soon. Zventh/zazventh mudmi, see
under zventh.
MUD, -, m., neg., rude. Stupidity,
foolishness, nonsense (cf. mudk). to
Page 158
158
ne stath, a mud. This isnt an arti-
cle its just nonsense.
MUDSTIKA, -i, f., rude. A boring sub-
ject (cf. mudk). Kak ty tu mudis-
tiku moeh izucath? How can you
stand studying that boring stuff?
MUDTH/NAMUDTH, rude. To spoil,
break (cf. mudk). Cto vy namudili
tut s televizorom? How did you
break the television?
MDO, -a, n., rude. A fool, idiot (by word-
play on cudo, miracle, and mudk).
Nu ty i mudo, xodih zimoj bez
palhto. Youre a choice idiot, going
around without a coat in the middle of
winter!
MUDVYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Foolish, idi-
otic, unpleasant (cf. mudk). Mne na-
doela ta mudova pogoda, vs vrem
dodh i dodh. Im sick of this dis-
gusting weather; it just rains and rains.
Mudvye rydnh, idiom, neg. Non-
sense, empty babble. Cto-nibudh by-
lo interesnoe na konferenii?
Net, odni mudovye rydanh. So, did
anything interesting happen at the confer-
ence? No, just a lot of babble.
MDOM MTHS, idiom, rude. See
MUDOZVN, -a, m., rude. A fool, idler,
umnogo tot mudozvon ne skaet.
You wont hear anything intelligent
from that idiot.
MUDXATH/OTMUDXATH, rude. To
beat up, beat severely (cf. mudk). Teb
malo otmudoxali v prolyj raz, ew
xoceh? Whats the matter, you didnt
get enough of a beating last time?
MUDXATHS/ZAMUDXATHS,
rude. To do something with difficulty,
wear oneself out with effort (cf. mudk).
My sovsem zamudoxalish s tim mo-
torom, nicego ne polucaets. Weve
completely exhausted ourselves over this
motor and we still cant get it to work.
MUDOLP, -a, m., neg. rude. A good-
for-nothing, incompetent person (by
wordplay on gubolp, lip smacker,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
159
i.e., baby, and mudk). Ty opth,
mudolp, prozeval svo oceredh.
You big baby, youve missed your turn
again.
MUDNKA, -i, f., neg., rude. Something
boring (cf. mudk). V parlamente
mudnku razvodt, reci govort, a
narodu rath necego. In Parliament
they drone on with their speeches, while
the people have nothing to eat.
MU: Mu obqls gru, rhyming
phrase, joc. Lit., someones husband ate
too many pears; an absurd rhyming
phrase used of an incompetent or disap-
pointing husband. Moj mu, mu
obqels gru, dae gvozdh zabith ne
umeet. My husband ate too many pears
he cant even hammer a nail. Ne gov-
or, u samj mu phnia, see under
ne.
MUSK LGIKA, idiom, joc. Lit.,
male logic; used to characterize typical
male prejudices. The prime example is
Cto takoe muska logika? to
kogda mucina govorit o enwine:
Dala. Vot bldh! Ne dala. Vot
bldh! What is male logic? Its when a
man calls a woman a bitch both for going
to bed with him and for refusing to go to
bed with him.
MUCNA, KAK ZAGR, SNACLA
PRISTAT K NWINE, PO-
TM SMYVETS, idiom, joc. Men
cant be trusted; lit., A man is like a sun-
tan: at first he sticks to a woman, but then
he fades away. Znacit, on k nej ue
ne xodit, nu cto , mucina, kak
zagar. . . . So hes broken up with her?
Well, a man is like a suntan. . . .
MUZN, -a, m., youth. Music. Zavedi
muzon. Play some music.
MLHKA, -i, f., youth. Narcotics, dope.
U men ostalash mulhka, ugowajs.
I still have some dope help yourself!
MULKA, -i, f., south. 1. Muddy water.
V kolode odna mulka, pith
nelhz. That stuff in the well is mud, we
cant drink it. 2. Young wine.
MUM: Ne ndo mum, see under ne.
-, -, m. Love (lit., the sound of a
Page 159
MSOR
cat purring). -,
? Is it still all kisses
and purring between them? Are they
going to get married?
MUR, -, f., neg. Nonsense. Zacem ty
pieh tu muru? Why do you write
such nonsense?
MURAVHV TEB V TAN, idiom,
neg. May you be punished (lit., [may you
have] ants in your pants). Za ti slova
muravhv tebe v tany. May you fry
in hell for saying that.
MURL, -, n., rude. 1. A face. Otver-
ni murlo! Get your face out of my
sight! 2. A dull, ignorant person. to
murlo ko vsem pristat s ukazani-
mi. That ignoramus is always bossing
everyone around.
MURMUDN, -a, m., neg. An idiot, a fool.
Kakoj murmudon to sdelal? Whos
the jerk that did this?
MURITH/PROMURITH, neg.
To keep someone waiting, make someone
wait. On men v koridore promury-
il pocti cas. He kept me waiting in
the corridor almost an hour.
, , m., army, neg. A Muslim
militant (from , a Muslim,
and , a donkey). ,
. Dont go into town, theres a
rag-head with a Kalashnikov behind
every door.
MUSKULNT, -a, m., youth, joc. A mus-
cular person, a bodybuilder. Kakim ty
muskulantom stal. What a Mr. Mus-
cles youve become!
MSKULY: Kacth/nakacth msku-
ly, see under kacth.
MUSLITH/ZAMUSLITH, neg. 1.
To soil, stain. Ty mne vs knigu zamu-
solil. Youve smudged up my whole
book. 2. To discuss at length, to go over
and over something. Skolhko mono
musolith tot vopros? Theres a
limit to how long we can keep discussing
this question.
MSOR, -a, m., neg. A police officer (lit.,
rubbish). tot musor u nix samyj
aktivnyj. That cop is the most active
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
MSORNIK
one among them.
MSORNIK, -a, m., crim., neg. A police
station (cf. msor).
MUSOROVZ, -a, m., neg. A police car
(lit., garbage truck).
MUSTNG, -a, m., youth, joc. A louse
(lit., a mustang). U vas mustangi v
obwage esth? Are there mustangs in
your dorm?
MUSTA, -j, pl., youth. Mustaches
(from Eng. mustache). Nado mus-
taa sebe zavesti. I think Ill grow a
mustache.
MUTTH/ZAMUTTH, youth. To dilute
narcotics for injecting (lit., to muddy).
Zamutil, koli skorej, ne mogu
dath. If youve got it diluted, give me
a shot quickly I cant wait any longer.
MUTTHS/ZAMUTTHS, crim. &
youth. To get high on drugs (lit., to get
muddy). Oni tam sidt za domom,
mutts travkoj. Theyre sitting
behind the house getting high on grass.
MTNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Drunk, high
(cf. mutths). Ne davaj emu bolhe
pith, on ue mutnyj. Dont let him
drink any more, hes drunk already.
Mtnyj glaz, joc. A bar, tavern (lit.,
muddy eye). Sxodim v mutnyj glaz,
vyphem. Lets drop into the muddy
eye and have a drink.
MUTOT, -, f., neg. Something dull,
tedious, boring. On piet vsku
mutotu, citath nevozmono. He
writes such boring stuff that you just
cant read it.
MUTZITH/OTMUTZITH. To beat
up. Kogo oni tam vdvom mutuzt?
Whos that the two of them are beating
up over there?
MUTH, -i, f., neg. Nonsense, rubbish.
Vs to muth, ne verh tim sluxam.
Thats all nonsense! Dont believe those
rumors.
MUFLN, -a, m., neg. An idiot. Takomu
muflonu nicego ne obqsnih.
Theres no use trying to explain any-
thing to an idiot like that.
MXA: Kak mxa e- ukusla za
j? see under j. Pod mxoj,
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160
idiom, joc. Drunk (lit., under a fly). On
pril slegka pod muxoj. He arrived
slightly under the influence. Dxnuth
kak mxi, see under dxnuth.
MUXOMR, -a, m., joc. An old man (lit.,
fly agaric). tot muxomor tvoj ded?
Is that old geezer your grandfather?
MY PAXLI, idiom, joc. Dont exagger-
ate, dont boast (used in reaction to some-
ones boasting; lit., we plowed). Ty
znaeh, my vdvom za denh vskopali
vesh ogorod. Nu da, my paxali. The
two of us managed to hoe the whole gar-
den in one day. Big deal.
MLITHS: Ne mlhs, brths ne
bdeh, see under ne.
, -, n. 1. A soap opera or cheesy
TV serial (lit., soap).
. I cant stand soaps. 2. E-
mail. .
Send me some pics over the e-mail.
MLO: Bez mla (v)lezth v pu (v
zad), see under pa.
MLHNIA, -y, f., joc., neg. Cheap,
esp. plastic things (lit., soapbox).Takoj
mylhniej xoroix snimkov ne sde-
laeh. You cant get good snapshots
from that cheap camera.
MMRA, -y, f., neg. An unattractive
woman. Gde on sebe tu mymru
nal? Where did he find himself that
hag?
MMRIK, -a, m., joc. A nickname of
Communist Party leader G. Zyuganov
(by wordplay on Mymrino, the village
where he was born, and mymra (obs.), a
gloomy, dull person).
, -, f. , ; a muzzle, a
face. ,
. That is the ugli-
est mug I have ever seen.
, idiom. A
behind (lit., a thinking part). Standard
Russian has words for a thinking mind
() and a back mind ( )
which sounds the same as the word for
buttocks ().
means literally the buttocks.
,
. Stop sitting on your mind
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
161
and get to work. See . MNOVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Mens, of
MYCTH: Ne myct, ne tlits, see
under ne.
MYNYJ GLAZ, idiom, pos., rude.
Small female sexual organs (lit., a
mouses eye). Vse znat, u ne my-
inyj glaz, xoroo by poprobovath.
Everyone knows shes got a mouses
eye I sure would like to try it.
MKA-NORKA, idiom. Lit.,
mouse hole, from the name of a fairy-tale
heroine. 1. Surveillance. Nado prove-
rith, net li gde myki-noruki.
Weve got to check whether this place is
under surveillance. 2. A detective, a spy.
Von tam v uglu sidit myka-no-
ruka. Theres an undercover agent sit-
ting in the corner.
MYH: Ne lovth myj, see under
lovth.
M, n., indecl. A mens bathroom (abbrevi-
ation for muskoj, mens). Gde
zdesh m? Is there a mens room around
here?
MN, -a, m., youth. A man, especially a
good-looking one (from Eng. man).
Poznakomh men s tim mnom.
Introduce me to that fellow.
Page 161
MTH
men (cf. mn). Gde zdesh mnovyj
prikid? Wheres the mens clothing
department?
MNA, -i, f., youth. A woman, girl
(from Eng. man with a feminine suf-
fix). ta mna tanuet? Does
that girl dance?
MGKOE MSTO, idiom, joc. Buttocks.
Ty ne otsidel sebe mgkoe mesto?
Havent you worn out your soft spot,
sitting for so long?
MLKA, -i, f., neg. A mouth (cf. mth).
Cego-to zabrosith v mlku prigoto-
vila? Have you made anything to eat?
MML, -i, f., neg. An indecisive person.
S tim mmlej tebe budet ne-
prosto. Youre in for a hard time with
that wishy-washy fellow.
MTH/UMTH. To eat (lit., to crumple).
Xoroo by molodoj kartoecki
umth s maslom! It would be nice to
have some buttered new potatoes!
MTH xr, idiom, rude. To sleep (lit., to
crumple ones face). pol xar
mth. Im going to take a nap.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NA BAB I ZVERH BET, idiom,
joc. A woman always attracts men (pun-
ning on the proverb Na lova i zverh
beit, The game actually runs into the
hunters net; lit., the game actually runs
into the womans net).
NA BEZRBHE SAM RKOM ST-
NEH, idiom, rude. When there is a
shortage of men, you cant be too choosy
(lit., when there are no fish, you have to
assume the crabs position. This expres-
sion is a conflation of two idioms: Na
bezrybhe i rak ryba, When there are
no fish, even a crab counts as a fish, and
stanovths/stath rkom). A cto
delath, prixodits s nim spath.
Na bezrybhe sama rakom staneh.
Im not so crazy about him, but Im
reduced to sleeping with him. Well,
when there are no fish, you have to pre-
sent your own ass.
NA VSKIJ PORNYJ SLCAJ,
idiom. Just in case, in case of emergency
(lit., in case of fire). Na vskij poar-
nyj slucaj vozhmi tplu odedu,
vdrug poxolodaet. Take some warm
clothes just in case it gets cold.
NA GOLUBM GLAZ, idiom. Outright,
blazenly (lit., on a blue eye). On uverl
men na golubom glazu, a okazalosh vs
vranh. He assured me of this to my
face, but it turned out to be a pack of
lies.
NA ZAR TUMNNOJ NOSTI,
idiom, joc. Long ago (lit., at the dawn of
misty youth). Citali i my pozi na
zare tumannoj nosti. We too used
to read poetry back in the days of our
youth.
NA KARCKAX, idiom. On all fours.
Gde ty tak napils? Na karackax
domoj pripolz! Where did you get so
drunk? You came crawling home on all
fours.
NA KUDKINU GRU (vorovth po-
midry), rhyming phrase, joc. Used in
answer to the question Where are you
going? in the sense of none of your
Page 162
business, never mind (lit., to the
mountain over there [to steal tomatoes];
by a nonsense rhyme). Ty kuda? Na
kudykinu goru vorovath pomidory.
Where are you going? None of your
business.
NA LGKOM KTERE K EDRNOJ
MTERI, rhyming phrase, rude.
(Worthless! No way! (Lit., on a light
launch to a fucking mother). Xoroo
by tvo stath na lgkom kate-
re... Your article is a piece of junk.
NA RAZ POSSTH, idiom, rude. A
dismissive remark about a small penis
(lit, good for only one piss).
NA XALVU I KSUS SLDKIJ,
idiom, joc. Lit., even vinegar is sweet
when its free. Mne ponravils sana-
torij, vs besplatno, za vs platit
profsoz. Na xalvu i uksus slad-
kij. I had a great vacation everything
was free, the union paid for it all. Yes,
even vinegar is sweet when its free.
NA XER TA XTA?, idiom, neg. Its
useless, theres no point. (Imitating the
sound of Japanese). Budem pokupath
zimnie iny? Na xera ta xata?
Should we buy snow tires? What
the hell for?
NA XTOR BBOCEK LOVTH,
idiom, rude. Lit., to the village to catch
butterflies; used as an evasion of the
question Where are you going? Ty
kuda idh? Na xutor babocek lo-
vith. Where are you going? None of
your business.
/ (), idiom.
To type some text on the computer.
. Type me a
couple pages.
NABIVTH/NABTH lo, idiom. To
eat (lit., to stuff ones mouth); cf. lo.
Pora by i alo nabith. Its time to
eat.
NABIRTHS/NABRTHS, neg. To
get drunk (lit., to fill oneself). Gde ty
ue uspel nabraths? Where did you
manage to get so drunk already?
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
163
NABLATKIVATHS/NABLAT-
KATHS, crim. & youth. 1. To adopt
criminal manners. viu, ty nabla-
tykals, kurih, rugaehs matom.
I see youve become quite a hood, smok-
ing and swearing like that. 2. To acquire
a skill. Gde ty tak nablatykals v
anglijskom? Where did you manage to
get so good at speaking English?
, perf. To get drunk (from interfere or get in the way by hovering
, to butt heads). about, standing over someones shoulder.
, Ne navisaj, daj zakoncith pishmo.
. When did you have time to get Dont keep fluttering around me like
so wasted? You cant even walk.
NABRSYVATH/NABRSITH. To
add onto a sum (lit., to throw on).
Nabrosh ew tyscu, togda prodam
tot arbuz. Throw in another thousand
and the watermelon is yours.
NABROSTH pont, idiom, neg. To tell
lies. Tebe nicego ne stoit nabro-
sath ponty. You think nothing of
lying.
NAVLIVATH/NAVALTH (kcu),
rude. To soil, to make a mess (lit., to
make a heap). Ne xodi, tam kto-to
navalil kucu. Watch your step. Some-
one left a pile over there.
NAVLOM, adv. A lot (lit., in bulk, in
heaps). U nego deneg navalom. Hes
got heaps of money.
NAVR, -a, m. Profit, advantage (lit., a
thick meat broth). A mne kakoj navar
ot togo budet? What profit will I get
from it?
NAVRIVATH/NAVARTH. To make
money (lit., to boil broth; cf. navr).
On na prodae dinsov navaril
prilicnu summu. He made quite a
sum of money selling jeans. Navarth
cjnik, idiom, crim. To become infected
with gonorrhea. Budeh u devok, ne
navari cajnik, sredi nix esth zaraz-
nye. Be careful not to get the clap if
youre going to be with the girls a lot
of them have it.
NAVERNTH, perf. only. To strike, hit.
Ty videl, kak ona ego navernula
tarelkoj? Did you see the way she hit
him with that plate?
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NAVORT
NAVANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Fash-
ionable dressed.
NAVIVATH/NAVSITH pillj,
idiom, joc. To beat, hit. Emu vcera zdo-
rovo navesili pillej. They gave
him quite a beating yesterday. Navi-
vath/navsith pizdlj, see under
davth.
NAVISTH/NAVSNUTH, neg. To
that! Let me finish my letter!
NAVODTH/NAVEST. To inform, put
in the know. Kto vas navl na tix
mafiozi? Who put you on to those
mafiosi? Navodth/navest maki-
, idiom. To put on makeup, make one-
self up. Sejcas navedu maki i
gotova exath na konert. Ill just put
on some makeup and Ill be ready to go
the concert. Navodth/navest mara-
ft, idiom. To dress up, spruce up, deck
oneself out. Ty navl takoj mara-
fet, kuda idh? Where are you
going all dressed up like that? Navo-
dth/navest rox, idiom. To make a
row, raise confusion. My na tanax
naveli orox, dolgo pomnith budut.
We kicked up such a row at the dance, it
wont be forgotten. Navodth/navest
mon, idiom. To make a scene, brawl,
raise a ruckus. Pora uxodith, a to
math takoj mon navedt. Wed bet-
ter get out of here before your mother
kicks up a fuss.
NAVDKA, -i, f. Instruction, direction.
Tak budet kaka-nibudh navodka,
cto delath dalhe, ili net? So will
there be any instructions about what to do
next, or not?
NAVDCIK, -a, m., neg. A traitor,
betrayer. Tak vot kto navodcik, to
ty nas predal! So youre the traitor
who gave us away!
NAVORCIVATH/NAVERNTH, joc.
To eat much and quickly (lit., to heap up,
pile on). Xoroo my navernuli bor-
wa. We really pigged out on borscht.
NAVORT, -a, m., youth. 1. Decorations,
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NAVORCENNYJ
costume jewelry. Skolhko u teb na-
vorotov, i to vse tvoi? Are all those
bangles youre wearing yours? 2. pl.
only, neg. Complications, difficulties.
v takie navoroty ne vqeza. Im
not going to get involved in those compli-
cations.
NAVORCENNYJ, -a, -oe, youth.
Fashionably and expensively dressed.
On vsegda takoj navorocennyj!
Hes always such a clotheshorse.
NAGR, -a, m. Profit, advantage (lit., burnt
wick of a candle). A mne kakoj nagar
svetit? Whats in it for me?
NGLOSTH VTORE SCSTHE,
idiom, neg. Lit., selfishness is a second
happiness; used in reproach of selfish or
pushy people. Smotri, on ue bez
oceredi vlez, naglosth vtoroe sca-
sthe. Look at that guy cutting ahead in
line there! Well, selfishness is a second
happiness.
NAGLOTTHS, perf. To overeat. Tak
naglotals, spath zaxotelosh. I ate
so much that I got sleepy.
NGLUXO, adv. Entirely, completely (lit.,
to deafness). nagluxo zabyl, o cm
my dogovorilish. I completely forgot
what we agreed on.
NGLYJ KAK TANK, idiom, neg.
Pushy, aggressive. On vs ravno vs
vozhmt bez oceredi, on naglyj kak
tank. He gets everything he wants
without waiting in line hes pushy as a
tank.
NAGOVNTH, perf., neg. To spoil, to
harm (from govn). Ty cinil motor
i vs nagovnl. You ruined the motor
when you tried to fix it.
NAGORTH: Kom-l. nagort (nago-
rlo) za cto-l., idiom. Someone will be
(was) punished for something. Tebe
ew nagorit za poter deneg.
Youre going to be in hot water for los-
ing the money.
NAGRADTH/NAGRADTH doskj,
idiom. To reward for good work (at
school, a factory, etc.) by hanging some-
ones photo on a board of honor (lit., to
reward with a board). Teb nagradili
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164
doskoj ili dali premi? Did you get
a bonus or did they just reward you with a
board?
NAGRTH, perf. only, neg. To cheat; to
win from someone (lit., to heat). Na
skolhko oni teb nagreli v karty?
How much did they take you for in the
card game? Nagrth rki, idiom. To
make money (lit., to warm ones hands).
On na bananax nagrel ruki. He
made a bundle trading in bananas.
NADEVTH/NADTH namrdnik,
idiom. To supress, to silence (lit., to
muzzle). Kto e nadenet namordnik
na pressu? Who can muzzle the press?
NADIRTHS/NADRTHS, joc. To
get very drunk. Ty opth nadrals s
druzhmi? So you got blotto with your
friends again?
NADROCTHS, perf. only, rude. To
learn to do something very well (cf. dro-
cth). Znaeh, kak on nadrocils
ith brki, delaet kak firmennye.
Hes become an expert at sewing slacks
the ones he makes are just like those
from a commercial firm.
NADRYVTH/NADORVTH pup, idiom,
neg. To work very hard (lit., to split ones
navel, i.e., get a hernia). bolhe pup
nadryvath ne sobirash. Im not
going to knock myself out anymore.
NADUVTHS/NADTHS, business.
To spend all ones money on something
(lit., to blow oneself up). Vs semh
nadulash, my, nakone, kupili kom-
phter. Our whole family blew all our
money on a computer.
NADUVNJ MATRS, idiom, joc. A
cultured, educated person (lit., unflatable
mattress). Ty u nas odin naduvnoj
matras, na vse voprosy znaeh
otvety. Youre the only egghead
among us; you know all the answers.
NADLO, idiom, joc. Of unknown pater-
nity (lit., it blew in; an evasive answer to
the question of a childs paternity). Ot
kogo u ne syn? Ne zna, nadulo.
Whos the father of her child? I dont
know. It just came along like a puff of
wind.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
165
NADBATH, perf. only. To find, come
upon. nadybal interesnu knigu.
Ive come upon an interesting book.
NAB, -a, m., rude. Cheating, deceit (cf.
b-). Mne tvoj postonnyj nab
ostocertal. Im sick and tired of your
constant cheating. Nab trudovgo
narda, idiom, rude. Widespread decep-
tion, fooling a lot of people (lit., decep-
tion of the working people). Opth s
zarplatoj nab trudovogo naroda.
Again theyve ripped off the working
people with these salaries.
NAEBLOVKA, -i, f., rude. Deceit, trick-
ery, scam (cf. nab). S enami prois-
xodit splona naebalovka. Prices
now are a complete rip-off.
NAEBNTH, perf. only, rude. Cf. nab.
1. To hit, beat. Naebni ego cem-ni-
budh, ctoby vyklcil radio. Hit
him with something so hell turn off the
radio. 2. To eat something quickly.
Davaj naebnm sup. Lets knock
down a bowl of soup.
NABYVATH/NAEBTH, rude. To
deceive, cheat (cf. nab). Men krupno
naebali na rynke. They really ripped
me off at the market.
NABYVATHS/NAEBNTHS,
rude. Cf. nab. 1. To fall. Zdesh ld, ne
naebnish. Dont fall on the ice here.
2. To be mistaken, to come to nothing, to
fall through. Naa s nim sdelka naeb-
nulash. Our deal with him fell through.
Naebnths mdnym tzom, idiom,
rude. To have something come to noth-
ing, to have ones hopes frustrated (lit., to
be covered by a copper pot). Mo pod-
ruga naebnulash mednym tazom s po-
ezdkoj v taty. My girlfriends plan
to go to the States came to nothing.
NAEZTH/NAXATH, youth, neg. To
demand, insist, exert pressure. Ne
naezaj, vs ravno ne skau, gde vzl
denhgi. Its no use pressuring me. Im
not going to tell you where I got the
money.
NAIRTHS/NARTHS, neg.
To get very drunk. Stoit li tak
nairaths? Whats the use of getting
Page 165
NAKLYVATH/NAKOLTH
that drunk? Nairths /narths
v dymnu, idiom. To drink oneself into
a fog. Cto e ty narals v
dyminu, dae idti ne moeh?
Look at you youve drunk yourself
into such a fog that you cant even walk.
Nairths/ narths v pu, see
under pa. Nairths/narths
do poroschego vzga, idiom, neg. To
get drunk to a pigs squeal. Ty s nim
vsegda nairaehs do poroschego
vizga. You always get squealing drunk
with him. Nairths/narths do
usrcki, idiom, rude. To get shitting
drunk. Vy smotrite, ne naritesh
do usracki na rybalke, zna vas.
See to it that you dont get shitting drunk
on your fishing trip. Nairths/na-
rths kak svinh, idiom, neg. To get
drunk to the point of sickness (lit., drunk
as a pig). Kadyj raz ty naira-
ehs kak svinh! You always get
drunk as a pig!
NAPITH, perf. To spank (cf. pa).
Za razbitu caku naopith teb
nado! Youre going to get a spanking
for breaking that cup!
NAR: V nare, idiom, neg. In a state
of extreme drunkenness. On so vce-
ranego vecera v naore. Hes been
blotto since last nights party.
NARISTYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Highly
intoxicating. Nado vs vrem tot
portvejn brath, on naoristyj.
This wine is the thing to drink its
very strong.
NAIVNK, -, m., joc. A sucker, naive
person. I ty, naivnk, emu poveril?
So you were enough of a sucker to
believe him?
NAJT, -a, m., youth. Night (from Eng.
night). S kem ty segodn najt
provodih? Who are you spending the
night with tonight?
NAJTTH/PERENAJTTH, youth. To
spend the night (cf. najt). Gde ty
segodn najtaeh? Where are you
going to spend the night?
NAKLYVATH/NAKOLTH, neg. To
deceive, cheat (lit., to impale). Cto e
ty men nakolol, obewal, a ne sde-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NAKLYVATHS/NAKOLTHS
lal? How come you tricked me and did-
nt do what you promised?
NAKLYVATHS/NAKOLTHS,
neg. To be tricked, deceived. Na tom
dele ue raz nakolols, xvatit. I
was ripped off that way once, but never
again.
NAKATTH V RPU, idiom. To hit, to
beat up (lit., to roll in the turnips).
Slova vy ne ponimaete, ostaets
nakatith vam v repu raz i navsegda.
If you wont listen, Ill just have to beat
you up.
/. To drink
(lit., to roll on). ,
. Come on, lets have a shot. NAKLHWIK, -a, m. A practical joker, a
NAKCENNYJ, -a, -oe. Strong,
muscular (lit., pumped; cf. kack).
Kakoj syn u teb nakacennyj!
What an ironman your son is!
NAKCIVATH/NAKACTH, rude. To
impregnate (lit., to pump). On e davno
nakacal, vidih, ue ivot bolh-
oj. He knocked her up a long time
ago. You can see her pregnancy is pretty
far along.
NAKCIVATHS/NAKACTHS.
Lit., to pump oneself up. 1. To practice
bodybuilding (cf. pumping iron).
Smotri, kak ty nakacals za leto.
Look how much youve built up your
body this summer. 2. neg. To drink a lot,
get drunk. Kogda vy uspeli naka-
caths? When did you manage to tank
up like that?
NAKCKA, -i, f. A reprimand, punish-
ment (lit., pumping). Sejcas budet u
nacalhstva nakacka za prolye pro-
koly. Now the management is going to
get into trouble for their past mistakes.
/ - completely brainwashed. Shes success-
, idiom. To beat up (lit., to put in a
pocket, dated). To complicate, to aggravate, to make
, - things more difficult.
. Hes got a piss-poor attitude. Beat-
ing his face in wouldnt be a bad idea.
/. Said . Dont over-
of time (from Engl. clock). See .
? What time flying its all about simplicity and
is it?
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166
NAKLKATHS, perf. To get drunk.
NAKLKA, -i, f. Lit., a sting, prick. 1. A
trick, joke to cto, nakolka? A my
poverili. What is this, a joke? And we
believed it! 2. A tattoo. Smotri, on
vesh v nakolkax. Look at that guy
hes completely covered with tattoos. 3.
An intelligence tip received by an unoffi-
cial source (from , to
cheat by marking playing cards with a
needle).
, .
Our mobile recon team received a tip
that Chechen guerrillas will be setting up
an ambush near the river.
cheater. Ne verh emu, on izvestnyj
nakolhwik. Dont believe him, every-
one knows hes a practical joker.
NAKOPTITH, perf. To procure, to get
(money). Gde by nam nakopytith
paru soten? Where can we get a couple
of hundred?
NAKOROTK, adv. Quickly, briefly.
Vstretims nakorotke zavtra.
Lets meet briefly tomorrow.
NAKOSTYLTH, perf. To beat up, to
punish (from kostylh, crutch). Teb
ue raz nakostylli, tebe malo?
Youve already been beaten up once,
isnt that enough for you?
NAKRTKA, -i, f. A false document,
faked account. Na toj strojke odni
nakrutki, potomu vse zarabatyva-
t neploxo. The accounts on this con-
struction job are all faked; thats why
everyones earning so much.
/. 1. To
influence somebody (lit., to twist, to
wind). ,
. He's
fully turned him against his friends. 2.
,
,
complicate your plan. Once bullets start
instinct.
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
167
/, army. 1. To NAMYVTH/NAMTH, youth. To get
be killed during a bombing or shelling
(lit., to cover). moj gde-nibudh deneg. Get some money
, someplace.
. Three soldiers were taken out by
last nights bombing raid, not even their
dog tags were found. 2. To catch. See
. Moj brat emu namylit tablo, tog-
NAKRYVTHS/NAKRTHS. To
come to nothing, not to work out. Mo
poezdka na g nakrylash. My trip
south didnt come off. Nakryvths/
nakrths mdnym tzom, idiom, joc.
To be all over, all gone, all lost (lit., to be
covered by a brass tub). Mo rabota
nakrylash mednym tazom. Ive lost
my job.
NALICMN, -a, m., youth. Cash (from
nalicnosth). Skolhko u teb nalic-
manom? How much do you have on you
in cash?
NALOVTH grdusa, idiom. To get
drunk (lit., to catch a degree). Kak
nalovih gradusa srazu draths.
As soon as you get drunk, you get into a
fight.
NALOTH v tan, idiom, rude. To
be frightened (lit., to shit in ones pants).
Nikto teb palhem ne tronul, a
ty ue naloil v tany. No ones
even laid a finger on you and youre
already shitting in your pants.
NAM NE STREN SRYJ VOLK,
NAS U MMY LYJ POLK,
idiom, joc. A rhyming phrase used of a
family with many children (lit., Were not
afraid of the grey wolf, our mamas got a
whole regiment).
NAMTYVATH/NAMOTTH na vint,
idiom. 1. To look down on, be contemptu-
ous of. tvoi slova na vint namo-
tal. I spit on your words. 2. To con-
tract a venereal disease. Smotri, ne
namotaj na vint u tix bab. Be care-
ful not to get the clap if you go with those
dames.
NAMUXOMRITHS, perf. To get
drunk. Kak mono tak s utra
poranhe namuxomoriths? How can
you get drunk like that first thing in the
morning?
Page 167
NAPRG
(money) (lit., to wash gold dust). Na-
NAMLIVATH/NAMLITH tabl
kom-l., youth, rude, neg. To beat some-
one up (lit., to wash someones face).
da on ne budet bolhe pristavath k
tebe. My brother will wash his face for
him so that hell stop bothering you.
NAMLIVATHS/NAMLITHS,
joc. To get ready to go somewhere (lit., to
lather up). Kuda to ty namylils?
Where are you off to?
NANJSKIJ, -a, -oe. Strange, alien,
bad (from nanae, a member of a Nothern
people). Cto za nanajskij motor,
nikak ne zavodits! The damned
motor wont start!
NAPRYVATHS/NAPORTHS,
neg. To encounter, run into. Oni napo-
rolish na patrulh bez uvolhnitelh-
nyx. They ran into a police squad when
they werent carrying any papers.
NAPRSTOK, naprstka, m. A game in
which one bets on guessing under which
of three covers (thimbles) a ball or
other object is hidden (lit., thimble). Ne
smej igrath v naprstok, proigraeh
vse denhgi. Dont you dare to go play-
ing thimbles! Youll lose all your
money.
NAPRSTOCNIK, -a, m., neg. An orga-
nizer of games of thimbles (see napr-
stok). Na rynke razvelosh mnogo
naprstocnikov. Lots of thimbles
con-artists have appeared in the market.
NAPZDITH, perf. only, rude. To steal a
large quantity (cf. spzdith). My na-
pizdili iz restorana stakany, xva-
tit dl vsex. We stole a supply of
glasses from the restaurant. Theres
enough for everybody.
NAPIZDKIVATHS/NAPIZD-
KATHS, rude. To drink too much.
Gde vy uspeli tak napizdkaths?
Where did you guys manage to get so
drunk?
NAPRG, -a, m., joc. Pressure, tension
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NAPRGLOVO
(from naprenie, tension). U men
so vremenem naprg, tolhko polcasa i
beath. Im under some time pressure
Ill just stay half an hour and Im off.
NAPRGLOVO, -a, n., youth. See
naprg.
NAPRGTH/NAPRCH. To force,
pressure (cf. naprg). Ne naprgaj
men, to delath ne budu. Dont
pressure me. I wont do it.
NAPRNKA, -i, f. Difficulties,
problems. U men so vremenem
naprnka. Im pressed for time.
NAPRNO, adv., youth, neg. Tense, un-
pleasant, dangerous (cf. naprg). Na
Kavkaze sejcas ocenh naprno.
Things are very tense in the Caucasus
these days.
NAPRNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Annoying, unpleasant (cf. naprg). On
ocenh naprnyj, s nim ne poedu na
g. Hes awfully unpleasant; I dont
want to travel to the south with him.
/ , idiom, fishhook; cf. knur, karkalk).
army. To run away, to bolt (lit., to
rethread a stripped bolt). See .
NAREZNJ, -go (-, -j), m. (f.), neg.
A toady, apple-polisher. Nareznoj
opth v goru pol, nacalhstvo ego
lbit. That toady has taken another
step up the career ladder. The manage-
ment loves him.
NARISOVTHS, perf. only. To appear,
show up. Kogda ty u nas nari-
suehs? So when will you show up at
our place?
NARKMAN, -a, m., joc. A drug addict
(by wordplay on narko-, drug, and
narkom, abbr. of narodnyj komissar,
peoples commissar). Odin narkoman
i govorit: Esth plan po limonu.
So this druggie comes up and says, I
can get you some for one million
rubles.
NARKOT, -, f., collect., neg. Drug
addicts. Opth vozle teb vska
narkota krutits. Again youve
been hanging around with all sorts of
druggies.
NARDA BLHE, CEM LDJ,
Page 168
168
idiom, joc. A crowd (lit., more people
than people; by wordplay as if narod,
people, were different from ldi,
people). V magazine naroda bolh-
e, cem ldej, tuda ne pojdm.
Theres a huge crowd in the store; lets
not go there.
NRY, nar, pl. A bed (lit., a plank bed).
Kto to spit na moix narax?
Whos that sleeping in my bed? a,
po naram! idiom, joc. Hush! Quiet! (lit.,
Quiet in the plank beds!). a, po
naram, ucilka idt. Quiet! Here
comes the teacher. Gnths pod nry,
see under gnths.
NARYVTHS/NARVTHS, neg. To
act aggressive. Ty vs vrem nary-
vaehs, smotri, polucih. If you go
around acting so tough all the time youre
going to get it.
NASIVATH/NASADTH na kn-
ur (na karkalk), idiom, rude. To
have sex with a woman (from nasai-
vath/nasadith na krcok, lit., to bait a
e ne proch nasadith na kanur. I
wouldnt mind screwing that girl.
NASKRZH, adv., joc. Through and
through, completely (distorted from na-
skvozh). Dodh lupit, vse naskrozh
promokli. Its pouring rain. Everyones
soaked to the bone.
/ -
, idiom, army. To look closely
(lit., to tune radars). ,
.
, .
During your watch, dont take your eyes
off of that bunker. If you see any move-
ment, notify me immediately.
NASTRUGTH, perf., joc. To produce in
abundance. Ty znaeh, skolhko knig
on nastrugal za god? Do you know
how many books hes cranked out this
year?
(), idiom. To
beat up (lit., to knock on a mug).
-
,
. Id like to whale on that pretty boys
face, maybe then he wouldnt think he was
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 169

169 NA VELKIJ I MOGCIJ

so special. do. Your friend is well turned out from

, idiom. See head to toe.
and . NAXLKA, -i, f., neg. A pushy woman.
, idiom. To beat up Ty dumaeh, naxalka, platith za
(lit., to knock on someones tub). kvartiru? Well, you shrew, are you
, planning to pay the rent or not? Po
. Hes an sob. Id like to naxlke, idiom, neg. Pushily, selfishly.
beat his head in. On bez oceredi po naxalke otorval
NASYPTH/NASPATH sli pod sebe sapogi. He selfishly grabbed him-
xvost, idiom. To get someone into trou- self a pair of boots without waiting in
ble; to get vengeance against someone line.
(lit., to sprinkle salt under someones -,
tail). Ministram nasypali soli pod a rhyming phrase. To be beaten to a pulp
xvost v parlamente, ix rugali za (lit., to swallow his snot and waffles).
soialhnu politiku. They got the -
ministers into hot water in Parliament by , . He ought to get
criticizing them for their social policy. beaten to a pulp for what he did.
/- NAXRKATHS, perf. To get very
. To get drunk (from , to drunk (lit., to grunt).
eat). See . NAXURIVATH/NAXURITH, rude.
NATRA: V natre, crim. & youth. To do a lot of something, do something to
Really, actually. On v nature nicego a great extent. Kogda ty uspela na-
ne ponimaet. He actually doesnt xurith stolhko pisem? When did
understand a thing. Ty cto, v natre? you manage to write such a heap of let-
idiom. Are you serious? Are you out of ters?
your mind? (banteringly answered with NAXURIVATHS/NAXURITHS,
Sos xuj v prokuratre; cf. under rude. To drink too much. Golova bo-
xuj). Platth/zaplatth natroj, see lit, vcera naxurilish na dne rode-
under platth. ni. Ive got a headache from drinking
NATG, -a, m., youth. An unpleasant, too much at the birthday party.
tense situation. U men v semhe natg NAMN, -a, m., neg. A non-Russian, a
sejcas, mne nelhz zaderivaths. member of a non-Russian nationality (lit.,
Ive got a family problem right now so I an abbreviated form of naionalhnoe
cant stay long. menhinstvo, national minority). E
NATGIVATH/NATNTH, rude. To mu slikom cernovolosyj, on cto,
have sex with a woman (lit., to pull on, as namen? Her husband is awfully dark-
a sock). Ty e xoth natnul? Well, haired. Is he a non-Russian?
did you have any success with her? NACSTITH mrdu, idiom, rude. To
NASHKIVATH/NASHKATH, neg. beat up (lit., to clean up someones face).
To make hostile, to set against. Tebe kogda-nibudh mordu nacistt
Lbih ty naushkivath vsex pro- za naglosth. Youre going to get
tiv vsex. You always get everyone beaten up one of these days for your
angry with each other. pushiness.
NAXATHS, perf. 1. To get drunk. 2. To NACISTK, adv., crim. Completely,
get tired. Nauxals za elyj denh, altogether. On ego s odnogo udara za-
pada s nog. Im falling off my feet valil nacistk. He knocked him out
with exhaustion from todays work. completely with one blow.
NAFARIRVANNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. NA VELKIJ I MOGCIJ, idiom,
Well-dressed (from far, forcemeat). joc. Swearing or obscenity (lit., Our
Drug u teb nafarirovannyj ot i great and mighty [language], a phrase
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NA DOM GAZPRM
from Turgenevs praise of the Russian
language). Opth na velikij i
mogucij, slova bez mata skazath ne
mogut. There he goes again with our
great and mighty one he cant even
open his mouth without using swear-
words.
NA DOM GAZPRM, idiom, joc. A
rhyming distortion of the name of the
political party Na dom Rossi,
Our home is Russia, alluding to the fact
that its leader, Victor Chernomyrdin, is
closely connected with the interests of the
gas company Gazprom.
NAARIVATH/NAARITH.
To do or produce something quickly.
Skolhko strani slovar vy naa-
raili segodn? How many pages of
your dictionary did you guys manage to
churn out today?
NI CAS SMYE BSTRYE V
MRE, idiom, joc. Lit., Our watches are
the fastest in the world a sardonic
comment on the poor quality of domestic
Russian goods.
NABYVAJ SPLI V ROT, idiom,
rude. Mind your own business (lit., take
your snot into your mouth). Ne lezh so
svoimi sovetami, nabyvaj sopli v
rot. Dont butt in with your advice!
Mind your own business.
NE BEJ LECEGO, idiom, joc. Very
easy. U teb rabota ne bej lea-
cego. Your job is a piece of cake.
NE BER V GLOVU, idiom, joc. Dont
worry about it, dont take it to heart. Ne
beri v golovu ti eny, zarabotaem.
Dont be discouraged by these prices;
well earn the money. Ne ber v glovu,
ber v rot, idiom, rude, joc. Dont worry,
dont take it to heart (lit., Dont take it
into your head, take it into your mouth,
alluding to fellatio). Mne ne po sebe:
opth oni ne otdat dolg. Ne beri
v golovu, beri v rot. This is driving me
crazy. They still havent paid me what
they owe. Dont worry about it.
NE BUDH, CEM WI NALIVT, neg.
Dont be a fool (lit., dont be a soup
ladle). ti denhgi ne vozhmu.
Beri, ne budh, cem wi nalivat. I
Page 170
170
wouldnt take that money. Go ahead
and take it! Dont be a fool!
NE V DENHGX SCSTHE, A V IX
KOLCESTVE, idiom, joc. Used in
mock-disparaging answer to claims that
money has no importance (lit., Happi-
ness isnt to be found in money, but in a
lot of money). U men net deneg,
zato i net problem s pokupkami.
Da, ne v denhgax scasthe, a v ix koli-
cestve. I have no money, but to make
up for that, I dont have to worry about
the security of my possessions. Sure,
its not money that brings happiness, but
a lot of money.
NE VSKLAD, NEVPOPD, POE-
LJ KOBLU V ZAD, idiom, rude. A
rhyming phrase used to criticize bad
writing or speech (lit., Out of place, badly
rhymed, kiss a mares ass).
NE GOVOR, U SAMJ MU
PHNIA, idiom, joc. Lit., No need to
explain, my husband is a drunk, too;
used to express the idea of sharing some-
one elses problems. Ty znaeh, men
deti sovsem ne sluat, vesh denh
gde-to gult, ne ucats. Ne govo-
ri, u men samoj mu phnia. My
children dont listen to me at all. They run
around all day and dont study. Ive
got the same problem.
NE DL SRDNEGO UM (NE DL
SRDNIX UMV), idiom, joc. You
wouldnt understand (lit., its not for the
average mind). Cto-to ne ponima,
cto to za zakon novyj? to ne
dl srednix umov. Somehow I dont get
it. What sort of new law is this? Its
not for the average mind.
NE KELH, NE PERD, NICEG
NE RAZBERH, neg., rude. A
rhyming phrase used to criticize incom-
prehensible speech (lit., Its not a cough,
its not a fart, you cant make anything of
it).
NE KOMR CIXNL, idiom, joc. Lit.,
Its not a mosquitos sneeze. See Ne
mxa nagdila.
NE MAJ MS, idiom. Its cold (lit.,
its not the month of May; used in criti-
cism of someone who isnt dressed
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
171 NE PHT TLHKO TELEGRFNYJ STOLB
warmly enough for winter weather).
Nadenh apku, ne maj mes. Put on
a hat! Its not the month of May.
NE MXA NAGDILA, idiom. Its in
earnest, its serious business (lit., Its not
fly-shit). Tam nefti na milliardy,
to tebe ne muxa nagadila. These oil
deposits cost billions of dollars, its
nothing to sneeze at.
NE MLHS, BRTHS NE B-
DEH, idiom, neg. Dont get your hopes
up (lit., no use lathering your face
youre not going to have a shave). Ne
mylhs, briths ne budeh, nikto
teb ne sobiraets priglaath v
gosti. Dont get your hopes up. No
ones about to invite you to dinner.
NE MYCT, NE TLITS, idiom,
neg. Lit., someone neither moos nor
calves; used to describe someone inert,
passive, unproductive. Tebe pora
ustraivaths na rabotu, a ty ne
mycih, ne telihs. Its high time
you got yourself a job, but you neither
moo nor calve.
NE NDO L-L (nim rebtam),
idiom, neg. Dont lie, tell tales, gossip.
Ne nado l-l, ne bral tvoj mag-
nitofon. Dont tell lies! I didnt take
your tape recorder.
NE NDO MUM, joc. This expression
derives from Turgenevs story Mumu,
in which the dumb peasant Gerasim is
attached to a puppy called Mumu.
1. Dont be silent. Govori, ne nado
mumu. Speak up! Cat got your tongue?
2. Dont try to fool me, dont take me for
a sucker. Ne nado mumu, zna, cto
ty xoceh. Dont try to fool me. I
know what youre up to.
NE NDO PSEN, idiom, neg. Dont lie,
dont be evasive (lit., theres no need of
songs). Tolhko ne nado pesen, ty gde
byl? Tell me straight out where have
you been?
NE NKAJ, NE ZAPRG! Dont keep
saying Come on! to me. Im not a horse
(lit., you havent harnessed me).
NE OTKLDYVAJ NA ZVTRA TO,
CTO MNO SQESTH SEGDN,
Page 171
idiom, joc. Lit., Dont put for tomorrow
what you can eat today. A twisted form of
Ne otkladyvaj na zavtra to, cto
mono sdelath segodn, Dont put off
for tomorrow what you can do today.
, idiom. Not to
despair (a wordplay on , to
despair, and , to fall on ones
ear). ,
. Dont despair, everything will be
okay.
NE PRVYJ GOD ZMUEM, idiom.
I know how to handle it, I wasnt born
yesterday (lit., Im not in my first year of
marriage). zna, cto delath v
takix slucax, ne pervyj god zamu-
em. I know what to do in such cases
I wasnt born yesterday, you know.
NE PO UM, idiom, neg. Wrong, thought-
less, unreasonable. Vs ta reforma
sdelana ne po umu. Postradali opth
bednye, a ne bogatye. This whole
reform has been done stupidly. Again its
the poor who are suffering, not the rich.
NE POJMTE MEN PRVILHNO,
idiom, joc. Im only joking, dont take me
seriously (lit., Dont understand me
correctly, playing on Ne pojmite men
nepravilhno, Dont misunderstand
me).
NE PROTGIVAJ RKI, A TO
PROTNEH NGI, idiom. A
warning not to touch something (lit.,
Dont reach with your hands or youll
reach with your legs).
NE PHT TLHKO SOV: ona dnm
spit, a nch magazny zakrty,
idiom, joc. A proverbial expression used
to assert, in response to the question
whether someone drinks, that, of course,
everyone drinks (lit., The owl is the only
creature that doesnt drink, because in the
daytime shes asleep, and at night the
stores are closed). Vypheh s nami?
Ne pht tolhko sova.... Will you
have a drink with us? Of course! After
all, the only creature that doesnt drink is
the owl....
NE PHT TLHKO TELEGRFNYJ
STOLB (, u neg cki vniz), idiom,
joc. Most people drink, its the usual
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NE RAZBEHS
thing for people to drink (cf. preceding
entry; lit., Only a telephone pole doesnt
drink [; its got its cups, i.e., resistors,
upside down]). A razve on pht?
Ne pht tolhko telegrafnyj
stolb.... So you mean he drinks?
Well, after all, who but a telephone pole
doesnt drink?
NE RAZBEHS, idiom. You cant
expect to get much; youll have to be
thrifty. Na ti denhgi v restorane ne
razbeihs. You cant expect to get
much for that money in a restaurant.
NE SPI, ZAMRZNEH, idiom, joc.
Pay attention, dont let your mind wander
(lit., dont sleep youll freeze to
death). Ty cto zamolcal? Ne spi, za-
mrzneh. How come you have nothing
to say? Pay attention!
NE SSY (, prorvms)! idiom, rude.
Dont be scared (, well come through all
right) (cf. ssath). Ne zna, kak my
doivm do polucki, deneg net sov-
sem. Ne ssy, prorvms! I dont see
how were going to survive till payday.
We have no money at all. Dont
worry. Well come through all right.
NE SUETSH POD KLINTOM,
idiom, joc. Relax, calm down (lit., dont
fidget under the client, where the client
is a prostitutes). Posidi nemnogo, ne
suetish pod klientom. Sit down and
relax! Dont fidget under the client.
NE SYPH MNE SOLH NA RNY,
idiom. Dont irritate me, dont pain me
(lit., Dont pour salt on my wounds). Ne
syph mne solh na rany, ne govori mne
o bankax, tam sgoreli vse moi
sbereeni. Your talk about banks just
pours salt on my wounds; I lost all my
savings there.
NE TN KOT ZA XVOST, idiom.
Speak out, out with it, dont hem and haw
(lit., dont drag the cat by its tail). Nu,
tak cto u teb proizolo, govori
prmo, ne tni kota za xvost. Tell
me exactly what happened to you. Dont
beat around the bush.
NE U PRNHKINYX, idiom. Were not
such fools as you think (lit., Youre not
dealing with the Pronkins [family name
Page 172
172
of simple people]). Ty ne u Pronhki-
nyx, nikto dinsy za taku summu
ne kupit. What kind of fool do you take
me for? No one pays such a price for
jeans.
NE UC MEN ITH (, lce pomo-
g materilhno)!, idiom, youth, joc. I
dont need your advice (lit., Dont teach
me how to live [; it would be better to
give me some financial help]). Tebe ne
nado by brosath institut. Ne uci
men ith, luce pomogi materi-
alhno. You shouldnt quit school. I
dont need your advice, just your
money!
NE UC UCNOGO, POH GOVN
PECNOGO! idiom, rude. Dont tell me
what to do, dont nag me with your
advice (lit., Dont teach one who already
knows; eat some baked shit!; a rhyming
phrase).
NE FONTN, idiom. Bad, unsatisfactory
(lit., not a fountain). ta sdelka ne
fontan. Thats a bad deal.
NE FUNT IZMU, idiom. Its no joke,
its not a laughing matter (lit., its not a
pound of raisins). to serhznoe
delo, ne funt izmu. This is some-
thing serious; its not a laughing matter.
NE -, a nonsense
rhyming phrase. Its not that simple, its
difficult. -
. Its not that
easy to go three days without sleep.
NEVPROTK, adv. Hardly, with diffi-
culty. ith stalo nevprotyk pri
novyx enax. Life has become difficult
with the new prices.
NEVPROTCNYJ, -a, -oe. Impos-
sible, insoluble. Cf. nevprotk.
NEVRUBN, -a, m. Lack of under-
standing. U men nevrubon na kom-
phter. The computer is beyond my
comprehension.
NEVYEZDNJ, -ogo, m., obs., Soviet. A
Soviet citizen denied the right to travel
abroad (hence, a Soviet citizen officially
marked as of questionable loyalty; cf.
vyezdnj).
NEGATV, -a, m., neg. 1. An African, a
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 173
173
black person. Zdesh ucits mnogo
negativov. A lot of blacks study here.
2. The negative or dark side of things. V
ego romane odin negativ. His novel
only shows the dark side of things.
3. Compromising information. U nix
na men negativ. They have some dirt
on me.
NEGR: (Temn) kak u ngra v pe, see
under pa.
NEGRITS, -a, m., neg. A Negro. V
orkestre u nego odni negritosy. His
orchestra is made up entirely of blacks.
NEGRITSI, -ii, f., neg. Any African
country. On uexal poslom v kaku-to
Negritosi. He went as an ambas-
sador to some Darkland or other.
NEDERNIE RCI, idiom, neg.
Overtalkativeness (playing on nedera-
nie moci, incontinence). On pomol-
cath ne moet i minuty, nedera-
nie reci kakoe-to. He cant keep quiet
for a single minute, hes got such a case
of speech incontinence.
NEDODLANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Idi-
otic, stupid (lit., defectively made).
Kakoj-to ty nedodelannyj, vs
delaeh ne kak ldi. How can you be
so stupid! You dont do anything like a
normal person.
NEDOBANNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Out of
sorts, in a bad mood. Cto s nim, segod-
n on kakoj-to nedobannyj. Whats
with him today? He seems to be in a bad
mood.
/- yet.
. Paradoxical word from , lit., NENABA, -y, m. & f., rude. A sexually
less, and , lit., more. , tireless or insatiable person. Emu malo
, . Hes dvux bab, vot nenaba. Two women
mad as hell, its obvious that he didnt
drink as much as he should yesterday.
NEDPIL, -a, m. Not enough to drink.
to budet nedopil, nado ew
butylku kupith. This wont be
enough to drink, well have to buy
another bottle.
NEDOTKOMKA, -i, m. & f., neg. An
idiot, fool (lit., not fully penetrated,
incomplete or defective in the manner of
generation). Kaka ty nedotykom-
NEPRXA
ka, nikak ne xoceh ponth, cto tebe
nado govorith, kogda sprost. What
an idiot you are! Cant you understand
that you have to answer when youre
asked a question?
NEDOMOK, nedomka, m., neg. An
idiot, fool. Kak mono s takim nedo-
umkom druith? How can you be
friends with such an idiot?
NEZAVERNKA, -i, f. Incomplete
work, work left undone (esp. construction
work). U nas v gorode nezavernki
xvataet. In our city there are a lot of
abandoned construction jobs.
NEZVNYJ GOSTH LCE TAT-
RINA, idiom, joc. Lit., An unexpected
guest is better than a Tartar (by comic
distortion of the saying Nezvanyj gosth
xue tatarina,, An uninvited guest is
worse than a Tartar).
NEKAJF, -v, pl., youth, neg. Unpleas-
antness, difficulties (cf. kajf). Ot
toj gerly odni nekajfy. Theres
never anything but trouble with this girl.
NEKSLYJ, -a, -oe, pos. Good (lit.,
not sour). U nego nekisla zarplata.
Hes making a good salary.
NENAVZCIVYJ SRVIS, idiom,
joc. Poor, inattentive service (lit., service
that is not too insistent). Zdesh v res-
torane nenavzcivyj servis, cas si-
dim, a ew zakaz ne prinli. The ser-
vice in this restaurant is not very insistent
weve been sitting here an hour
already and no one has taken our order
arent enough for that stud.
NEPROXODNK, -, m. A hopeless
business, a doomed enterprise. To, cto
ty predlagaeh, neproxodnk.
Your proposal hasnt got a chance.
NEPROXON, indecl., pred. Nothing
doing. V ego bank ustroiths
neproxona. Its impossible to get a job
in his bank.
NEPRXA, -i, f. Bad luck, failure.
Cto-to mne vo vsm nepruxa segod-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NERV
n. Somehow everythings going wrong
for me today.
NERV, -, f. The state of ones nerves.
Cto-to nerva slaba stala, ploxo
spl, duma, cto dalhe budet. Ive
been nervous, sleeping poorly, and con-
stantly thinking about whats going to
happen. Nerv sdat u kog-l., idiom.
To lose ones nerve. U nego nerva sda-
la, on ne pol sdavath kzamen. He
lost his nerve and didnt even take the
examination.
NERVOTRPKA, -i, f., neg. A tense, ner-
vous situation. tu nervotrpku
bolhe vynosith ne mogu. I cant
stand this tension any more. Ustri-
vath/ustrith nervotrpku, see under
ustrivath.
NRVY: Bez nrvov, idiom. Calmly,
coolly. Nado vs spokojno obdumath
i tolhko bez nervov. Weve got to
think it over calmly and collectedly. Na
nrvax, idiom. On edge, in a state of ten-
sion. V poslednee vrem vse ivut
na nervax. Everyones been living in a
state of tension recently. Nrvy pod-
kacli, idiom. To lose ones self-posses-
sion. Ne vyderal , nervy podka-
cali, emu v zuby i vrezal. I couldnt
restrain myself. I lost my cool and socked
him in the mouth. Nrvy ne vydri-
vat, idiom. To be unable to endure
something. Bolhe tak ith, nervy
ne vyderivat. I cant stand living
like this any longer. Nrvov ne xva-
tet, idiom. To be unable to endure
something. U men nikakix nervov ne
xvataet s nim rabotath. I absolutely
cant stand working with him.
NERSSKIJ, -a, -oe. Bad, strange (lit.,
non-Russian). to kakoj-to nerus-
skij televizor, nicego ne pokazy-
vaet. This is a strange sort of television
the screen is blank.
NESKLADXA, -i, joc. 1. m. & f. A
slow, clumsy person. On u men takoj
neskladuxa. That fellow is all thumbs.
2. f. Absurdity, unreasonableness. Ka-
ka-to v tix certeax neskladuxa,
nicego ne pojmh. Somethings
screwed up in these designs theyre
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174
unintelligible.
NESLAB, adv. Well. Neslabo my
vcera pogulli. We had a real good
time yesterday.
NESLBYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Good
(lit., not weak). to neslabyj foto-
apparat. This is a good camera.
NEST/PONEST: Nest/ponest
cepux, idiom. To talk nonsense. Ty
nesh cepuxu, nikto teb ne sobi-
raets obideth. Youre talking non-
sense. No one is trying to insult you.
Nest kak iz pomjki, idiom, neg.
Something smells bad (lit., as if from the
garbage). Pocisti zuby, izo rta ne-
st kak iz pomojki. Brush your teeth.
Your mouth smells terrible.
NESTONIE, -, n. Impotence. U
men sostonie nestoni. Im not
sexually aroused.
NESN, -, m., neg. A petty thief who
steals from plants or industries. U nesu-
nov vs mono dostath i mso i
zapcasti. You can buy anything from
those factory thieves, from meat to spare
parts.
NETLNKA, -i, f., prof., joc. A work of
art (from tlen, decay). On tvorit
ocerednu netlenku. Hes working on
his next immortal job.
NEUVZOK, -ka, m., army, neg. A blun-
derer. Ty kogda naucihs stre-
lth, neuvzok crtov? When are you
going to learn to shoot straight, you
shlump!
NUVZH, -i, m., army, neg. See
neuvzok.
NEUDBNO TAN CREZ GLO-
VU NADEVTH, idiom, neg. Lit., its
awkward to put on your pants over your
head; used in dismissal of claims that
something is awkward or unpleasant.
Mne neudobno prosith ego ob tom.
Brosh ty, neudobno tany cerez
golovu nadevath. Its uncomfortable
for me to ask him about that. Oh, go
on! Whats uncomfortable is to put your
pants on over your head.
NEFORML, -a, m., obs. A member of an
unauthorized (i.e., non-Party) organiza-
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 175
175
tion. Neformaly sobirats zav-
tra na miting. The informals are
having a meeting tomorrow.
NETOCNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos.
Well-off, prosperous (lit., not in play, i.e.,
for real). Ty u nas neutocnyj, i
maina u teb, i daca. Youre the
prosperous one among us; youve got
both a car and a dacha.
NI BZDNTH, NI PRDNUTH, idiom,
rude. Crowded on all sides, in a tight
spot, packed like sardines (lit., without
enough room to fart). V maine nas
exalo esth celovek: ni bzdnuth, ni
prdnuth. There were six of us packed
in the car there wasnt even room to
fart.
NI BUM-BM, idiom, joc. To understand
nothing (from the sound of striking a hol-
low object; sometimes accompanied by a
gesture of tapping the forehead or head).
On po-russki ni bum-bum. He doesnt
understand a word of Russian.
NI B, NI M, NI KUKARKU,
idiom, neg. Lit., neither b nor m nor
cock-a-doodle-doo. Used of a dull-wit-
ted person, especially one who can barely
express himself. On po-russki ni b,
ni m, ni kukareku. He cant speak a
word of Russian.
NI DATH NI VZTH, pl., indecl., joc.
Pantyhose (lit., neither give nor take,
alluding to their being inconvenient for
sex). Ty opth nadela ni dath ni
vzth. Too bad youre wearing these
barrier-hose again.
NI KI NI RI, rhyming phrase,
neg. A thin, ugly person (lit., neither skin
nor face). Ona mne ne nravits, ni
koi ni roi. I dont find her attrac-
tive shes all skin and bones.
NI TPRU NI NU, idiom, joc. An
impasse, a standstill, a dead end (lit., nei-
ther stop nor go; from the commands
given to horses). Ue bylo dogovori-
lish, kak popravith konfliktnu
situai, a potom ni tpru ni nu, vse
peregovory zastoporilish. In theory
they came to an agreement about how to
resolve the conflict, but then in practice
everything came to a standstill. Ni
NVYE NERSSKIE
tpru, ni nu, ni kukarku, idiom, joc.
Nothing doing, no answer, no reaction.
My ego ue mes ob tom prosim, a
on ni tpru, ni nu, ni kukareku. Weve
been asking him about it for a month
already, but on his side theres been no
response at all.
NI XA NI RLA, idiom, neg. Igno-
rant, at a loss (lit., neither ear nor snout).
On ni uxa ni ryla v texnike. He
doesnt know a thing about anything
technical.
, idiom. Said of female
genitals (lit., the ground floor).
NIZ, adv., joc. Its not permitted, its
forbidden (distorted from nelhz).
Tuda niz, sda niz! Kuda mono?
Were forbidden to go here, were
forbidden to go there, where can we go?
NIKAKJ, -. Drunk to unconscious-
ness. On vyphet stakan i srazu
nikakoj. He gets drunk out of his mind
on just a single glass.
, -, m., army. A commando (lit.,
a ninja).
c , .
Let the commandos storm the airplane
and rescue the hostages. Its what they
do.
NITRTNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Oversized,
extra-large (lit., nitrate). U nix vse
deti nitratnye. All their children
are extra-large.
, -, f., army. No mans land
(from , no ones). -
,
. When we finally make it
across this no mans land well reach the
Afghan border.
NITK, pred. use, youth, pos. 1. Good,
not bad. U teb kostm nitk!
That suit youre wearing is not bad! 2.
Nothing to worry about, no problem.
Nitk prorvms! Dont worry,
well have a breakthrough!
NVYE NERSSKIE, idiom, neg. The
Russian nouveaux riches (lit., new non-
Russians, from nvye rsskie). Poce-
mu vse govort: Novye russkie, novye
russkie? to novye nerusskie. Why
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
NVYE RSSKIE
are they called new Russians? People
like that are non-Russian.
NVYE RSSKIE, nvyx rsskix,
pl., neg. Russians who have become rich,
materialistic, and showy in postcommu-
nist conditions; the post-Soviet nouveaux
riches (lit., the new Russians). Novye
russkie delat denhgi, na ostalhnoe
im naplevath. The New Russians are
busy making money; they dont give a
damn for anything else.
NVYJ: Po nvoj, idiom. Again.
Stavh tu muzyku po novoj. Play
that piece again.
NOVH, -, n. A brand-new possession.
ta maina novh. That car is
brand-new.
NGI, nog, pl., crim. A pass, an official
authorization to leave work (lit., feet).
polucil nogi, mogu uxodith v go-
rod. Ive received a pass to go into
town. Ngi, kak u pli, idiom, neg.
Skinny, unattractive legs. Nogi u ne
kak u apli, a ew scitaets korole-
voj krasoty. Shes got legs like a
heron, but shes still considered a beauty
queen. Ngi rkulem u kog-l.,
idiom, neg. Lit., someones legs are like a
pair of compasses; used to describe a
skinny woman. Ngi iz-pod mek
rastt u kogo-l., idiom, joc. Lit., some-
ones legs grow from his armpits; used to
describe a long-legged person. Vse ngi
otdavli, idiom, neg. Lit., everyone
crushed my feet; used to describe a
dense crowd or a long line of people.
Stola dva casa za saxarom, vse
nogi otdavili. I stood in line for sugar
for two hours; everyone crushed my
toes. Ngi otorv, idiom, rude. Ill
beat you up (lit., Ill tear off your legs).
Za takie dela tebe nogi otorvu!
Im going to kill you for this!
Brath/vzth ngi v zby, see under
brath. Dlath/sdlath ngi, see under
dlath. Pridlyvath/pridlath n-
gi, see under pridlyvath.
NGOTH: K ngt, idiom, neg. To pun-
ish, destroy (lit., [to crush] against ones
fingernail). Ix nado k nogt za
takie dela. Well have to snuff them
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176
out for this.
NKI: Nki Ba, idiom, joc.
Chicken legs imported from the United
States (lit., Bushs legs; so called because
their import began under the Bush admin-
istration, partly subsidized at first as
humanitarian aid; prior to that time sepa-
rate chicken parts were unknown in Russ-
ian markets). Noki Bua silhno
podoroali v oktbre. The price of
Bushs legs rose steeply in October. Lc-
ie nki Frnii, sli pobrth i
vprmith, see under lcie.
, -, f., army. Said of a very
close haircut (from , zero, nothing).
? -
, . Where
is the sergeant? He is at the barber shop
getting a buzz.
NOLH: V nolh, idiom. Extremely,
intensely (of drunkenness). Xocets
nadraths v nolh. I feel like getting
completely plastered. Dva nol, idiom.
A toilet (lit., two zeros). Gde zdesh dva
nol? Wheres the bathroom around
here?
, idiom,
army. A dead body. See 200.
, idiom, army. Lack
of knowledge (lit., zero voltage in an
electric wire).
,
. That sol-
dier is physically capable of almost any-
thing, but when it comes to technical
knowledge hes clueless.
NOR, -, f. Home (lit., burrow). Xocu
dobraths do nory i spath, spath. I
want to go home and sleep and sleep.
NORMALK, adv., joc. All right, okay.
Kak dela? Normalk! How are
things? Okay.
NOSN, -a, m., joc. A Jew (from nos,
nose). Posmotri, kto u nas v
pravitelhstve vse nosany kak
odin. Look at our government! Its a
pack of Jews!
NOSK, nosk, m., student. A middle-
aged man (lit., a sock). Noskov na
vecer ne priglaath, ni k cemu oni
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM
177
nam. Dont invite any oldsters to the
party. What would we do with them?
NOSOPRKA, -i, f., joc. A nose.
Vytri nosopyrku, platok esth?
Do you have a handkerchief? Wipe your
nose!
NOCN BBOCKA, idiom. A prostitute
(lit., a moth). Gde sejcas sbor nocnyx
babocek? Where are the prostitutes
hanging out these days?
NOCNE, -go, n., student. Late-night
studying, as before exams. Kupi
pobolhe kofe, my segodn v nocnom.
Get some more coffee, were going to
pull an all-nighter.
NRVITHS, NE NRVITHS,
EH, MO KRASVIA! rhyming
phrase, joc., rude. Lit., Whether you like
it or not, eat it, my beauty! Used in
response to complaints about food. Its
the punch line of a popular rhyme that
begins Kak-to raz Anela Devis
proglotila cej-to penis, Once upon a
time, Angela Davis swallowed some-
ones penis.
NU I PIROG! idiom. An exclamation
of annoyance or incredulity: Incredible!
Is it possible? Nu i pirogi, opth ona
ne prila. Well, heres a fine kettle of
fish shes stood me up again!
NU TY DAH! An expression of
amazement, admiration. Ty stolhko
vetov kupil, nu ty dah! Wow,
look at all the flowers you bought!
NUDTH/ZANUDTH, neg. To whine,
nag, be a nudnick. Ne nudi, vs ravno
ne kupl tebe moroenoe. Stop
your whining. Im not going to get you an
ice cream.
NUNK, -, m., obs. An outhouse, out-
door toilet. U nego na dace nunik vo
dvore. Hes got an outhouse in the yard
at his dacha.
NKATH/ZANKATH. To hurry or pres-
sure someone by repeating nu, nu (well,
come on). Ne nkaj, ne zaprg!, see
under ne.
NULH: Po nulm, idiom. A draw, an even
score. Kak ty sygral v karty?
Po nulm. How did you make out in
Page 177
NXC
the card game? It was a draw. Si-
dth na nul/sesth na nulh, see under
sidth.
NULHSN V SMZKE, idiom, army.
An inexperienced first-year soldier or
marine.
NUTR: Nutr gort, idiom. Lit., some-
ones insides are burning; used to
describe a hangover. Nado by xoth
piva vypith, nutro gorit. My
insides are on fire. I need a beer or some-
thing. Ne po nutr kom-l., idiom. Not
to someones taste, disagreeable. Mne
ne po nutru, cto ty xoceh sdelath.
I dont like what you want to do.
Gnile nutr u kog-l., see under
gnilj.
NHS, pl., youth. News (from Eng.
news). Nu, kakie nhs? Well,
whats the news?
, -, f. A secret place to hide
something (from , to hide).
,
. Do you have any vodka
left in your stash? I need a drink!
NNI, nnh, pl., neg. Tears, crying.
Opth nni, skolhko mono? Are
you crying again? Enough with the tears,
already! Raspuskth/raspustth
nni, see under raspuskth.
NX: Davth/dath v nx, see under
davth.
NXA, -i, f., neg. A promiscuous woman,
prostitute. Cto to ty za nxu pri-
tawil? Where did you drag in that slut
from?
NXALKA, -i, f., joc. A nose (from
nxath, to smell). Mo nxalka ne
obmanyvaet zdesh alyki goto-
vt. My sniffer tells me someones
cooking shashlik here.
NXALO, -a, n., neg. A nose (see
nxalka).
NXATH/VNXATH. To find out, to
get to know (lit, to sniff). Ty nxal,
kakoj kurs dollara budet zavtra?
Have you found out what the exchange
rate on the dollar will be tomorrow?
NXC, -, m., youth. A drug addict.
Nxaci bez kokaina i dn proith
Russ Slang 3rd.ed.ptI 1/23/06 9:37 AM Page 178

NKA 178

ne mogut. Addicts cant get through a

single day without their cocaine.
NKA, -i, f., neg. A promiscuous
woman; an untidy, slovenly woman. I
ta nka u nas budet rabotath?
You mean that slut is going to be work-
ing here?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OBALDEVTH/OBALDTH, neg. To be
tired, worn out (from bald). obal-
del ot uma. Im exhausted from the
noise.
OBALDEMN, -a, m. Something out-
standing, excellent. Segodn pivo
polnyj obaldemon! Weve got some
terrific beer today.
OBALDNIE, -, n., neg. Exhaustion (cf.
obaldevth). Vcera zanimalish
matematikoj do obaldeni. Yester-
day we worked on the math homework to
the point of stupefaction.
OBALD`NNYJ, -a, -oe. Excellent,
first-rate. Na ulie obaldenna
pogoda. The weather is gorgeous today.
OBVIVATH/OBVATH xumi.
See under xuj.
OBGOVNTHS, perf., rude. To be taken
in, to make a stupid mistate, to fail (from
govn). Nai v xokkej sovsem
obgovnlish. Our hockey team messed
up completely.
OBGRYZTH/OBGRZTH, youth. To
steal (from gryzth, to gnaw). Vcera
obgryzli mainu, vynuli magnito-
fon. Yesterday they stole the tape deck
from the car.
OBDLBYVATHS/OBDOLBTHS,
youth. To take drugs, to be under the
influence of narcotics. On ue obdol-
bals, nicego ne soobraaet. Hes so
high he doesnt understand a thing.
OBDOLBNIE, -, n., youth. 1. Intoxica-
tion. 2. Depression. Tebe nado vybi-
raths iz obdolbani, dela vse
stot. Youve got to pull yourself out
of your depression, theres work to be
done.
OBDLBANNYJ, -a, -oe. Stoned,
highly intoxicated with narcotics (see
obdolbths).
OBDONASTH, perf. To annoy, to
irritate. Ty mne za ti dva dn obdo-
nael. Youve driven me up the wall
these last couple of days.
OBDRISTTHS, perf. only, rude. 1. To
defecate in ones pants, to soil oneself.
Page 179
Ele do ugla dobeal, cuth ne obdri-
stals. I barely made it to the can with-
out going in my pants. 2. To fail, mess
up, come to nothing. Oni so svoim
planom konomiceskogo podqma ob-
dristalish. They really struck out
with their plan for economic develop-
ment.
, -, m. A detention ward
in a police station (lit., monkey-house).
-
,
. There was a big brawl at
the disco last night that landed a group of
sailors in the brig.
OBIMTH/OBTH, neg. To cheat,
deceive (from ath, to squeeze).
Kaets, men obali na tyscu.
They seem to have cheated me out of a
thousand rubles.
OBDNO, DOSDNO, DA THFU, DA
NU, DA LDNO, idiom, joc. A rhyming
phrase expressing contempt for diffi-
culties: Its offensive, its annoying, but
never mind!
OBKLDYVATH/OBLOTH mtom.
See gnuth/zagnth mtom.
OBLMYVATH/OBLOMTH, neg.
Lit., to break, prune. 1. To humble, bring
down in spirit. Teb ew iznh oblo-
maet. Life will humble you yet.
2. youth. To distress, put someone in a
bad mood. Ty men oblomal toj
novosth. Youve really bummed me
out with this news. Oblmyvath/
oblomth vtki, idiom, neg. To punish,
to beat up (lit., to break branches).
ti ldi tnut ruki k naemu
magazinu, xoroo by im vetki
oblomath. Those guys are threatening
our store. Wed better give them a
beating. Oblmyvath/oblomth
rog, idiom, neg. To punish, put down,
put in ones place. Slikom on vol-
hno seb cuvstvuet, nado by emu
oblomath roga. Hes feeling a little too
free around here. Well have to take him
down a peg.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OBLMYVATHS1/OBLOMTHS
OBLMYVATHS1/OBLOMTHS,
youth, neg. 1. To be distressed. Ne
stoit tak oblamyvaths. Its not
worth getting so upset about. 2. To be
averse to doing something. oblomal-
s idti v gorod. I dont feel like going
into town.
OBLMYVATHS 2 /OBLOMTHS
kom-l. To be advantageous or profitable
to someone. Skolhko ty s togo dela
poimel? tuka oblomilash. How
much did you make on that deal? My
profit was a thousand.
OBLAPIVATH/OBLAPITH,
joc. To cheat, take advantage of someone
(from lapa, paw). ti projdoxi
nas tocno oblapoat. You can be
sure those rascals are cheating us.
OBLEGCTHS/OBLEGCTHS, joc.
To urinate (or defecate) (lit., to relieve
oneself). Nado by oblegciths,
ostanovi mainu. Stop the car. Ive
got to take a leak.
OBLOKOTTHS, perf. only, youth,
neg. To consider worthless, not give a
damn about, have contempt for (lit., to
lean ones elbows on). davno oblo-
kotils na tvoi zamecani. Its been
ages since I stopped giving a damn about
your remarks.
OBLM, -a, m., youth, neg. 1. A misfor-
tune, failure. S kvartiroj u men
oblom. Im not having any luck with
finding an apartment. 2. An aversion to
doing something. Mne oblom obed
gotovith. I dont feel like making din-
ner. Oblm vel, idiom, youth, neg.
A misfortune took place, something bad
happened. S denhgami oblom vyel.
I had a financial calamity. V oblme,
idiom, youth, neg. In a bad mood. Ne
trogaj ego, on v oblome. Dont bother
him. Hes in a lousy mood.
OBLOMTHS, perf. To appear
suddenly. Otkuda ty oblomils,
davno ne videlish. Where did you
show up from?! I havent seen you for
ages!
OBLMOV, -a, m., youth, neg. A person
who gets on ones nerves, who annoys
others (from Oblomov, the hero of Gon-
Page 180
180
charovs novel.) Mne tot Oblomov
nadoel. Im sick and tired of that Oblo-
mov.
OBLMOVWINA, -y, f., youth. Bad
luck, trouble, failure (from oblom and
Oblomov, the hero of Goncharovs
novel). Oblomovwina skoro koncit-
s, vs budet v pordke. All this trou-
ble will be over soon, and things will get
back to normal.
OBLMWIK, -a, m., youth, neg. See
sack.
OBLPYVATHS/OBLPATHS.
To overeat (cf. lpath). Ne oblopajs
gru, ploxo budet! Dont eat too many
pears or youll make yourself sick.
OBMANLI DURAK NA CETRE
KULAK, rhyming phrase, joc. It was
your own fault you were cheated or
deceived; be more careful next time (used
as a taunt in childrens speech; lit., they
deceived a fool in the hand-counting
game).
OBMIRIVATHS/OBMI-
RITHS, joc. To be mistaken, be taken
in, be cheated (from miura, tinsel).
Kak e ty tak obmiurils? How
did you manage to get taken in like that?
OBMYVTH/OBMTH. To drink in
honor of (a success or a new purchase;
lit., to wash). Davaj obmoem moj no-
vyj kostm, a to nosiths ne budet.
Lets drink to my new suit so that it will
wear well.
OBMLOK, obmlka, m., rude. Lit., a
remnant of a soap case. 1. A short man.
Kazalosh by obmylok, a sila esth.
He looks puny, but hes strong. 2. A
small penis.
OBNANS, -a, m., joc. A striptease,
stripping (from obnaath, to strip).
Oni dumat, esli na sene vs vre-
m obnaans, to to i esth sovre-
mennyj teatr. They think contempo-
rary theater is nothing but a perpetual
striptease.
OBNAKOVNNO, joc. All right, okay, as
usual (distorted from obyknovenno).
Kak poivaeh? Obnakovenno.
How are you? Okay.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
181
OBNOSTH/OBNEST. To rob (from
nosith, to carry). Vcera kvartiru
sosedej obnesli nacisto. Yesterday
our neighbors flat was robbed clean.
OBOZNTUKI, idiom, joc. Youre
mistaken, Im not who you think I am
(from oboznaths, to take someone for
someone else). Vy Pavel? Obo-
znatuki. Paul? No, youre mis-
taken.
OBLTUS, -a, m., neg., rude. An idiot,
fool. Kogda e tot oboltus iz
koly pridt? When does that idiot
get home from school?
OBORZLYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Pushy,
aggressive (from borzoj, wolfhound).
OBORMT, -a, neg., joc. A fool,
blockhead. S takim obormotom, kak
ty, trudno o cm-to dogovoriths,
sluaeh tolhko seb. How can I
make a deal with a blockhead like you?
You only listen to yourself.
, , m. A police- teb tak obstrugali korotko. Who
man mixed up in crime, a dirty cop (lit., a
werewolf). ,
, .
Now I cant figure out whos a dirty cop
and whos honest.
OBOSRLI, OBTEK, idiom, rude.
Ive been hurt, but Ill get over it (lit.,
Ive been shat on, but its coming off).
Nu, kak ty? Silhno rugali? Da,
obosrali, obteka. How are you feel-
ing after that dressing-down they gave
you? They really dumped on me, but
its washing away now.
OBOSSTH, perf. only, rude. To urinate
on (cf. ssath). Ty cto e vs pos-
telh obossal? How come you pissed
all over the bed? Kak dva plha
obossth, see under kak.
OBOSSTHS I NE ITH, idiom,
rude. Incredible, amazing (lit., [one
could] piss in ones pants and drop dead).
Neueli on tak i skazal, obos-
saths i ne ith! Did he really say
that? Im astounded!
OBRZKI, -ov, pl., joc. Hands or feet (lit.,
ends). Snimaj obuvh, grej svoi
obrezki u ogn. Take off your shoes and
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OBUVTH/OBTH
warm your feet by the fire.
/ -
. To disgrace, to beat up (lit., to tear
off someones wings).
,
. We need to put him in his
place, he acts like hes better than the rest
of us.
OBSERTH/OBOSRTH, rude. To
insult, humiliate (lit., to defecate on; cf.
srath). Xvatit vam obserath drug
druga. Stop badmouthing each other.
Obosrth i na morz, idiom, rude. To
ridicule, humiliate. Kakie vy, obosra-
li i na moroz, xvatit utith. What
sort of people are you, humiliating him
like that? Stop playing those games.
OBSTRGIVATH/OBSTRUGTH. Lit.,
to shave wood. 1. To scold. elyj
denh men roditeli obstrugivali,
teperh ew i ty tuda e. First my
parents bawl me out all day, and now you
too! 2. To give a haircut. Gde to
cut your hair so short?!
OBSUDLOVO, -a, n., youth, neg. A
pointless discussion (from obsudath,
to discuss). V Dume obsudalovo
bez kona, ot skuki umereth mono.
The way they babble on in the Duma,
you could die of boredom.
OBTCIVATH/OBTOCTH sapog,
army. To prepare for demobilization (lit.,
to file down ones boots, i.e., to remove
the protruding welts that distinguish army
boots from civilian ones). ue obto-
cil sapogi, skoro domoj. Ive already
filed down my boots, and Im on my way
home.
OBTRSYVATH/OBTRST. To rob
(lit., to shake). Na toj ulie i
obtrsti mogut. You could be robbed
on this street.
OBUVTH/OBTH, joc. 1. To cheat (lit.,
to shoe, put shoes on someone). Teb
obuli minimum na paru tysc, ti
dinsy stolhko ne stot. They
cheated you out of at least a couple of
thousand rubles on those jeans. 2. To
change tires. Pora obuth na zimu
nau mainu. Its time to change our
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OBVKA
tires for the winter.
OBVKA, -i, f. Footwear. Zimn
obuvku kogda pokupath budem? When
are we going to buy winter shoes?
OBURTH, perf. only, neg. To be insolent,
impudent (from bur, drill). On cto,
sovsem oburel, taku drnh proda-
vath za takie denhgi. The nerve of
him selling trash like that at such high
prices!
OBXAJRTH, perf., youth. To cut some-
ones hair. V armii teb bystro pod
nolh obxajrat. In the army theyll
shear you bald.
OBXZYVATH/OBXZATH, rude. 1. To
soil, to shit on. Kto vesh unitaz ob-
xezal? Who got shit all over the toilet?
2. To slander, speak ill of. Tvoi druzh
teb e i obxezali. Your friends have
been spreading dirt about you.
OBXODTHS/OBOJTSH bez sop-
lvyx, idiom, neg. Not to need some-
ones advice, especially the advice of the
young (lit., to get along without runny-
nose kids). Luce by tebe, math, ne
pokupath sejcas mainu. Molci,
obojdms bez soplivyx. It would be
better for you not to buy a car right now,
Mom. No one asked your advice.
We can manage without runny-nose
kids.
OBRPANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, joc.
Owning Sharp-brand of audio or video
equipment (by wordplay on obarpan-
nyj, shabby).
OBWGA, -i, f., youth. A dormitory. V
obwage oni ivut vdvom v komnate.
In their dorm they live two in a room.
OBWK, -, m., crim. A general fund for
supporting imprisoned criminals and their
families. Pora sdavath denhgi v ob-
wak. Its time to make a contribution to
the general fund.
OBQBYVATH/OBQEBTH, rude. To
cheat, deceive (cf. b-). Xvatit men
obqbyvath, zna, gde ty byl.
Stop trying to fool me. I know where
youve been.
OBQVA, -y, f., youth. A manufacturers
label on clothing or other merchandise.
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182
Rubaecka xoroa, pokai obq-
vu. Thats a nice shirt. Let me see the
label.
OVS, ovs, m. Lit., oats. 1. Money.
Ovsa, kak vsegda, malovato, no na
segodn xvatit. As usual, Im short of
money, but at least theres enough for
today. 2. Food. Zadaj im ovsa,
vidih golodnye. Give them some
chow, cant you see theyre hungry?!
VOW, -a, m. A helpless or senile person.
Posle insulhta on ue ovow. Hes
been a vegetable since his stroke.
OGLBL, -i, f., joc. A tall person (lit.,
shaft). U nix v entre taka oglobl
igraet, bolhe dvux metrov. The guy
theyve got playing center is over two
meters tall.
OGLOB, -a, m., rude. An idiot, good-for-
nothing, clumsy person (by wordplay on
oxlamn, clumsy person, and b-).
Kakoj oglob razbil tarelku?
Wheres the bumbler who broke this
plate?
OGLOD, -a, m., neg. 1. A pushy, selfish
person. ti ogloedy vsem nadoeli,
tolhko i delat, cto cego-to trebu-
t. Everyones sick of those pushy fel-
lows all they ever do is make
demands. 2. One who eats on someone
elses account. Skolhko mono bes-
platno kormith tix ogloedov?
How long can I go on feeding those
moochers for free?
OGLOIVATH/OGLOITH, neg.
To drink a large quantity of liquor.
Kogda vy vs to uspeli oglouith?
When did you guys manage to drink all
this wine?
OGNETUTELH, -, m. A liquor bottle
containing three-fourths of a liter (lit., a
fire extinguisher). Tam prodat ogne-
tuiteli, skolhko brath? They sell
those big bottles there how many
should I buy?
OGORCNHE: Byvt v zni ogor-
cnh, vmsto xlba kaeh pec-
nhe, see under byvt.
OGREBTH/OGREST (vstrsku, piz-
dlj). To be punished, to be beaten up
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 183

183 OKOROK

(from gresti, to grab). Sejcas ogre- . Its too dangerous

bh. Now youre going to get it. to advance now, we have to take cover,
/ , there are dandelions all over the sky. 2.
idiom, army. To serve in the navy (lit., to A parachute.
possess . See ). ODBATHS, perf. only, neg. To recu-
, perate, recover from illness. On ele
, . I odybals posle grippa, bylo oslo-
served my full time in the navythree nenie na lgkie. He had barely gotten
long years in the Baltic Fleet. over the flu when he turned out to have
OGRTH, perf. only, neg. To hit. On some complication in his lungs.
domoj pril bez polucki, propil vs, OZABCENNYJ, -a, -oe, neg.
a ena ego kak ogreet tarelkoj. He Obsessed with sex (lit., preoccupied, anx-
came home without his pay spent it all ious). Ty cto ozabocennyj, ko vsem
on drink and his wife hit him with a devukam pristah? What are you,
plate. sex-starved or something, the way you
OGRZOK, ogrzka, m., neg. A short keep after all the girls?
man (lit., a bitten-off piece). OZADCIVATH/OZADCITH. To
, -, m., army. 1. A soldier in commission, to assign. Ozadach brata
his first six months of service (lit., a nasct biletov v teatr. Get your
cucumber, refers to the color green, brother to buy the theater tickets.
which signifies inexperience). OZELENNIE, -, n., youth. The pur-
, chase of dollars (lit., the planting of
. I want all the new greenery). Nado zanths ozelene-
recruits in the kitchen peeling potatoes. niem, poka rubli esth. I should do a
2. A young officer. little green-gardening now while Ive got
OGUR: Raz pol tak phnka, the rubles.
reh posldnij ogur, see under raz. OKLEMTHS, perf. only. To recover
OGURM, indecl. Good for you! (lit., from illness. posle bolezni ele
like a cucumber). A ty ogurom! Ne oklemals. I had barely recovered from
ispugals. You were great! You didnt my illness.
get frightened at all! OKOVLOK, -lka, m., neg. A short, fat
ODNOV, adv. It doesnt matter, its all man (from okovalok, a large joint of
the same. Mne odnova, cto tuda beef). Kuda ty stolhko svininy
exath, cto sda. I dont care whether eh, i tak ue okovalkom stal.
we go there or not. What are you eating all that pork for?
ODNOMANDTNIK, -a, m., joc., rude. Youve already turned into a fatso!
A faithful husband (by wordplay on OKOLHVYVATH/OKOLHE-
mandat, mandate, and mand). Na VTHS, joc. To get married (lit., to be
odnomandatnik na storonu ne xodit. ringed). Kogda vy uspeli okolhe-
Our monogamist friend never leaves the vaths? When did you manage to tie
straight path. the knot?
ODNOXJSTVENNO, adv., rude. It OKORCIVATH/OKOROTTH, neg.
doesnt matter, its all the same (lit., its To humble someone, put someone in his
all one prick to me; cf. xuj). Mne odno- place (from korotkij). On obnaglel,
xujstvenno, kuda idti na pl ili nado ego okorotith. Hes been so
v kafe. I dont care whether we go to insolent, well have to pull him down a
the beach or to the caf. peg.
, -, m., army. 1. An anti- OKOROK, -v, pl., neg. Fat thighs. Nu
aircraft shell burst (lit., a dandelion). i okoroka e u ne. Look at the fat
, , thighs on her!
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OKCIVATH/OKCITH.
OKCIVATH/OKCITH. Lit., to heap
up earth around potato plants (from kuca,
heap). 1. To work fast, do something
efficiently. Ne zevaj, uspevaj okuci-
vath, a to ne uspeem. Dont slack off.
We need to forge ahead if were going to
finish. 2. To hit, beat. Ix bylo celo-
vek desth, nu my ix davaj okucivath.
There were ten of them, and we beat
them up.
OLDVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Old (from
Eng. old). to oldovyj uz. This Oppanhki! Otkuda ty vzls?
is an old pair of shoes.
OLIGRX, -a, m. A rich and influential
banker or businessman (lit., oligarch). U
naix oligarxov nova moda ne
platith nalogi. Its the fashion with
our rich New Russians not to pay any
taxes.
OMUMLIVATH/OMUMLITH. 1.
To beat up. 2. To finish, to consume.
Kto to vs mso omumylil? Who
ate up all the meat?
OMLOK, omlka, m., neg. See
obmlok.
, here?
, idiom, rude.
Said about a bad guy (lit., hes not a bad
guy but hes pissing into his pants and
hes deaf).
ONDTRA, -y, f., neg. A bureaucrat (lit.,
muskrat, alluding to their fashion of
wearing expensive fur hats). Gde ta
ondatra sluit? Where does that
official work?
ON, pron., crim. A lesbian (lit, an it).
Ona davno ue ono. Shes been a
lesbian for a long time.
OPIZDENEVTH, imperf. only, rude. To
feel bad, be in a bad mood (cf. pizd).
opizdeneva ot ary. This heat
is making me feel rotten.
OPIZDENLYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Dull,
worn-out, tired (cf. pizd). Ty kakoj-
to opizdenelyj segodn, ploxo spal,
cto li? You seem tired today. Didnt
you get enough sleep last night?
OPIZDENTH, perf. only, rude. To bore,
weary, wear out (cf. pizd). Ne noj,
opizdenel. Stop your nagging, Im sick
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184
of it.
OPIRTHS/OPERTHS, youth. To
ignore, to neglect (lit., to lean on). See
oblokotths.
OPOROSTHS, perf., joc. To produce
something after lengthy efforts (lit., to
farrow). On ue oporosils, napisal
svoj slovarh? Has he finished cranking
out that dictionary of his yet?
PPANHKI!, interj. Wow! Amazing!
Wow! Where did you come from?
OPRVDYVATHS BDEH PRED
PROKURROM, idiom, joc. Dont
make excuses (lit., you can defend your-
self to the prosecutor). Opravdyvath-
s budeh pered prokurorom, a sejcas
rasskai po pordku, cto slucilosh.
Save your excuses for the prosecutor. As
for me, just tell me straight out what hap-
pened.
OPRAVLTHS/OPRVITHS. To
defecate (lit., to put oneself in order).
Gde zdesh mono opraviths?
Where can a person take a shit around
/, army.
To destroy, to kill (lit., to fix, to deter-
mine). , ,
. That
machine gun position has to be taken out
before we advance on the hill.
OPRIXDOVATH, perf. To beat up, to
hit (lit., to register). Xoroo ty ego
sprava oprixodoval. Thats a good
right hook you have him.
, -, m. 1. A dull, unpleasant situ-
ation or state of mind (from , to
feel silly, to get tired).
,
,
. After three straight days on night
duty I was completely zoned out, I was
too tired to sleep and couldnt make sense
of anything. 2. An unpleasant, stupid
person. ,
,
. Please
tell me that you dont want to go to his
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
185
party. Hes so incredibly dull that after
five minutes with him all you want to do
is sleep.
OPUSKTH/OPUSTTH, youth, neg.
To degrade, humiliate (lit., to lower).
Vy men ne smoete opustith
svoimi utkami. Your tricks cant
humiliate me. Opuskth/opustth
pcki, idiom, neg. To beat severely (lit.,
to drop someones kidneys). tomu
stukacu nakone opustili pocki.
They finally beat the hell out of that
informer.
OPUXLOVO, -a, n., youth. Tiredness,
boredom (from opuxath, to swell).
Ot telika u men ue opuxalovo.
Im sick and tired of watching TV.
OPUXTH/OPXNUTH, neg. Lit., to
swell up. 1. To be tired of or bored by
something. opux ot ego anekdotov.
Im sick of his jokes. 2. To act strange.
On sovsem opux, brosil esth mso.
Hes become quite eccentric given up
meat entirely.
OPTH DVDATH PTH, ZA RUBLH
DNHGI, idiom. An expression of
annoyance at repeated requests. Opth
dvadath pth... Ne pojdu v kino, sto
raz skazal! Dont keep pestering me,
Ive told you a hundred times that Im not
going to the movies.
, idiom. a hangover (from stakan, glass). Vot
The change of political power in Ukraine
in December 2004. The orange color was
the symbol chosen by the proponents of
the new authorities.
ORTH/ZAORTH kak marl, idiom,
neg. To yell, howl (lit., to howl like a
stag). Cto ty orh kak maral?
Why are you howling like a stag?
ORGANN, -a, m., joc. A body (from
organ, bodily organ). U men,
navernoe, gripp, vesh organon bolit.
I must have caught a flu, my whole body
aches.
, -, pl. Corrective measures (from
). stipend. Idi ostepenish, segodn
, , m., army. Said to describe a denhgi dat. Go get your money,
paratrooper after his parachute has
opened (lit.. an eagle). - OSTOGRMMITHS, perf. only, joc.
Page 185
OSTOGRMMITHS
, ,
.
The best part of a jump is after your
chute opens and youre flying safe and
free like an eagle.
ORLIK KMNATNYJ, idiom, army.
A presumptuous, high-handed soldier
(lit., a pet eagle). My tebe, orlik
komnatnyj, bystro krylh obre-
em. Well clip your wings for you,
little eaglet!
ORX, -a, m., joc. A head (lit., nut). U
teb orex na cto? Why dont you use
your head?
OSDOK: V osdke, idiom, neg.
Exhausted, without strength (lit., in the
sediment). K veceru ue v polnom
osadke. By evening Im completely
wiped out. Vypadth/vpasth v os-
dok, see under vypadth.
OSKORBLTH/OSKORBTH, joc. To
present as a gift (lit., to offend). Osko-
rbi men ew vetami. Give me some
more flowers.
OSNOVNK, -a, m. 1. The bulk of ones
savings. Ne znaeh, gde on osnovnk
prcet? Do you know where he keeps
his savings? 2. An important person,
bigwig.
OSTAKNIVATHS/OSTAK-
NITHS, joc. To drink as a remedy for
ostakanilish, srazu legce stalo. As
soon as they had a glass they felt better.
OSTEPENNNYJ, -a. Having an
advanced degree (by wordplay on -
stepenh, degree, and stepennyj,
sedate). V semhe u nix vse ostepe-
nnnye. Everyone in their family has an
advanced degree.
OSTEPENTHS, perf. only. 1. To
defend a dissertation, receive an
advanced degree (from stepenh,
degree). On ostepenils v marte.
He got his degree in March. 2. To
receive a disbursement of a fellowship,
theyre distributing the stipends today.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OSTOEBNIVATH/OSTOEBNITH
To drink 100 grams of vodka as a remedy
for a hangover (from sto gramm, 100
grams). Pora nam ostogrammiths.
Its time for us to drink 100 grams.
OSTOEBNIVATH/OSTOEBNITH,
rude. To be boring, wearisome (cf. b-).
Vyklci radio, ostoebenilo. Turn
off the radio. Im tired of it.
OSTONADOEDTH/OSTONADO-
STH, euph., neg. To be annoying. Ty
mne ostonadoel svoimi alobami.
Im sick and tired of your complaints.
OSTOPIZDENIVTH/OSTOPZ-
DETH, rude. To be boring, wearisome
(cf. pizd). Mne tlyj rok osto-
pizdel. Im sick of hard rock music.
OSTOXUEVTH/OSTOXUTH. See
ostopizdenivth.
OT DXLOGO OSL I, idiom. No
way, no chance (lit., a dead donkeys
ears). Ot doxlogo osla ui emu, a ne
premi! He sure isnt going to get a
bonus.
OTBIVTH/OTBTH bbki, idiom,
youth. To return money. Aleks, kogda
ty otobhh babki? When are you
going to give me back my money, Alex?
, -, f. A pork chop (from son who seems detached from reality,
). - isnt affected by anything, or has a
, . strange mindset and way of life.
What I want right now is to eat a few
pork chops and take a nap.
OTBRSYVATH/OTBRSITH lpti,
idiom. To die (lit., to throw out ones bast
shoes; cf. lpti). Skoro lapti ot-
brou, togda delajte, cto xotite.
Soon Ill kick the bucket, and then you
can do whatever you want.
OTVL (PETRVIC)!, idiom, joc. (Go
away, get out of here. Nu vs! Otval
Petrovic, spath pora. Enough! Buzz
off now, Ive got to get to sleep.
OTVLIVATH/OTVALTH. To leave,
pull out (lit., to cast off, of a ship).
Davaj otvalivaj otsda! Get out
of here!
OTVLIVATHS/OTVALTHS,
youth. To admire, to be amazed (lit., to
fall off). otvalivash, kaka u
teb pricska. I adore your haircut!
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186
OTVLHNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Wonder-
ful, astonishing. See otvlivaths.
OTVLHNA, -oj, f. A farewell party
(from otvalivath, to leave). Nika-
kix otvalhnyx ne sobirash
delath. Im not planning to have any
farewell parties.
, -, f., army. 1. Resistance
against the superiority and authority of
experienced soldiers.
,
. If I were you I wouldnt try
to challenge the old timers, they wont
tolerate it. 2. A counterattack.
,
. Well start the
counterattack within the hour, get your
weapons ready and check each others
gear.
, -, f. A cocktail made with
Fanta and vodka (lit., a screwdriver). The
carbonation in the Fanta absorbs the
vodka quicker and makes it easier to get
drunk.
OTVIVATH/OTVSITH pizd-
lj. See under davth.
, -, -. Said of a per-
,
. Be careful
around that guy. Hes got a screw loose.
He completely lost it during the war.
OTVNCIVATH/OTVINTTH i,
idiom, neg. To beat up (lit., to unscrew
someones ears). tebe ui otvin-
cu, esli vozhmh moj magnitofon.
Ill twist your ears off if you take my
tape recorder.
OTVZANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos.
1. Relaxed, at ease. On vsegda i vezde
otvzannyj. Hes always at ease.
2. Independent. Oni teb ne budut
sluath, oni otvzannye. Theyre
independent people; theyll never listen
to you. 3. Out of control, wild.
OTVZKA, -i, f., youth. Entertainment,
relaxing distraction, dancing. Ustal ,
nado by otvzku ustroith. Im worn
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
187
out; lets do something entertaining.
OTVZYVATHS/OTVZTHS,
youth. To relax, have a good time. Vce-
ra my neploxo otvzalish, potane-
vali, poorali pesni. We had a pretty
good time yesterday dancing and
singing.
OTVNUTH, perf. only, youth, neg. To
leave alone, stop bothering (lit., to fade
out). Otvnh, ne xocu idti v kino.
Leave me alone, I dont want to go to the
movies.
OTGLNEVTH, perf. To drink some
beer or wine after vodka (lit., to gloss a
photo print). Xoroo by ew i
otglnevath, a potom po domam.
Lets give ourselves a little gloss before
everyone goes home.
OTGRXIVATH/OTGRXATH. To
build something huge (from groxotath,
to thunder). On sebe taku dacu
otgroxal elyj dvore. He built
himself an enormous country house, a
regular palace.
OTDAVTH/OTDTH kon, idiom,
joc. To die (lit., to untie the guy ropes).
Bez vody bystro otdah kony.
Without water youll kick the bucket
fast.
OTDCA, -i, f., joc. Breath smelling of
liquor (lit., recoil). U teb taka
otdaca, za kilometr nest. Your
breath stinks of booze from a mile away.
OTDUPLTHS, perf. To finish, com-
plete (from dupliths, a term in
dominoes). Ty ue otduplils na
rabote, zaxodi v gosti. If youre done
working, drop by at my place.
OTZNUTH, perf. only, youth, neg. To
leave, go away. Tebe skazali,
otzynh! How many times do I have to
tell you? Get lost!
OTKZNIK, -a, m. A refusenik, some-
one who has been refused an emigration
visa to leave the country (from otkazath;
cf. refhznik).
OTKLYVATH/OTKOLTH xxmu,
idiom. To play a trick, play a practical
joke (cf. xxma). Znaeh, kaku oni
xoxmu otkololi, pomenli vse nomera
Page 187
OTKLCTHS/OTKLCTHS
main vo dvore. Did you hear about the
trick they played? They switched around
the license plates of all the cars in the
driveway!
OTKT, -a, m., 1. youth. Something won-
derful, terrific. Sejcas my smotreli
vidik otkat! The film we just saw
is something fantastic! 2. A bribe for
receiving credit or a contract, work (lit.,
recoil). -
, ,
.
That guy gets a five percent kickback,
that one ten, and then you end up without
enough money to do the work that was
contracted.
OTKTNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Wonderful,
terrific (cf. otkt). Gde ty dostal
takoj otkatnyj plejer? Where did
you get that terrific tape player?
/ ,
idiom. To die (lit., to kick a tail away).
- -
, ,
. Make sure
youve got someone covering you at all
times. Its a lot easier to die here than it is
to survive.
OTKDYVATHS/OTKNUTHS,
crim. To complete a prison sentence, to
be released. svo otsidel, skoro
otkinush. Ive served my term, Ill be
out soon.
OTKNUTH kopta, idiom. To die (lit.,
to throw ones hooves outwards). Iz-za
cego on kopyta otkinul? What did
he die of?
OTKLIVATHS/OTKLITHS,
neg. To leave alone, stop bothering (lit.,
to come unstuck). Sluaj, otklejs,
ne xocu teb videth. Leave me alone!
Get out of my sight.
OTKLONNIE, -, n. An eccentricity, a
strange feature (lit., deviation). U nego
otklonenie na enwin, on ix ter-
peth ne moet. He has a thing about
women he just cant stand them.
OTKLCTHS/OTKLCTHS.
1. To fall asleep (lit., to be disconnected).
Posle uina my srazu otklci-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 188

OTKLCKA 188

lish, vse ocenh ustali. We were all so Teb ue raz otmantulili, vs

tired that after dinner we conked out. malo? Youve already been beaten up
2. To faint, lose consciousness. Na once, isnt that enough for you?
rabote on vdrug otklcils, vyzvali OTMCIVATH/OTMOCTH, neg. To
skoru. He suddenly fainted at work; do or say something wrong, bad, disap-
they had to call an ambulance. pointing, shocking. Znaeh, cto on
OTKLCKA: V (plnoj) otklcke, opth otmocil? Prodal vse ukrae-
idiom, neg. In a drunken stupor, out cold ni eny. Have you heard about his
from intoxication. Ne razgovarivaj latest stunt? He sold off all his wifes
ty s nim, vidih, on v polnoj ot- jewelry!
klcke. Dont try to talk with him OTMORENNYJ, -a, -oe. Lit.,
hes out cold. frostbitten. 1. Unscrupulous, hard-
OTKLCNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Excel- hearted, without conscience. On u nix
lent, of high quality. U ne otklcna samyj otmoroennyj, ubht, ne
uba! Shes got a terrific fur coat. zadumyvash. Hes the most hardened
/ , of the lot hell kill without a second
idiom. To speak, to talk (lit., to open thought. 2. Passive, depressed, dull.
someones stinger). - Slucilosh cto? Sidite kakie-to
, otmoroennye. Is something wrong?
. Its a simple Why are you sitting around so glumly?
rule: the less you talk the longer you OTMORZOK, -zka, m., neg. A hard-
live. hearted, remorseless person. See
OTLIVTH/OTLTH, rude. To urinate. otmorennyj.
Otlith xocets, umira. I need to OTMOTTHS, perf. only. To get out of
take a leak really badly. doing something, beg off (lit., to unwind
, -, m. Refusal (from , to ones reel). Otmotajs ot poezdki,
dispel, to dismiss). tam budet skucno. Beg off that trip!
, . Dont Itll be a bore.
waste your breath asking him. Hell turn OTMYVTH DNHGI, idiom, business.
you down. See otstryvath dnhgi.
OTMZKA, -i, f. An excuse, an escape OTMYVTHS/OTMTHS, neg. To
from a duty or responsibility. See clear oneself, vindicate oneself (lit., wash
otmzyvaths. oneself off). ne budu to delath,
OTMZYVATH/OTMZATH. To make potom vs iznh ne otmoehs. I
excuses for someone, protect someone wouldnt do that. Its the sort of thing
with a pretext. ne pojdu segodn na youd never be able to clear yourself of
rabotu, a vy men otmahte. Im afterwards.
not going to work today. You make up OTOVRIVATH/OTOVRITH. To
some excuse for me. beat, hit (lit., to deliver the merchandise).
OTMZYVATHS/OTMZATHS. Xoroo, cto ty ne pol na tan-
1. To beg off, make excuses for escaping y, nas tam silhno otovarili. Its a
a duty. Otmazyvajs na rabote i good thing you didnt come to the dance
poexali na rybalku. Make some with us they really gave it to us there.
excuse to get out of work, and lets go OTOVRIVATHS/OTOVRITHS.
fishing. 2. To justify oneself, escape To do ones shopping (lit., to trade).
responsibility. Emu teperh ne otma- ue otovarils, idu domoj. Ive fin-
zaths za to delo, sdet v trhmu. ished my shopping, and Im on my way
He cant get out of it now. Hes going to home.
land in prison. OTOVRKA, -i, f. A first fight (cf.
OTMANTLITH, perf. To beat up. otovrivath).
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
189
OTRVA, -y, m. & f., neg. A reckless per-
son (from otorvannyj, torn off).
tot otorva ne propadt, za nego
bespokoiths ne stoit. That reckless
fellow always lands on his feet; dont
worry about him.
OTPD, -a, m., youth. Something wonder-
ful, terrific (lit., a fainting fit). tot
konert otpad! That concert was
wonderful!
OTPADTH/OTPSTH. To be amazed
(lit., to faint; cf. otpd). Oni mo u-
bu uvideli, srazu otpali. When they
saw my fur coat they practically passed
out.
OTPDNYJ, -a, -oe. Excellent, out-
standing (cf. otpd). Takogo otpad-
nogo mor davno ne bylo. The sea has-
nt been so perfect for a long time.
OTPZDITH, perf. only, rude. To beat up
(cf. pizd). Ty xoceh, ctoby ot-
pizdili za vorovstvo? Are you look-
ing to get beaten up for robbery?
OTRATH/OTRAZTH. Lit., to repel,
to reflect. 1. To refuse. Vse nai
proshby on otrazil. He turned down
all our requests. 2. To give an
unsatisfactory mark on an examination.
Men ue dva raza otrazili.
Theyve already failed me twice.
/. OTSKK, -a, m., youth. Departure (lit., a
To beat up (lit., to even a surface).
, Well, its time for me to get out of here.
. Somebody beat his
face in good, its nothing but one big
black and blue mark.
OTRB, -a, m., neg. Drunkenness, a state
of drunkenness. On ue tri dn v
otrube. Hes been on a binge for three
days.
OTRUBTHS/OTRUBTHS. To
faint, to lose consciousness (lit., to be cut
off). See otklcths.
OTRYVTH/OTORVTH. To buy. Gde
to ty sebe takoe plathe otorvala?
Where did you buy that dress? Otry-
vth/otorvth bku, idiom. To punish
(lit., to tear someones head off).
tebe boku otorvu, esli ew raz
uviu teb s nej. Ill kill you if I catch
Page 189
OTSS
you with her again. Otryvth/otor-
vth pgoviu s msom, idiom. To get a
button pulled off with a piece of the
fabric (lit., to tear off a button with its
flesh). Otryvth/otorvth s rukmi
(i nogmi), idiom. To be glad to buy
something that is in great demand. Ne
zna, vozhmut li tu apku za 50000.
Da ty cto, s rukami i nogami
otorvut. I dont know if this hat will
sell for 50000 rubles. Are you kid-
ding? Theyll eat it up! Otryvth/
otorvth , idiom. To go mad (lit.,
to tear a phase off). ,
,
. I swear Ill lose my mind if we
have anymore pop-inspections this
week. Otryvth/ otorvth ja, see
under j.
OTRYVTHS/OTORVTHS. To
relax, enjoy leisure activities. Xocu v
voskresenhe otorvaths, poigrath v
tennis. I want to have some relaxation
on Sunday maybe a nice game of ten-
nis.
OTRKA PHNOGO INDSA,
idiom, neg. Bad-tasting food of poor
quality (lit., the burp of a drunken
Indian). Nu, kak salat? Otryka
phnogo indusa. Hows the salad?
Ugh. Its the burp of a drunken Indian.
jump-off). Mne pora otskok delath.
OTSLNIVATH/OTSLNTH, joc.
To count out (money, bills) in payment
(from slna, saliva, with reference to
moistening ones fingers in the process of
counting). Skolhko tebe otslnith
na segodn? How much do I owe you
for today?
OTSS, -a, m., rude. 1. Oral sex, fellatio.
Ona otsosom zanimaets? Does
she do blow jobs? 2. Used as a rude dis-
missal or negation: certainly not, no way.
tuda ne pojdu, otsos. I wouldnt
go there. No way. 3. A lazy person (from
, to suck, meaning to live at
someone elses expense). See . 4.
Mooch. ,
-? You are
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OTSTBYVATH/OTSTEBTH
such a mooch! You have never paid a sin-
gle cent for anything.
OTSTBYVATH/OTSTEBTH. To rid-
icule, to make fun of (cf. stb). Xoro
ego otstbyvath, nadoelo. Enough
making fun of him already! Its getting
boring.
OTSTGIVATH/OTSTEGNTH, joc.
To pay, to count out money (lit., to unbut-
ton). Mne nadoelo otstgivath
denhgi kadu nedel na erundu. Im
sick of making weekly payments for this
junk.
OTSTGIVATHS/OTSTEG-
NTHS, youth. To decline, to refuse
(lit., to be unbuttoned). otstgi-
vash ot progulki, ustal. Im tired, I
dont want to go for a walk.
OTSTRYVATH DNHGI, idiom,
business. To launder money. Kak oni
otstiryvat denhgi za narkotiki?
How do they launder the drug money?
OTSTRELTHS, perf. To finish, to
compelte (from strelth, to shoot).
OTTG, -a, m., youth, pos. A vacation,
rest, break (cf. ottgivaths). Letom
budet tebe ottg. Youll get a vaca-
tion in the summer.
OTTGIVATH/OTTNTH, joc. To
give relief as a remedy for a hangover
(lit., to draw off, with reference to the bad
effects of the previous nights drinking).
Pivo xoroo ottgivaet. Beer
works well as a hangover remedy.
OTTGIVATHS/OTTNTHS,
youth, pos. To rest, relax (cf. ottg).
Pora nam ottnuths. Its time for
us to take a break.
OTTNIK, -a, m., youth. A playboy
(cf. ottgivaths).
OTTPYVATH/OTTPATH. To grab,
to take (from tpath, to chop). Vse
roditelhskie denhgi brat sebe
ottpal. My brother took all our
parents money.
OTFJSITH, perf., youth. To hit, to beat
(from Eng. face). Kto kogo tam ot-
fejsil, ne pomn. I cant remember
who hit who.
OTXVTYVATH/OTXVATTH. To
Page 190
190
buy, to get (lit., to snap off). Smotri,
kakoj sebe kostm otxvatil. Look
at this suit I bought for myself.
OTXODNK, -, m., youth. A hangover
(from otxodith posle bolezni, to
recover from an illness). Cto ty
leih, na rabotu ne pojdh?
Net, u men segodn otxodnk. Why
are you still in bed? Arent you going to
work today? No, Ive got a hangover.
OTXURIVATH/OTXURITH, rude.
Cf. xuj. 1. To go a long distance. My
otxurili ue 10 kilometrov, a de-
revni vs net. Weve already covered
ten kilometers, and theres still no sign of
a village. 2. To beat up. Teb star-
ij brat otxurit za porvannye
dinsy. Your older brother is going to
beat you up for ripping his jeans. 3. To
work a long time. Ew otxurim paru
casov i kone smeny. We have to slog
through another couple of hours and then
itll be the end of our shift.
OTCLIVATH/OTCLITH. To leave,
depart (cf. otvlivath). Nam pora
otcalivath. Its time for us to get
going.
OTCEBCIVATH/OTCEBCITH. See
otmcivath.
OTIBTH/OTIBTH rog, idiom,
neg. To beat up, punish (lit., to knock
someones horns off). tebe roga
otibu za tvoi tucki! Im going to
knock your block off for those tricks of
yours!
OTIVTH/OTTH, neg. 1. To
reject, break off relations with someone.
On predlagal ej vyjti za nego za-
mu, ona ego otila. When he asked
her to marry him, she broke off with him
completely. 2. To chase away, force to
leave. Otej ego, ne xocu, ctoby
on ostavals. Get rid of him. I dont
want him to stay.
OTQBYVATHS/OTQEBTHS,
rude. To cease, stop (cf. b-). Otqe-
bish so svoimi rassprosami. Thats
enough of your requests.
OTQEZTH/OTQXATH. To die.
Da ona ue goda dva nazad kak
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
191
otqexala. Oh, she died about a year or
two ago.
OTQXAVIJ, -a, -ee, youth, neg.
Lit., gone, departed. 1. Eccentric, abnor-
mal. Ty u nas otqexavij sovsem,
dae ne znaeh, kogda kzameny.
Youre completely out of it! You dont
even know when our exams are going to
be! 2. Drunk. Pusth pospit, on ue
otqexavij. Let him sleep hes
dead drunk.
OFIGENIVTH/OFIGTH, joc. 1. To
become exhausted. ofigel ot tvo-
ix razgovorov. Ive had it up to here
with your talk. 2. To go crazy. Ty
cto, ofigel? What are you, crazy?
OFIGNIE, -, n., joc. Exhaustion, stu-
por. Vcera my sideli nad rukopish
do ofigeni. Yesterday we worked on
the manuscript to the point of exhaus-
tion.
OFIGTELHNYJ, -a, -oe. Outstand-
ing, excellent. vcera popal na ofi-
gitelhnyj konert. I went to a ter-
rific concert yesterday.
OFIIZ, -a, m., neg. An official func-
tion, formal or ceremonial occasion.
na tot ofiioz ne pojdu, u men
net galstuka. I havent got a tie so Im
not going to the official do. Razvo-
dth/razvest ofiiz, see under
razvodth.
OFONARNIE, n., neg. Stupor, stupid-
ity (from fonarh, streetlight). Sej-
cas u vsex ofonarenie ot ary.
Everyones stupefied by this terrible
heatwave.
OFONARTH, perf. 1. To be surprised,
shocked. ofonarel sovsem, kogda
uznal, kakim bossom on zadelals. I
was amazed to find out what a big boss
hes become. 2. To be exhausted. My
sovsem ofonareli ot slovar, sidim
denh i noch. We worked on the
dictionary day and night until we
dropped.
OFORMLTH/OFRMITH. To have
sex with someone (lit., to formalize).
Ty e, zna, dvoix uspel ofor-
mith. I realize youve managed to sleep
Page 191
OCK
with both of them.
OXVTYVATH/OXVATTH, joc. To
commission, give someone a job or duty.
Teb ew ne oxvatili, idi na kuxn,
pomogi gotovith. You havent been
assigned a job yet. Go into the kitchen
and help with the cooking.
OXLAMN, -a, m., neg. A clumsy person.
tot oxlamon nicego ne umeet de-
lath. Hes so clumsy he cant do any-
thing right.
OXLTH, perf. only, neg. To be emaci-
ated, worn down. Ty sovsem oxll,
tebe nado otdoxnuth. Youre com-
pletely worn out you need a vacation.
OXMURTH/OXMURTH, neg. To
deceive, cheat (lit., to cast a shadow on;
from xmurh, gloom). Oni pytalish
men oxmurith, no otkazals vo-
zith ix na dacu. They tried to pull one
over on me, but I simply refused to take
them to the dacha.
, -, m. A partially smoked cig-
arette. See .
OXRENEVTH/OXRENTH, rude. To
lose ones patience, become worn out (cf.
xren). sovsem zdesh ot skuki oxre-
nel, poka vas dal. Ive been bored to
tears waiting for you.
OXUEVTELHSKIJ, -a, -oe, rude.
Excellent, splendid (cf. xuj). Tam ig-
raet oxuevatelhskij orkestr. The
orchestra thats playing there is fantas-
tic.
OXUEVTH/OXUTH, rude. To be tired
of, worn out by something (cf. xuj). Ty
ew ot televizora ne oxuel? Arent
you sick of watching television?
OXUNIE, -, n., rude. Dullness, weari-
ness (cf. xuj). My nakurilish do
oxueni. We smoked ourselves into a
stupor.
OXUTELHNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Excel-
lent, wonderful (cf. xuj). Nado proj-
tish, oxuitelhnyj vecer. Lets go for
a walk the weathers wonderful.
OCK, -, n. 1. Blackjack (the card game).
Davaj sygraem v ocko. Lets have a
game of blackjack. 2. Rectum. Go-
tovh ocko, sejcas postavl klizmu.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
OCUMVATH/OCUMTH
Okay, get your asshole ready for an
enema. U kog-l. ock igret, idiom,
rude. To be afraid. U teb cto, ocko
igraet podraths s nim? Whats the
matter, are you scared to fight him?
3. Toilet hole in an outhouse. Ty ue
sdelal ocko v ubornoj? Have you dug
the hole for the outhouse yet? Sidth
na ock, see under sidth.
OCUMVATH/OCUMTH, neg. To be
bored, worn out (from cuma, plague).
My na lekii cuth ne ocumeli ot
skuki. We practically died of boredom
at that lecture.
Page 192
192
OCXIVATHS/OCXATHS, joc.
To come to ones senses, recover oneself
(lit., to scratch oneself). ele ocuxal-
s ot toj novosti. The news
shocked me so much I had to pinch
myself to recover from it.
OARIVATH/OARITH,
neg. To astound, upset, startle (lit., to
shake). Men ti eny oaraili.
Im overwhelmed by these prices.
OIVTHS, imperf. only, neg. To hang
around, spend time. Oni vsegda oi-
vats vozle magazina. Theyre
always hanging around near the store.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PDATH, imperf., business. To be
determined. Ty padaeh na to delo
ili net? Are you determinded to go
through with this business or not?
pda, see under .
PDATH/UPSTH, army. To be assigned
a duty. Kto u nas segodn padaet na
kuxn? Whos on kitchen duty today?
Pdath/upsth v stroj, idiom, army.
To take ones place in formation (lit., to
fall into formation). Padaj v stroj i
bolhe nikakix opozdanij u men!
Fall in and dont let me catch you being
late again! Pdath/upsth na xvost
kom-l., idiom, youth, neg. Lit., to fall
onto someones tail. 1. To drink at some-
one elses expense. Esli ty xoceh
upasth nam na xvost, nicego ne
vyjdet, slikom malo. If youre hop-
ing to drink our liquor nothing doing!
We havent got enough for us. 2. To be
unwanted company, to hang around
someone against that persons will. Ne
zna, cto s nim delath, upal na
xvost i vesh vecer poko ne dat. I
just dont know what to do with him
hes attached himself to me and hasnt
given me a moments peace all evening.
pda, see under .
PDLA, -y, f., rude. A worthless person,
scoundrel (from padalh, corpse of an
animal). On postupil, kak posled-
n padla. He behaved like an absolute
scoundrel.
PKUR, -a, m., army. From pokurith.
1. A smoking break. Poka nam pakur
ustroith. Lets take a smoking break.
2. Tobacco, cigarettes. Pakur esth?
Is there anything to smoke?
PLA, -y, f., rude. A worthless or bad
woman (cf. pdla). Opth ta pala
nas nakolola. That bitch cheated us
again.
PLEVO, -a, n., youth, neg. A risky ven-
ture, a dangerous business (from palith,
to burn to ashes). Na to palevo
men ne zamanih. You wont get me
into that risky venture.
Page 193
PLE: Plhem dlannyj, idiom,
rude. A fool, idiot (lit., made with a fin-
ger). On ne palhem delannyj, vs
sdelaet cto nuno. Hes no fool;
hell do everything just right. Dvdath
prvyj ple, see under dvdath.
Kak dva plha obossth, see under
kak.
PLKA: Brosth/brsith plku, see
under brosth. drna plka, see
under drna.
PLKI-MOTLKI, idiom, rude. Damn
it! Ty kogda-nibudh zatknhs,
palki-motalki? Cant you shut up,
damn it!
PALH, -i, f., crim. & youth. Narcotics for
smoking (cf. plevo). Vot pali ne-
mnogo, ugowajs! Heres some dope
help yourself!
PLHEM DLANNYJ. See under
ple.
, idiom. A character-
istic gesture of bandits, gang symbols,
usually threatening in nature (lit., fingers
as a fan). See .
PAMPKA, -i, f., joc. A plump, pink-
cheeked girl (lit., a bun). Tebe vsegda
pampuki dostats, a u men
splonye skelety. You always
manage to get hooked up with those
kewpie-dolls, and I get all the scare-
crows.
PMTNIK, -a, m. A member of the
supernationalistic Pamyat organization
(lit., a monument). Pamtniki xo-
tt postroith veliku Rossi,
citaj, Sovetskij Soz. Those mon-
uments want to rebuild Greater Russia,
that is, the Soviet Union.
PMTH: Dvich pmth (kom dal,
ne pmn), see under dvich.
PANKATRA, -y, f., youth. 1. collect.
Punks. slyal, v tom kafe pan-
katura sobiraets. Ive heard that the
punks hang out in this cafe. 2. A punk
hairdo. Smotri, kaka u nego na go-
love pankatura. Look at the punk
hairdo on that fellow!
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PANKOVTH/ZAPANKOVTH 194

PANKOVTH/ZAPANKOVTH, youth. from the suburbs to buy food not avail-

1. To be or become a punk. Tvoj syn, able in their home towns (lit., paratroop-
viu, pankuet, pricsku sebe sdelal ers, from their appearance, bedecked with
grebekom, vesh v koe. I see your son knapsacks for hauling off their purchases,
is turning into a punk he wears his hair and from Muscovites regarding them as
like a cocks comb and dresses all in invaders). Vezde paratisty, ni-
leather. 2. To act extravagant, to dress cego nelhz kupith bez oceredi. With
strangely. Ty cto pankueh, ih kak those paratroopers swarming all over the
vyrdils? Whats that punky outfit place, we have to wait in long lines to buy
youve got yourself rigged up in? anything.
PPA, -y, m., army. A commander. PRENH IZ DERVNI VDKINO,
Papa prikazal ubrath sneg. The idiom, joc. A drunk (lit., a guy from
commander ordered us to clear the Vodkaville).
snow. Kak ppa Krlo, see under PRITH/ZAPRITH, youth, neg. To
kak. bore, irritate (lit., to steam). Zaparil
PPA Z, idiom. A nickname for Zyuga- ty vsex svoimi alobami. Youve
nov, the leader of the Communist Party of worn everybody out with your com-
Russia (playing on Papa Dok, the former plaints. Prith mozg, idiom, neg. To
Dictator of Haiti). tire, wear out (lit., to steam someones
PAPN, -a, m. Father. Papan, ty ne brains). On ue elyj cas parit
znaeh, gde moi percatki? Dad, do vsem mozgi o biznese. Hes been boring
you know where my gloves are? everyone about business for a whole
hour.
PAPXEN, -a, m., joc. See papn.
PARNA, -i, m., joc. A fellow, guy
PPIK, -a, m., youth, neg. An old man. (from parenh, guy). l by ty,
Papik, ne pristavaj k devuke. parnia, kuda podalhe. Buzz off,
Hey, old man, dont bother the girl. mister.
PARADNK, -, m., army. A parade uni- PARNS, -a, m., youth. Income, profit
form. Nado pogladith paradnk. (from Heb. parnasa). Kakoj parnos
Ive got to iron my parade uniform. s togo dela imeth budu? Whats
, adv. Its all the same, it the profit for me in this business?
doesnt matter (lit., parallel). PARTAJGENSSE, m., indecl., obs.,
, , joc., neg. A member of the Communist
. To some it Party of the Soviet Union (Ger.; alluding
doesnt matter, to others it does, what is to a similarity with Nazi Party member-
happening now in our country. ship). On byvij partajgenosse.
PARA, -i, m., crim. 1. A slop bucket, Hes a former Party member.
can. Tam paraa stoit, brosh tuda PRFA, -y, f., youth & crim. Poor-quality
musor. Theres the slop bucket. Throw narcotics made from perfume. Daj
out the garbage. 2. Garbage, slops. xoth parfy, lom nacinaets. Let me
tu parau esth ne budu. Im not at least have some perfume Im feel-
going to eat this garbage. 3. A lie. Vs ing bad.
to paraa, ne verh emu. Thats all a PARXTYJ ID, idiom, neg. A Jew, a
lie. Dont believe him. real or thorough Jew (lit., scrofulous
PARLIVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Bad, dis- Jew). Xoth by oni vse, idy parxa-
gusting, dirty. Cto u teb vid takoj tye, ubralish v svoj Izrailh. I wish
paralivyj? How come you look so theyd send all the filthy Jews packing to
sloppy? their dear Israel!
PARATST, -a, m., obs. (Brezhnev PAS, indecl. Thats all, thats the end, no
era), neg., joc. People coming to Moscow more (from Eng. pass, as at cards).
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
195
tuda bolhe ne pojdu, pas. Im not
going there any more Ive had
enough.
PASKDA, -y, m. & f., rude. 1. A
scoundrel, bastard. Ty paskudoj byl,
paskudoj i ostals. You always were
a bastard and you still are. 2. A prosti-
tute. ta paskuda spit so vsej uli-
ej. That whore sleeps with everyone
on the block.
PASSV, -a, m. A passive homosex-
ual.On aktiv ili passiv? Is he the
active partner or the passive one?
PSSI, -ii, f. Girlfriend, lover. Von
ta crnenhka ego passi? Is that
brunette over there his flame?
PAST/POPAST. To follow, keep
under surveillance (lit., to pasture).
Milii ego past ue nedel.
The police have been following him for
a week.
PASTH, -i, f., rude. A mouth, maw.
Posmotri, kaka u ne pasth! Look
at the big maw on her. Zakroj pasth!
Shut your mouth. Zamknth pasth,
see under zamknth. Porvth pasth,
see under porvth. Razevth/raznuth
pasth, see under razevth.
PTI, f., indecl., youth. A party (from
Eng. party). Ty idh k nej na
pati? Are you going to her party?
PTLY, patl, pl., neg. Long, unkempt
hair. Otrastil sebe patly, duma-
eh, krasivo? Do you think that mop
of yours is attractive.
PUZA: Derth puzu, see under
derth.
PAXN, -, m. 1. The head of a group.
Kto u nix paxan? Whos their
chief? 2. A father. Moj paxan ne l-
bit, kogda kur. My father doesnt
like it when I smoke.
PAXNKA, -i, f., crim. & youth. A
mother. Cego paxanka na teb ruga-
lash? What was your mother scolding
you for?
PXARH, -, m. A good worker. Kakoj
e on paxarh, za god cetyre knigi
napisal! What a workhorse! Hes
Page 195
written four books in one year!
PAXTH/NAPAXTH. To work hard, to
serve (lit., to plough). vs iznh na
vas pau. Ive been slaving for you all
my life.
PAXTH: My paxli, see under my.
PAN, -, m. A teenager. On e ew
paan, izni ne znaet. Hes still a
teenager, he doesnt know life at all.
PCKA, -i, f., neg. A big face (lit., a
pack). emu dal po packe, on s
kopyt. I punched him in the face, and
he fell down. Valth/povalth pc-
kami, see under valth1. Dath v pcku,
see under davth. Polucth pcku, see
under polucth.
PALHNIK, -a, m., joc. A nose (lit., sol-
dering iron). Uberi svoj palhnik,
to tebe ne nado znath. Get your
nose out of this! Its none of your busi-
ness.
PED, -a, m., neg. A homosexual, pederast.
Gde tot ped ivt? Where does
that bugger live?
PEDLI: Krut pedli, pok ne dli,
see under krutth1.
PEDLH, -i, f. 1. A foot (lit., pedal).
Pedali vytiraj, kogda v dom
vxodih. Wipe your feet when you
come in the house! 2. f. A slow-thinking
person.
PEDERGA, -i, m., youth, neg. A ped-
erast. Znath togo pedergu ne xocu.
I dont want to have anything to do with
that bugger.
PEJDERTH/ZAPEJDERTH.
To page, to send a message to a pager.
Zapejderi emu na nomer, pusth
srocno pozvonit. Page our number to
him so he can call us immediately.
PEJS, -a, m., neg. A Jew (from pejsy,
forelocks). Esli on pejs, to na
russkoj ne enits. If hes a Jew, he
wont marry a Russian woman.
, -, m. A simpleton, a coun-
try bumpkin (lit., pelmeni, Siberian meat
dumplings). -
,
. Its our fault for con-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PNA
necting with this simpleton, he doesnt
know the first thing about computers.
PNA, -y, f., neg. Nonsense, trash (lit.,
foam). Ne obrawaj vnimani, vs
to pena. Pay no attention thats
all nonsense.
PNDELH, -, m., joc. A kick in the leg.
Ty cto, pendel xoceh? You want
a kick in the leg?
PENLOVKA, -i, f., students, neg. 1.
Humiliation. Nikogda ne zabudu tu
penilovku v armii. Ill never forget
how they humiliated me in the army.
2. Defeat. Nai vcera ustroili pen-
ilovku vedam. Our team was
creamed by the Swedes in yesterdays
match.
PNITH, imperf., youth, neg. 1. To
humiliate. 2. To be victorious in an
athletic contest. Kto kogo penit?
Whos winning?
PNKA, -i, f. A joke, a witticism (lit., the
skin of boiled milk). U nego cto ni
slovo, to penka. Every word out of his
mouth is another joke.
PENTAGN, -a, m. The Russian Defense
Ministry (lit., Pentagon). Ty znaeh,
gde v Moskve Pentagon? Do you know
where in Moscow the Pentagon is
located?
PENH S UMI, idiom, joc. A fool,
idiot (lit., a stump with ears). Nu kogda
ty, penh s uami, pojmh, cto to-
go nelhz delath? You idiot! Cant
you understand that you mustnt do that?
PR, -a, m. Good luck. Cf. perth/pope-
rth.
PERDTH/PRDNUTH, rude. To fart.
Nu i dux u vas, kto-to perdit, cto
li? Theres a smell here as if someones
been farting. Lce cstno prd- men na peredke, bolit. Can you see
nuth, cem po-pinski bzdnth, see
under lce.
PERDLHNIK, -a, m., rude. Buttocks,
rear end. Uberi perdilhnik, nekuda
vewi poloith. Move your ass.
Theres no room to put the things down.
PERDN, -, rude. An old man. Zacem
tomu staromu perdunu vlasth?
How come that old fart is in power?
Page 196
196
PEREBIRTH/PEREBRTH. To drink
too much (lit., to draw too high a card, as
in blackjack). Cuvstvu, cto pere-
beru, ne nalivaj! I feel Ive had too
much; dont pour me any more.
PEREBR, -a, m. 1. A mistake. to
vnyj perebor, nelhz bylo tak s
nim postupath. It was a big mistake to
act like that with him. 2. Too much to
drink. Ne nado bylo pith poslednij
bokal, to byl perebor. I shouldnt
have had that last drink. It put me over the
edge.
PEREVRIVATH/PEREVARTH. 1.
To understand (lit., to digest). 2. To
tolerate. ego ne perevariva so
studenceskix vremn. I havent been
able to stand him since our student days.
PEREVERNTHS, perf. To die (lit., to
turn over). ena srazu e posle
mua perevernulash. She died right
after her husband.
PEREVODTH/PEREVEST prodkt,
idiom, neg. To vomit (lit., to waste nour-
ishment). Ty tolhko produkt pere-
vodih, vypheh i v tualet ble-
vath. Youre just wasting good
nourishment you have a drink and then
you bring everything up.
PEREGRTHS, perf. only, neg. To go
crazy (lit., to get sunburned). Zacem
ty men udaril, peregrels? Why
did you hit me? Have you gone out of
your mind?
PEREDOZNK, -, m., youth. An over-
dose of drugs. Ot peredoznka mo-
no kony otdath. You can die from
an overdose.
PEREDK, peredk, m., rude. The
female genitals. Posmotri, cto u
whats wrong with my pussy? Something
hurts there. Slab na peredk, see
under slab.
PEREKNUTHS, perf. To die. See
perevernths.
PEREKRYVTH ENISJ, idiom, joc.
To do something futile or useless (lit., to
dam the Yenisei River, the biggest river
in Siberia. The phrase echoes a song by
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
197
Galich, popular in the 1960s, about
crazily grandiose Soviet projects: . . .
perekryvaem Enisej, / A take v
oblasti baleta / My vperedi planety
vsej, . . . were going to dam the Yenisei
/ and also in the field of ballet / were
leading the planet in every way).
Vmesto togo, ctoby rubaki ith
ldm, my vs perekryvaem Enisej.
Instead of doing something useful, like
sewing shirts for people, were always
busy damming the Yenisei.
PEREKRYVTH/PEREKRTH kislo-
rd kom-l., idiom. To prevent or stop
somebody (lit., to block someones
airhose). On budet prezidentom,
esli emu ne perekrot kislorod.
Hell become president, if someone
doesnt stop him.
PEREKIVATH/PEREKATH,
joc. To drink too much. Vcera v gos-
tx my silhno perekuali. We drank
far too much at the dinner party yester-
day.
PERELZITH/PERELZTH crez za-
br, idiom, business. To export raw
materials under falsified documents (lit.,
to climb over the fence). A kto ew
perelazit cerez zabor s medh? So
who else is smuggling out copper?
PEREMRGIVATH/PEREMORGTH,
joc. To endure punishment or criticism, to
tough it out (from morgath, to blink).
ego ruganh ne mogu bolhe ter-
peth. Nicego, peremorgaeh. I just
cant take any more of his scolding.
Never mind. Youll just tough it out.
PEREOBUVTH/PEREOBTH. To
change tires. Xoroo by na zimu
pereobuth mainu. Id better change
my tires for the winter.
PEREPIZDTH, perf. only, rude. To
have a chat (cf. pizd). Vyjdem, pere-
pizdeth nado. Come on! We need to
have a chat.
PEREPXIVATHS/PEREPIX-
NTHS, rude. To have sex (from
pixath, to push). Perepixnuths
ona nikogda ne proch. Shes always
ready for a roll in the hay.
Page 197
PER
PERESEKTHS/PERESCHS. To
meet, to become acquainted (lit., to inter-
sect). My s vami gde-to pereseka-
lish. Havent you and I crossed paths
somewhere before?
PERESTRKA, -i, f., neg. A woman
inappropriately older than her compan-
ions. Ne priglaaj tu perestarku,
ona nam ne kompani. Dont invite that
old woman. Shes no fun for us to be
with.
/. To re-
solve a problem, to discuss questions
(lit., to grind). -
, . Wed bet-
ter find a resolution to this issue or theres
going to be a fistfight.
PERETOPTTHS, perf. only, neg. To
get along without something, manage
without. Daj vzajmi 1000 rublej.
Peretopcehs. Loan me 1000 rubles,
would you? Sorry. Youll have to
manage without.
PERTH/POPERTH, neg. To act
aggressive or provocative (lit., to push).
Cto ty na men-to prh, ni v
cm ne vinovat. Why are you leaning
on me as if I had done something
wrong?
PERTHS, perf., neg. To push through a
crowd, to break into a line. Kuda ty
prhs, vse sejcas vyxodt. Dont
push, everyones getting off at the next
stop!
PERETNTH, perf. To strike on the
back with a belt or stick. Peretni ego
ew raz, ctob znal, na kogo ruku
podnimath. Hit him again so hell
remember who to threaten!
PRE, pra, m. A penis (esp. a childs;
lit., pepper). Nadenh cto-nibudh tp-
loe, a to pere otmrznet. Put on
some warm clothes or your pepper will
freeze.
PERNTYJ, -a, -oe. Having a surname
derived from the name of a bird. Kogda
tot pernatyj, Sorokin pridt?
When will that whats-his-bird-name get
here? You know, Sorokin.
PER, -, n., crim. A knife (lit., pen).
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PRSIK
Ostorono, u nego pero! Watch out,
hes got a knife!
PRSIK, -a, m., joc. A Persian, Iranian
(from persik, peach).
PERSONLKA, -i, f. 1. An office car for
VIPs. 2. A personal computer. 3. (obs) A
personal file recording an investigation
into a violation of party discipline.
PERFRMANS, -a, m. An event, hap-
pening (from Eng. performance). Iz
dn rodeni ustroili elyj per-
formans i artisty, i pevy, i
politiki vse poucastvovali. They
put together quite an event for his
birthday celebrities, singers, politi-
cians.
PRWIK, -a, m. A lucky person. S
tim prwikom v karty ne sadish,
bespolezno. Theres no point in playing
cards with him, he always lucks out.
PS, psa, m., crim., neg. A prison warden
(lit., a dog). Tie, psy idut. Shush.
Here come the wardens.
PSIJ, psh, pshe, neg. Bad (lit.,
dogs). Cto za psh pogoda! What see under stoth.
crappy weather!
PESKOSTRJWIK, -a, m., joc. A
decrepit old man (lit., someone who is
losing his sand). Cto ty aluehs
na zdorovhe, kak peskostrujwik?
Why are you whining about your health
like a decrepit old man?
PSN: Ne ndo psen, see under ne.
PESK SP(L)ETS iz kog-l.,
idiom. Someone is old and decrepit (lit.,
the sand is spilling out of someone). Iz
teb pesok syplets, a ty za dev-
conkami begaeh. Youre already los-
ing your stuffing, but youre still running
after the girls.
PTR IVNOVIC, -a, m. A nickname
for the Moscow Detective Department at
38 Petrovka Street. Kaets, nami
zainteresovals Ptr Ivanovic! It
looks like the police have got curious
about us.
PTRITH, imperf. To understand, to catch
on. Ona nicego ne petrit v matema-
tike. She doesnt get a thing in
mathematics.
Page 198
198
PETRKA, -i, f., youth. A girl, a young
woman (lit., parsley). Kto privl tu
petruku. pusth i domoj provoaet.
Whoever brought that gal should take
her home.
PETX, -, m., crim., neg. A passive
homosexual (lit., a rooster). On v kolo-
nii byl petuxom. In the labor camp he
was buggered by everyone. Derth
petux or udarth/udrith po petu-
xm, see under derth.
PETUTH/RASPETUTH. To
scold, to critisize. Xoroo ego raspe-
tuili v gazetax za korrupi. He
was harshly critized in the papers for
corruption.
PXOM, adv., joc. On foot. Skolhko
ew pxom ostalosh? How much far-
ther is it to walk?
PEKODRLOM, adv. On foot. Tuda
metro ne xodit, pridts dobirath-
s pekodralom. Theres no subway
station there, well have to go on foot.
PEKM: Stoth/postoth pekm,
/, neg. To ad-
vertise a political figure or goods using
slanted, partial, skewed information in
order to manipulate the public. -
, , -
,
. They tried and tried to
manipulate the public in Ukraine with
dirty campaigning but didnt achieve
their political goals; its tough to fool the
people. (Note: In Russian, Public Rela-
tions or PR always has a negative conno-
tation and refers to manipulation of the
public.)
PVO: Udarth/udrith po pvu, see
under udarth.
PDOVSKIJ, -a, -oe, neg. Homosex-
ual, pederastic. Prekrati svoi
pidovskie tucki, uberi ruki. Get
your fairy hands off me. Po-pdovski,
adv., neg. In an effeminate way, like a
homosexual. On vedt seb po-pidov-
ski, on goluboj? Is he gay? He acts like
a fairy.
PDOR, -a, m., rude. A homosexual.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 199

199 PIZDANTHS

Pdor gnjnyj, idiom, rude. A cunt laugh; its funny enough already).
scoundrel, bastard. Ty, pidor gnoj- Id v pizd na pereplvku, idiom,
nyj, opth ugrobil mainu. You rude. Go to hell, get out of here, go to the
dirty bastard youve gone and wrecked devil (cf. pereplavka, smelting). Idi
the car again. v pizdu na pereplavku so svoimi u-
tockami. Go to hell with your tricks.
PIZD, -, f., rude. Cunt. PIZD
Pro pizd glposti, idiom, rude. A
(nom.): Pizd vonca, idiom, rude. A
chatterbox, idle chatterer. Ty opth
worthless person, bastard, scoundrel.
pro pizdu gluposti, a nam nado serh-
Pusth zamolcit, pizda vonca.
zno pogovorith. There you go chatter-
That stinking bitch should shut up.
ing again when we need to have a serious
Pizd rvna, idiom, rude. A whore,
talk. PIZD (gen.): Davth/dath
good-for-nothing (lit., a torn-up cunt).
pizd, idiom, rude. To scold, punish.
S kem ty opth guleh, pizda
Mne pora domoj, a to ena dast
rvana? Who are you going around
pizdy. Ive got to go home now or my
with now, you whore? Pizd stra,
wife will really give it to me. Do pizd
idiom, rude. An old woman. Ne slu-
kom-l., idiom, rude. It doesnt matter,
aj tu pizdu staru. Cto ona poni-
its of no concern. Cto on govorit
maet? Dont listen to that old cunt
obo mne, mne do pizdy. I dont care
she doesnt understand a thing. Pizd s
what he says about me. Svalths iz
umi, idiom, rude. Someone or some-
pizd, idiom, rude. To be oblivious, out
thing ridiculous, out of place, strange (lit.,
of touch; to be like a creature from Mars
a cunt with ears). Ty, pizda s uami,
(lit., to fall from a cunt). Ty kak iz
cto ty nesh? What are you talking
pizdy svalils, razve ty ne slyal
about, you cockamamie fool! Pizd
o perevorote? How can you be so out
teb rodil, idiom, rude. A general
of it! You really havent heard about the
phrase of abuse (lit., a cunt gave birth to
coup? PIZD (dat.): Ne prij piz-
you). Dae kofe svarith ne
d rukv, idiom, rude. Unwanted, out of
moeh, pizda teb rodila. You
place (lit., dont sew a sleeve onto a cunt).
cant even boil the water for coffee, you
Sejcas pozdno, tot kofe ne pri-
idiot. Glaz ne pizd, promorget,
ej pizde rukav. Its late already; we
idiom, rude. The damage isnt permanent;
need this coffee like a hole in the head.
it will pass (lit., an eye isnt a cunt, it
Nno kak pizd dvry (kak do piz-
blinks itself clean). Net lce zlh,
d dvra), idiom, rude. Unwanted,
cem pizd na poxmlhe, idiom, rude.
superfluous, in the way (lit., needed like
Lit., Theres no better potion for a hang-
doors on a cunt). Mne tvoi sovety
over than a cunt. Pizd-zasrne,
nuny kak pizde dvery. I need your
pizd-zasrna, m., rude. A worthless
advice like a hole in the head. PIZD
person (cf. zasrne). Ot togo
(prep): V kdoj pizd zatcka,
pizdy-zasrana pomowi ne di.
idiom, rude. A busybody, a meddler (lit.,
Dont expect any help from that bas-
a tampon in every cunt). Ne budh v
tard. li xuj popolm, li pizd
kadoj pizde zatyckoj, teb nikto
vdrbezgi, see under xuj. Xuj i pizd
ne prosil ej pomogath. Dont be such
iz odnog gnezd, see under xuj.
a buttinsky. No one asked you to help
PIZD (acc.): Smeth pizd, idiom,
her. Ne povezt, tak v pizd na
rude. To joke around, talk nonsense, be
gvozdh natknhs, idiom, rude.
kidding. Ne smei pizdu, nikto
Unless youre in luck, you could always
tuda tak pozdno ne pojdt. Dont
get snagged on a nail in a cunt.
talk nonsense. No one would go there so
late at night. Ne sme pizd, on i PIZDANTHS, perf. only, rude. Cf.
tak smen, idiom, rude. What youre pizd. 1. To go crazy. Ty tam ot
saying is ridiculous (lit., Dont make the skuki ne pizdanuls? Didnt you go
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PIZDSTYJ
crazy from boredom there? 2. To fall.
Vcera pizdanuls na ulie. Yes-
terday I fell down in the street.
PIZDSTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Huge,
enormous (cf. pizd). Zacem ty ku-
pil takoj pizdastyj cemodan? Why
did you buy such a huge suitcase?
PIZDTO, adv., rude. Wonderfully well
(cf. pizd). vykuril pervu siga-
retu za denh i mne pizdato! I just
smoked my first cigarette of the day and I
feel terrific!
PIZDTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Excellent,
extraordinary (cf. pizd). Gde ty dos-
tal takie pizdatye krossovki?
Where did you manage to get those great
running shoes?
PIZD, -, m., rude. Chatter, twaddle,
nonsense (cf. pizd). Koncaj pizd.
Cut the crap. Razvodth/razvest
pizd, see under razvodth.
PIZDNY, -a, m., rude. A little, weak
fellow (esp. one with pretensions to
power; cf. pizd). Kadyj pizd-
ny budet mne ukazyvath, cto de-
lath. Guys who are still wet behind the
ears are trying to tell me what to do.
PIZDNH, -i, f., rude. Large female gen-
itals (cf. pizda). Pizdenh u ne vse
pomestts. Theres room for every-
one in her big cunt.
PIZDTH/SPIZDTH, rude. To lie, tell
stories (cf. pizd). Ty spizdel o ego
priezde? Were you kidding about his
arrival?
PIZD, -, m., rude. Cf. pizd. 1.
Enough, time to stop. Nu, pizde, pora
koncath pith. Thats enough. Time to
stop drinking. 2. A danger, a threat.
Mne pizde, oni men ubht. Its all PIZDS, -a, m., rude. An idiot, bastard
over with me theyre going to kill me.
Pizd podkrls nezamtno, idiom, pizdos? What mischief has that bastard
rude. Something unexpectedly unpleas-
ant happened (lit., crept in unnoticed).
Ty slyal o denenoj reforme?
Pizde podkrals nezametno. Have
you heard about the monetary reform?
That nasty trick snuck up on us unno-
ticed.
PZDITH1/PIZDANTH, rude. To hit,
Page 200
200
beat (cf. pizd). Kak pizdanu, ne bu-
deh bolhe vorovath. The way Im
going to beat you up, you wont be doing
any more robberies.
PZDITH2/SPZDITH, rude. To steal
(cf. pizd). Ty ne moeh spizdith
nemnogo sigaret u ota? Cant you
swipe a few cigarettes from your father?
PIZDOBL, -a, m., rude. An idle chat-
terer (cf. pizd). Skolhko mono
sluath togo pizdobola? How long
can you listen to that blabbermouth?
PIZDOBLITH/POPIZDOB-
LITH, rude. To tell tales, chatter idly, be
kidding, lie (cf. pizd). Lbih ty
pizdobolith, na samom dele vs bylo
ne tak. Youre just kidding. It wasnt
really like that at all.
PIZDOBRTI, -i, f., rude. A group of
people, set, company (cf. pizd). to
cto za pizdobrati tam sobralash?
What sort of group is that over there?
PIZDOVONCKA, -i, f., rude. A
worthless or bad woman (cf. pizd).
Ne privodi v dom tu pizdovoncku.
Dont bring that bitch into this house.
PIZDOPROTVNYJ, -a, -oe, rude.
Offensive, repulsive (cf. pizd). Se-
godn pizdoprotivna pogoda. What
disgusting weather today.
PIZDORVNE, pizdorvna, m.,
rude. A worthless or bad person (lit., a
torn-up cunt; cf. pizd). Kogda ty na-
ucihs dverh za soboj zakryvath,
pizdorvane, xolodno. When will you
ever learn to shut the door after you, you
idiot! Its cold!
PIZDORVNKA, -i, f. See pizdo-
rvne.
(cf. pizd). Cto ew natvoril tot
been up to this time?
PIZDOSTRADTELH, -, m., rude. A
romantic, sentimental person (lit., a cunt-
sufferer; cf. pizd). On ej vs vrem
stixi piet, pizdostradatelh.
That lovesick fellow is always writing
poetry to her.
PIZDOSTRADTELHNYJ, -a, -oe,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
201
rude. Sentimental, lovesick (cf. pizdo-
stradtelh). Sejcas on pot tolhko
pizdostradatelhnye pesni. These
days he sings only sentimental stuff.
PIZDS, -i, m. & f., rude. An absent-
minded person (cf. pizd). Ty zabyl
prinesti zakuski, pizdos. You for-
got to bring the hors doeuvres, you scat-
terbrain.
PIZDITH/ISPIZDITH. See
pizdcith.
PIZDL, -j, pl., rude. A beating,
blows (cf. pizd). Davth/dath (nav`-
ivath/navsith, otvivath/otv-
sith) pizdlj, see under davth.
PIZDLINA, -y, f., rude. A thingama-
jig, gizmo, whatchamacallit (cf. pizd).
A gde zdesh byla taka metallice-
ska pizdlina? Wheres that little
metal gizmo?
PIZDKNUTHS, perf. only. See piz-
danths.
PIZDTINA, -y, f., rude. Cf. pizd.
1. Disgusting food. to ne arkoe, a
pizdtina kaka-to. This isnt meat.
Its something disgusting. 2. An un-
pleasant smell. Otkroj fortocku,
pizdtinoj paxnet. Open the win-
dow. It stinks in here.
PIZDCITH1/ZAPIZDCITH, rude.
To hit, beat (cf. pizd). Ego zapizd-
cili butylkoj po golove. They hit
him over the head with a bottle.
PIZDCITH2/OTPIZDCITH, rude.
Cf. pizd. 1. To work hard. On otpiz-
dcil na strojke 10 let. He slaved as
a construction worker for 10 years. 2. To
beat up. Kto to teb otpizdcil?
Who beat you up like that?
PKA, -i, f., crim. A file sharpened for use
as a weapon (lit., a spear). Nam by
piku sdelath, opasno tut. Wed bet-
ter make ourselves a spear its dan-
gerous here.
PKATH/PKNUTH. To tell, reveal.
Ty tolhko pikni o tom, cto bylo, i
tebe kone. If you make one peep
about what happened, itll be all over
with you.
PLENNYJ/POPLENNYJ, -a,
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PIPRKA
-oe, youth. 1. Cut up, scarred up. U ne
muik vesh pilennyj. Her boy-
friend is all cut up. U maj lavera v
mozgu not a singl izviliny;
Dast a xip vpadt v tosku vse
xendy popileny (from a popular song:
My boyfriend hasnt got any gray matter
at all; hes just a hippie, and when hes
down, all his veins are cut). 2. Worn out,
worn-looking (as a mark of high fashion).
U nego prikid pilennyj. His clothes
are all worn out.
PILTH1, rude. To have sex with a
woman. Ty znaeh, kto e pilit?
Do you know whos sleeping with her?
PILTH2/ZAPILTH, neg. To scold,
abuse verbally (lit., to saw). Ty ego
sovsem zapilil. You gave him quite a
bawling out.
PILTH3/POPILTH. 1. joc. To go,
walk. Dolgo ew pilith? Is it still
far to go? 2. youth. 1. To cut ones veins
(lit., to saw). On seb popilil. He cut
his wrists. 3. To age clothing so that it
will look worn. Kogda ty uspel
dinsy popilith? When did you
manage to age your jeans?
PILOT: Vsij pilot!, see
under vsij.
PILL: Navivath/navsith pi-
llej, see under navivath.
PINGVNY, -ov, pl., joc. Busts of
Communist Party leaders at the Kremlin
Wall (lit., penguins). Kogda ue vsex
tix pingvinov uberut s Krasnoj
plowadi, ne plowadh, a kladbiwe. I
wonder when theyre going to get rid of
all those busts on Red Square. It looks
more like a cemetery than a square.
PINT, -a, m., euph., student. See
pizd. 1. The end, ruin, curtains.
2. Something very good or very bad.
ta gruppa pinet. Vse tawat-
s. This rock-group is awesome,
everybodys crazy about it.
PIPRKA, -i, f., joc. A penis, esp. of
small size. Nadenh tploe belh, a to
pipirka otmrznet. Put on some
warm underwear or your little tool will
freeze off.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PPKA
PPKA, -i. See piprka.
PIPL, -a (pl. pipls, -v), youth. People
(from Eng. people). Pipl, cto
budem delath? Well, folks, what are
we going to do now?
PIR VO VRM CECN, idiom. A
celebration or festivities at a time of
troubles or crisis (from the title of
Pushkins play Pir vo vrem cumy,
A Feast During the Plague). The idiom
refers to the Chechnya war.
PIRG: Take pirog!, see under
take. Nu i pirog!, see under nu.
PIROK: Vozhm s plki pirok,
see under brath.
PISTELH, -, m., youth. A drunk (lit.,
writer, from the saying Idt kak
piet: odnoj piet, drugoj zac-
rkivaet He walks as if hes writing
with one hand and erasing with the
other). Ew odin pisatelh idt,
gde-to Novyj god spravll. Heres
another drunk stumbling home from a
New Years party.
PSATH kiptkm, idiom, joc. To be in
ecstasy; to be extremely enthusiastic (lit.,
to pee boiling water). Vse ot ego sti-
xov pisat kiptkom, a mne ne nra-
vts. Everyones peeing in their pants
over his poetry, but I dont like it.
PISTHS, imperf., youth. To protect, to
patronize. Ego trogath nelhz, za
nego sam prezident piets. Hes
prosecution-proof, hes under the
protection of the President himself.
PISDM, -a, m., prof., joc. A building for
writers. Ona ivt v pisdome srazu
vozle metro. She lives in the writers
building right next to the metro station.
PIS, ejaculation, rude. Damn it! Hell!
(cf. pizd and pese, Arctic fox).
PISTN, -a, m. 1. A pocket in pants for
carrying a pocket watch. Zacem sejcas
delat pistony, nikto ue v br-
kax casy ne nosit. Why do they still
make watch pockets in pants when no one
carries a pocket watch any more?
2. rude. Sex, a sex act (lit., a percussion
cap). Nu kak tebe ponravils pis-
ton? Well, how did you like it? Was I
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202
good? Stvith/postvith (gnilj)
pistn, see under stvith.
, -, m. A personal computer.
PITI OPREDELET SOZNNIE,
idiom, joc. Drinking is the main thing
(lit., drinking determines consciousness)
(by wordplay on Marxs phrase bytie
opredelet soznanie, being determines
consciousness).
PITH/VPITH: Pith/vpith caj-
kvskogo, idiom, joc. To drink tea (play-
ing on caj, tea, and Cajkovskij, the
composer). Davaj cajkovskogo. Lets
have some tea. Pith kak ladh,
idiom, neg. To drink very heavily (lit., to
drink like a horse.) Ty ela cto-to
solnoe, cto phh kak loadh?
How come youre drinking like a horse?
Did you eat a lot of herring? Vpith
lku, idiom. To drink too much.
Golova trewit, vcera vypil li-
ku. Ive got a splitting headache I
drank too much yesterday. (Pith/v-
pith) iz gorl, see under grlo.
PIWTH, imperf. To want badly, to desire
intensely (lit., to peep). On tak xocet
novu kvartiru, a piwit. Hes
bursting with desire for that new
apartment.
PIWTH/PKNUTH, neg. To say, to
dare to say. Ob tom nikto piknuth
ne posmeet. No one will dare to
mention it.
PLAVNK, -a, m. An arm, a hand (lit.,
fin). Bystro myth plavniki i za
stol. Wash your hands quickly and
come right to the table.
PLM: Gor (vs) snim plmenem,
see under gor.
PLANOVJ, -a, -oe. Smoking mari-
juana regularly. Ego druzh vse do
odnogo planovye. All his friends are
potheads.
PLASTILN, -a, m., youth. A cannabis-
derived drug (lit., childrens modeling
clay).
PLATTH/ZAPLATTH natroj,
idiom. To pay in kind, barter. Denhgi
kogda otdah? zaplacu naturoj.
When are you going to pay me back?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
203
Ill pay you in kind.
PLEVK, plevk, -a, m., neg. An
unattractive, short man.
PLVYJ, -a, -oe. Easy, not difficult
(from plevath, to spit). to plvoe
delo, sdela za pth minut. Its a
cinch, Ill get it done in five minutes.
PLEM, -, m., A nephew (cf. plemn-
nik). Segodn dolen plem iz
Moskvy priexath, nado ego vstre-
tith. My nephew from Moscow is
arriving today I have to go meet him.
PLEC, -, n. Distance, length of a trip.
Pora exath, u nas segodn pleco 500
kilometrov. Lets get moving. Weve
got to cover a distance of 500 kilometers
today.
PLKA, -i, f., joc. A square, plaza
(from pleh, bald spot). Vstretim-
s na pleke u metro. Lets meet at
the square by the metro station.
PLEH: Prosth pleh kom-l., see
under prosth.
PLOSKODNKA, -i, f., rude, neg. A
flat-chested or skinny woman (lit., a type
of flat-bottomed boat). Cto ty sebe
taku ploskodonku otkopal? Where
did you manage to dig up such a bag of
bones?
PLOXJ, -, -e, joc. Lit., bad.
1. Drunk. Ne pej, ty ue ploxoj.
Dont drink any more youre already
drunk. 2. Stupid. Cto-to ty sovsem
ploxoj stal, ne pojmh, v cm tvo
vygoda. Youve somehow turned into
such an idiot that you cant even figure
out where your own interests lie.
PLUG PLCET po kom-l., joc. Used as
an accusation of laziness against someone
who is not working (lit., the plow is cry-
ing for someone). Po tebe plug
placet, a ty govorih, cto tebe
nezdorovits. The plow is crying for
you, and you claim to be sick!
PLYTH/POPLTH, joc. 1. To be un-
conscious (lit., to float). Ty silhno
uibs, viu, ty plyvh. You nicem ej ne pomogaet. Her husband is
must have taken a hard blow you seem
to be all at sea. 2. To be drunk. Ty s
odnogo stakana poplyl. Youre
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POVESTSH
drunk after just one glass!
PLNUTH NGDE, idiom, neg. Its too
crowded (lit., theres nowhere to spit).
Poli v zal, posluaem leki.
Net, tam plnuth negde. Lets go
into the auditorium to hear the lecture.
No, its too crowded in there.
PLXA, -i, f., sports. A hit, a goal. A
ty pomnih, kak on zabil plxu
Spartaku? Do you remember how
he made that goal against the Spartak
team? Davth/dath plxu, see under
davth. Zasivath/zasadth plxu,
see under zasivath.
PLW, -a, m., joc. Hair on the chest (lit.,
ivy). Zastegni rubaku, vesh plw
naruu. Button your shirt, your chest
hair is showing.
/. To be in a
depressed mood, in low spirits, or to suf-
fer from a hangover (lit., to flatten).
, ,
. You are hanging hard,
drink a beer, itll make you feel better.
PO ZNI, idiom. In reality. S
pervogo vzglda on slikom strog, a
po izni dobree celoveka ne najti.
At first glance he seems awfully strict,
but in reality you couldnt find a nicer
fellow.
PO OPREDELNI, idiom. Obviously
(lit., by definition). Ne budet oz to
delath po opredeleni. Hes
obviously not going to do it.
PO XLOPK SMNA PARTN-
ROV, idiom, joc. Lit., At the signal, a
change of partners; used as a disparag-
ing comment on sexual infidelity. Oni,
kaets, davno lbt drug druga.
Nu da, lbt, po xlopku smena
partnrov. It seems theyve been in
love for a long time. Oh, sure! At the
signal, a change of partners!
POVRNUTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Strange,
showing strange behavior (lit., twisted).
Mu u ne kakoj-to povrnutyj,
a little peculiar; he doesnt help her out at
all.
POVESTSH: S kem povedhs, ot
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POVOLOKL PO KCKAM 204

tog i zaleth, see under s. likes is to spoil things for other people.
POVOLOKL PO KCKAM kog-l., PODGREBTH/PODGREST, joc. To
idiom, neg. Things are going badly for come, arrive (lit., to row in). Podgre-
someone (lit., someone is being dragged baj k esti casam. Come over by six
along over bumps). I povoloklo men oclock.
po kockam, cto ni denh, to podarok: PODDAVLA, -y, m., neg. A drunk.
to nogu slomal, to na rabote prob- On izvestnyj poddavala. Everyone
lemy. Im being raked over the coals. knows hes a drunk.
Every day its something else first I PODDAVTH/PODDTH. To drink.
break my leg, then I have problems at On poddath ne durak. Hes quite a
work. drinker. Ct-to stlo xolodth, ne
/ , por li nam poddth?, see under ct-to.
idiom. To cry out, shout, to raise ones PODDUVLO, -a, n., neg. A mouth (lit.,
voice. , flue). Zakroj podduvalo! Shut your
. Dont raise your voice, trap!
I can hear you just fine. PODENTHS, perf. only, rude. To
POVZANNYJ, -a, -oe. Mutually have sex with a woman. Ty tolhko i
dependent, involved in the same thing. dumaeh, s kem by podeniths. All
My nacali vmeste rabotath nad you ever think about is who to sleep
knigoj, potomu my nadolgo povzan- with.
ny. We started co-authoring a book, so PODKLYVATH/PODKOLTH. To
were in for the long haul together. deflate, give someone a dressing down
POGDA PCET, idiom, joc. Lit., the (lit., to prick). Ty ego xoroo podko-
weather is whispering. 1. An allusion to a lol nasct ego adnosti. You gave
desire to play hooky or take time off from him a good needling about his greed.
work. Ty vs smotrih v okno, pogo- PODKACTH, perf. only. To fail, slip up.
da epcet? Why do you keep looking Smotri, ne podkacaj! Ty dolen
out the window? Is the weather whisper- vyigrath segodn v tennis. Make
ing to you? 2. An allusion to a desire to sure you dont slip up. Youve got to win
get drunk. Cto my sidim? Pogoda ep- the tennis game today.
cet, nado vypith. Why are we just sit- PODKOVTH, perf., sport. To hit some-
ting here? The weather is whispering one in the feet or legs (lit., to shoe [a
lets have a drink. horse]). Nado ego podkovath, sli-
POGREMXA, -i, f., youth. A nickname kom bystro begaet. We have to hit
(lit., a rattle). Zabyl tvo pogremuxu, him, he runs too fast.
skai ew raz. Ive forgotten your PODKNYE, -yx, pl., joc. A hidden
nickname tell me again. supply of money. Vot ew esth
POD NOGTMI CERNOZM, TO podkonye. Ive got some more in my
ZNCIT AGRONM, rhyming private stash.
phrase, joc. Lit., Soil under the finger- PODKLKA, -i, f. A trick, joke (from
nails means youre an agronomist; used koloth, to prick). Ew odna pod-
as a reproach to children for dirty nails. kolka, i ty u men dodhs. One
PODVIGTHS/PODVNUTHS, more of those tricks and youre really
business. To reduce the price (lit., to going to get it from me.
move). Na skolhko oni podvinulish? PODLVLIVATH/PODLOVTH. To
Na limon, bolhe? How much is the track down and beat up (from lovith, to
discount? A million? More? catch). teb ew podlovl, ty u
PODGDITH, perf. only, neg. To spoil, men dodhs! Just you wait, Ill
harm. E mdom ne kormi, daj tolh- catch you and give you a hiding!
ko podgadith blinemu. All she really PODLNKA, -i, f., neg. A malicious act
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
205
(from podlosth). On na lbu pod-
lnku pojdt. Hed stoop to any nasty
deed. Brsith/podbrsith podln-
ku, see under brsith.
PODMXIVATH/PODMAXNTH,
rude. To have sex, with reference to mov-
ing about during sexual activity. Ona
xoroo podmaxivaet? Is she good in
bed?
, -, f. A mouse pad for a rise). Ty ue podnls na dacu?
computer (lit., under a mouse or an
armpit).
PODNASIRTH/PODNASRTH,
rude. To treat badly (lit., to shit on).
Kto e tebe tak podnasral, obvi-
nil v cuix grexax? Who dumped on
you like that, blaming you for what the
others did?
PODNCIVATH/PODNCITH, joc.
To tease, jeer at. Xvatit ego podnaci-
vath, on ue zvereet. Stop teasing
him. Hes already in a rage.
PODNCKA, -i, f., neg. Jeering, ridicule.
Mne tvoi podnacki nadoeli. Im
sick of you making fun of me.
PODNIMTH/PODNTH. To be able
to afford something, have the money to
buy something (lit., to lift). Sejcas ma-
inu ne podnimu, cerez god, navernoe.
Right now I cant afford a car, but may-
be in a year Ill have the money. Pod-
nimth/podnth kpe, youth, neg. To
raise hell, make a scene. Kto zdesh
podnimaet kipe? Whos making all
that hullabaloo? PODPSYVATH/PODPISTH,
, idiom, army, joc. Said youth. To persuade, to talk into (lit., to
of a ceremonial high-kicking military
step (lit., to lift ones leg to ones appen-
dix, the word connoting a shapely female
leg).
, . Weve PDPOL, -a, m. The rank of a lieutenant
been practicing this kick-step for a week
now. I have charley horses in both my
dainty legs. Podnimth/podnth stb,
idiom, youth. To ridicule, mock (lit., to
raise the whip). Cto ty vecno stb
podnimaeh? How come youre
always making fun of people? Pod-
nimth/podnth arp, idiom, neg. To
make noise, be tumultuous. Tie,
tie, ne podnimaj arap. Hush,
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PODPLHWIK
hush! Dont make such a racket.
Podnimth/podnth umxu, idiom.
To make a sensation, a scandal (lit., to
raise a noise). Opth podnli umixu
o zakaznyx ubijstvax. Theyve been
making a stink again about killings on
demand.
PODNIMTHS/PODNTHS, crim.
1. To acquire and save money (lit., to
Have you saved up enough to buy a
country house? 2. To get rich. On tak
podnimaets, ne ugonihs. Hes
getting so rich that nobody can keep up
with him.
PODOGRV, -a, m., crim. Financial
support. See podogrevth.
PODOGREVTH/PODOGRTH, crim.
To support with money (lit., to warm up).
A na ti denhgi podogreeh naix.
Heres a contribution for the support of
our boys. PODOGRTH BRATV,
idiom, crim. To support imprisoned
fellow criminals from a general fund.
Na to i esth obwak podogrevath
bratvu. Thats why we keep a general
fund, to support our brothers in prison.
PODPISNT, -a, m., obs. Someone who
signs letters of protest against the actions
of the Soviet Union or the Communist
Party; a protester (lit., a signer, signa-
tory). togo podpisanta my ne vy-
pustim za graniu. We wont give this
protester permission to travel abroad.
sign up). Ty podpisala ego kupith
tebe ubu? Have you talked him into
buying you a fur coat?
colonel (lit., a cellar). Ew god, vtoroj
polucu podpola i v otstavku. In
another year or two Ill get my promotion
and retire.
PODPLHWIK, -a, m. A closeted
homosexual (lit., member of an under-
ground organization). Cto ty iz seb
podpolhwika stroih, nas ne obma-
neh. Why dont you come out? Youre
not fooling us anyhow.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PODREZTH/PODRZATH NOS
PODREZTH/PODRZATH NOS, idiom.
In driving, to pass a car too quickly, com-
ing too close to it (lit., to trim someones
nose). Ostorono, sejcas on pod-
reet nos. Watch out! That guys
about to cut in on us.
PODRYVTH/PODORVTH, crim. To
run away, leave quickly (lit., to burst).
Kaets, sda idut. Pora podry-
vath. It looks like theyre coming this
way time to split! Podryvth/
podorvth kran, idiom. To urinate (lit.,
to burst ones tap). Ne mogu terpeth,
a podorvath kran negde. Oh, Im just
bursting, but theres no place to take a
leak around here!
PODSIVATH/PODSADTH (na
def, na igl), youth, neg. To intro-
duce someone to drug use, get someone
started using drugs. Kto e podsadil
na iglu? Who started her on drugs?
(Lit., Who put her on the needle?)
PODSSYVATH, imperf. only, youth. To
know something well, understand (lit., to
apply the choke; cf. podss). On v
lektronike podsasyvaet? Does he
know electronics?
/- bowing ones head to both left and right).
. To come to or to participate in
anothers activity (lit. to suckle).
, here.
, . Come to PODXALIM, -a m., neg. Flattery,
lunch, then well decide what to do next.
PODSERTH/PODOSRTH, rude. To
harm, mistreat. Ne podseraj drugim,
togda i teb za celoveka scitath
budut. If you stop doing nasty things to
others youll be treated decently your-
self.
PODSSTH, perf. only, youth, neg. To
become addicted to drugs. On podsel
let pth nazad. Hes been addicted
for five years already.
PODSIRPITH, perf. only, neg. To
harm, mistreat. Ty mne podsiropil,
podsunul pomownika, a on nicego ne
umeet delath. You did me a nasty
trick, palming that fellow off on me as an
assistant. He doesnt know how to do
anything.
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206
PODSNNIK, -a, m., joc. A driver
who takes his car off the road in the win-
ter (lit., a snowdrop [spring flower]).
Povilish podsneniki na dorogax,
oni sovsem ezdith razucilish. The
snowdrops are on the road again, and
theyve completely forgotten how to
drive.
PODSS, -a, m. The choke of an automo-
bile. Uberi podsos! Cut the choke.
PODSTAVLTH/PODSTVITH, neg.
To blame or accuse falsely. On ne
vinovat, ego druki podstavili. He
didnt do it his so-called friends
framed him.
PODSUETTHS, perf. only. To rush to
get something done. podsuetils i
vs zakupil na prazdniki zaranee. I
rushed about and got everything for the
holiday ahead of time.
, -, f., army. A hovercraft
(lit., a pillow).
.
We can place three hundred men on this
pillow.
PODXALM, -a, m. A rotating fan (lit., a
flatterer or yes-man, from the idea of
Vklci podxalim, dyath necem.
Turn on the fan theres no air in
toadying. Mne ix podxalima ne nra-
vits. I dont like their toadying.
PODEPLTH/PODEPTH, neg. 1.
To pick up a (venereal) disease. Smot-
ri, ne podepi na ge kaku-nibudh
gadosth. Be careful not to pick up a
venereal disease down south. 2. To
make the casual acquaintance of a
woman. Gde ty podrugu podepil?
Where did you pick up that gal?
PODQEBTHS/PODQEBNTHS,
rude. To have sex (cf. b-). Xoroo by
podqebaths. It would be nice to get
laid.
PODQBKA, -i, f., rude. A joke, trick,
practical joke, leg-pulling (cf. b-).
Mne nadoeli tvoi vecnye podqbki.
Im sick of your constant jokes.
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207
PODQBWIK, -a, m., rude. A joker,
clown, buffoon (cf. b-). Nam ew
podqbwikov ne xvatalo, kogda vse na
nervax. The last thing we need is some
comedian, just when everyones so tense.
PODQBYVATH/PODQEBNTH,
rude. To tease, annoy (cf. b-). Vi-
dih, on ue zlits, bolhe ego ne
podqbyvaj. You can see hes getting
angry. Dont tease him any more.
PODQM, -a, m., business. Profit (lit.,
ascent). Na kakoj podqm mono
rasscityvath? How much of a profit
can we count on?
PODYXTH/PODXNUTH. To die.
Vot podoxnu, nikto i ne vspomnit.
Nobody will remember me when Im
gone.
POBANYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Tired,
depressed (cf. b-). Xodth kak poba-
nyj, see under xodth.
POEBN, -a, m., rude. Sex, sex act (cf.
b). Pora nam poebon ustroith. Its
about time we got laid.
POEBTINA, -y, f., rude. Nonsense (cf.
b-). Kak ty moeh sluath po
radio tu poebotinu o lbvi? How
can you listen to that nonsense about love
on the radio?
POBYVATH, imperf. only, rude. To
sleep with someone occasionally (cf. b).
On e pobyvaet vrem ot vremeni.
He sleeps with her from time to time.
PORNA KOMNDA, idiom.
Racketeers, gangsters (lit., fire brigade).
Pozvath poarnu komandu ili
tak otdath dolok? Should we call
in the brigade or just pay up?
POUM UVDIM, idiom, joc. Its
too early to tell, lets wait and see, time
will tell (distorted from the idiom
poivm uvidim, well live and
see). On, navernoe, stanet xoro-
im sportsmenom. Poum uvi-
dim. Hell probably be a very good ath-
lete. Lets wait and see.
POZVONK, pozvonk, m. A recipient of
special favors, protection (lit., a phone
call). Skolhko studentov-pozvonkov
u nas v institute? How many of our
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POKTNYJ
students got in through connections?
POZVONCNYJ, -ogo. A person with
useful connections. See pozvonk and
telefnnoe prvo.
PZDNO: Lce pzdno, cem nikom
(dath), see under lce.
, idiom. It is too
late (lit., its too late to rush about).
, , -
. I am a pen-
sioner, its too late to rush about, I dont
want to be involved in business any-
more.
POJMTH, perf. To be punished, to get
what is coming to you. Ty sejcas
pojmaeh. Youre going to catch it
now!
, idiom, army. To be
killed (lit., to go to minus, from
, to subtract).
POK NE RODIL, KAK RO,
TAK SKA, rhyming phrase, joc.
Things are all right; nothing special is
new (lit., I havent given birth yet; Ill
tell you when I do). Used in reply to
How are things with you?
POKAZXA, -i, f., neg. Something done
for show or to make an impression; a
merely outward appearance. Ubrali
Moskvu k prazdnikam, odna pokazuxa,
potom opth budet grzno. Mos-
cows been prettied up for the holiday but
its just camouflage; the dirt will come
out again afterwards.
POKZYVATH/POKAZTH kgti,
idiom, neg. To show ones real character
(lit., to show ones claws). A on ne
prost, pokazal kogti, ne xocet
ostaths bez kresla. Hes not such a
simple fellow. He doesnt want to lose his
position, and now hes showing his
claws.
POKT, -a, m., pred. use, youth, pos.
Excellent, great (cf. poktnyj). Rabo-
ta u nix pokat, denena i ne-
pylhna. Theyve got a great job
high pay and not much work.
POKTNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Funny,
entertaining (from pokatiths [so sme-
xu], to roll [with laughter]). Vcera
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
POKDA
rasskazali pokatnyj anekdot, po-
sluaj. Listen to this hilarious story I
heard yesterday.
POKDA! idiom, joc. So long! Be seeing
you! (distorted from poka and pokuda).
POKUPTH/KUPTH. To deceive,
trick, cheat (lit., to buy). Men ne ku-
pih, zna, cto ti sigarety plo-
xie. You cant trick me I know per-
fectly well those are lousy cigarettes.
PLAK, -a, m., neg. A Pole. Polaki
xott vstupith v NATO, kak tebe
to nravits? How do you like that!
Now those Polacks want to join NATO!
POLBNKI: Prinimth/printh
polbnki, see under prinimth.
, idiom, army. A parade V tom filhme odna polovuxa. The
ground (lit., an idiots field, evoking the
field of dreams where Pinocchio planted
his coins in the belief that they would
produce money plants). rude. To despise, to consider beneath
, attention. poloil s priborom na
. We spent two hours on a bloody tvoi ugrozy. I dont give a damn for
parade ground, were all wet and hungry.
POLT: V polte, idiom. Very drunk (lit.,
in flight). On kadyj denh v polte.
He gets high as a kite every day.
POLIVTH/POLTH, joc. To scold,
verbally abuse (lit., to water, as with a
hose). On ix davaj polivath posled-
nimi slovami. He showered them with
the most extreme abuses.
POLVKA, -i, f. 1. A lie. Ne verh, to
polivka. Dont believe it, its a lie. 2.
A practical joke. On master na
polivki. Hes an expert at practical
jokes.
POLNA IVNNA, idiom, joc. Furni-
ture polish or other spirit solutions as
used for alcoholic drinks (lit., Paulina
Ivanovna, a womans name formed after
politura or polirovka, polish). Da-
vaj xoth Poliny Ivanny primem.
Lets have something to drink, even if
its just Paulina Ivanovna.
POLIROVTH/ZAPOLIROVTH,
joc. To drink wine after hard liquor (lit.,
to polish). I vs to zapoliruem
domanim vinom. Lets polish it off
with some homemade wine.
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208
POLKN, -a, m., army. A colonel (by
wordplay on Polkan, a common dogs
name, and polkovnik, colonel). Sam
polkan budet proverku delath. The
colonel himself will be making
inspection.
POL-LTRA: Bez pol-ltra ne razo-
brths, see under bez.
POLOVJ RAZBJNIK, idiom, joc. A
man who changes sexual partners fre-
quently (lit., a sexual bandit). Opth
na polovoj razbojnik s novoj devi-
ej. Theres our sex fiend with a new
girl again.
POLOVXA, -i, f., youth, neg. Sexual
subject matter (from polovoj, sexual).
whole film is just a bunch of bedroom
scenes.
POLOTH S PRIBROM, idiom,
your threats.
POLOSKTH/POPOLOSKTH ch-l.
m, idiom, neg. To gossip about some-
one (lit., to rinse someones name).
ne xocu, ctoby ego im poloskali
komu ne lenh. I dont want everyone
who feels like it to go gossiping about
him.
POLTNNIK, -a, m. 1. obs. A fifty-
kopeck coin. 2. A fifty-ruble coin. 3. Fifty
thousand rubles.Skolhko to stoit?
Poltinnik. How much is it?
Fifty thousand rubles. 4. pl. Eyes (lit.,
fifty-kopeck coins). Cto ty poltin-
niki vykatil, baby nikogda ne
videl? Why are you bugging your eyes
out like that? Havent you ever seen a
woman before?
POLUKRVKA, -i, f. A person whose
parents are of different nationalities (lit.,
half-blood). Kakoj on russkij, on
polukrovka. Hes no Russian, hes just
a half-breed.
POLUMOTRNYJ, -a, -oe, south,
youth. Silly, half-witted (lit., half-
motorized). Soobraaj bystrej,
kakoj-to ty polumotornyj segodn.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
209
Get on the ball! Youre not cooking on
all four burners today!
!, interj., army. 1. A warning PMESH NGRA S MOTOKLOM,
of danger. 2. In the navy and marines (but
not the army) the phrase serves as a cheer.
POLUFABRIKT, -a, m. See polu-
krvka.
POLUCTH/POLUCTH: Polucth/
polucth barnku, idiom, sports. To
receive a zero score, to lose. My polu-
cili baranku na poslednix sorevno-
vanix. We got creamed in the last
match. Polucth pcku, idiom. To be
beaten, hit. On polucil paru pacek i
ubeal. He was hit a couple of times,
and he ran away.
POLX: tki tkami, a polx v it too seriously, its just a joke.
eldke, see under tki.
POLESTGO: U kog-l. na poles-
tgo, idiom, joc. Someone doesnt have
an erection (lit., with him its 5:30,
referring to the hands of a clock). A on
neplox v posteli? Cto ty, u nego
vs vrem na polestogo. So, is he
pretty good in bed? Are you kidding?
Always half-past five!
POLTKI, f., indecl., obs. Five hun-
dred rubles. Mne nado poltuki na
knigi. I need five hundred rubles for
books.
POLNA, -y, f., joc. (Lit., a glade, a
clearing). 1. A bald spot. Polna
rastt vs bolhe, skoro volos sov-
sem ne ostanets. Your bald spot is
getting bigger and bigger. Soon you
wont have any hair left at all. 2. A
playground.
POLNDI, -ii, f., joc. Poland.
POMAZK, pomazk, m., army. A soldier
who has served more than one year and is
therefore released from certain menial
tasks (lit., a shaving brush). On ue
pomazok, on to delath ne budet.
Hes already a shaver; he wont do that
sort of work.
POMATRSITH I BRSITH, idiom,
joc. To break off a love affair, seduce and
abandon (from matros, sailor). On
teb pomatrosil i brosil, a ty ue
zamu sobralash. Well, so youve
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PONSNYJ
been seduced and abandoned and you
thought he was going to marry you!
idiom, joc. A strange combination. Cto
to za dom? Pomesh negra s motoik-
lom. What sort of a building is that? It
looks like a cross between a Negro and a
motorcycle.
POMTH, perf. only, crim. To rob (lit., to
wash). Vcera pomyli odnogo fraera,
vzli paru limonov. Yesterday they
robbed some fellow of a couple of mil-
lion.
PONARKU, adv. Not seriously, as a
joke. Ne prinimaj to blizko k
serdu, to vs ponaroku. Dont take
PONESLSH! idiom. Lets get going!
Come on! (usually with reference to
drinking). Poneslsh! Du v raj, a
ngi v mili, idiom, joc. Lit., Lets
have a drink! Our souls will be in heaven,
even if we land at the police station.
PONESLSH DERHM PO TRBAM,
idiom, rude, neg. Word got around fast,
rumors or information spread quickly
(lit., the shit rushed through the pipes).
ena uznala, cto on s nej spit,
poneslosh derhmo po trubam. When
his wife found out that hes sleeping with
her, the shit hit the fan.
PONITH/PONZITH, youth. To
rob (lit., to lower). Na rynke men
ponizili na 100 baksov. They
shortened me by 100 bucks in the
market.
PONIM, KOGD VYNIM,
rhyming phrase, rude. Yes, of course
(used in answer to the question Do you
understand?; lit., I understand when I
take it out, in allusion to the sex act).
Sobiraems v kino v semh casov,
ponimaeh? Ponima, kogda vyn-
ima. Well meet at the cinema at
seven, understand? Of course!
PONSNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Very bad
(from ponos, diarrhea). tu ponos-
nu knigu v ruki brath ne xocets. I
dont even want to touch that shitty
book.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PONT
PONT: Dl pnta, idiom. 1. In jest, as a
joke. Ty zacem obmanul ego? A
tak, dl ponta. Why did you trick
him? Just for the fun of it. 2. For
looks, to make an impression. Davaj
nardims dl ponta. Lets get all
dressed up to make an impression.
Brath/vzth na pont, see under brath.
PONTTHS/ZAPONTTHS. To
boast (cf. pont). Pontiths vse
mogut, a potom trust. They all talk
big, and then they get cold feet.
PONTVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. False,
imaginary. to pontovyj razgovor,
a dela ne budet. This is empty talk,
nothing will come of it.
PONT, -v, pl., youth, neg. Lies, un-
truths. to vs ponty. Thats all a
bunch of lies. Nabrosth pont, see
under nabrosth.
PONTRA, -y, f., neg. A deception, trick.
to e pontra cistoj vody. This
is an absolute fake.
PPA, -y, f. Buttocks. Daj emu po pope,
ctoby ne kapriznical. Smack him on
the behind and hell stop acting up.
POPADTH/POPSTH. To pay off (lit.,
to be trapped). ,
. It seems Ive fallen
into a lot of debt. /
, idiom. To get into trouble (lit., to
land in a milk can). ,
, . Well, it
seems weve gotten into trouble and are
going behind bars. Popadth/popsth
v ock, idiom. To guess correctly, be
right (lit., to hit the bulls-eye). Xo-
ceh, ugada, cto ty prins? Ty
kupil tort. Tocno, popal v ocko.
Should I guess what you brought? A
cake. Youre exactly right. Popa-
dth/popsth pod tramvj, idiom,
neg., rude. To be made the object of gang
rape (lit., to fall under the tram). Ne
xodi k tim rebtam, popadh pod
tramvaj. Dont go around with those
guys theyll rape you.
POPALTH, perf., army. To betray, to
report. Esli uzna, kto men popa-
lil, ubh. If I find out who reported on
me, Ill kill him.
Page 210
210
POPENGGEN, -a, m., joc. Buttocks,
behind (by wordplay on ppa and
Kopengagen, Copenhagen). Nu i
popengagen u ne! What an ass on her!
POPERK SEB RE, idiom, joc.
Fat, obese (lit., wider than oneself in the
girth). Tebe na dietu pora sesth, ty
poperk seb ire. You should go on a
diet youve become broader than you
are tall.
POPISTH, crim. To cut, wound, with a
knife or razor. Ego vcera popisali v
podqezde. They cut him in the hall yes-
terday.
PPKA, -i, m. & f., crim., neg. A prison
guard stationed in a guard tower (lit., a
parrot, as in a cage). Popki v voskrese-
nhe sments v vosemh. They change
guards at eight oclock on Sundays.
POPKRH, -, crim., neg. An informer
(cf. ppka). Zamolci, popkarh idt.
Quiet, here comes that stool pigeon.
POPLTH, perf., youth. To go crazy (lit.,
to go swimming). Posle kzamenov on
srazu i poplyl. As soon as his exams
were over, he lost his marbles.
(-.), adv. Its all the
same, there is no difference, it doesnt
matter (lit., in two, half and half).
, .
It makes no difference to me that they
talk about me. V popolme, youth, neg.
Extremely drunk (lit., doubled over).
Nu i muenk u ne, vs vrem v
popolame domoj prixodit. Her
husband is always coming home plas-
tered.
POPRVH VOROTNK, VRATH ME-
ET, idiom, joc. Stop lying; what
youre saying isnt true (lit., Fix your
collar its cramping your lying).
skoro ensh. Oj, popravh vorot-
nik, vrath meaet. Im getting mar-
ried soon. Oh, straighten your collar;
its interfering with your lie.
, -, f. Low-quality pop music.
,
. Theres nothing good on
the stage, its all trashy pop music.
POPUXTH/POPXNUTH. To be
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
211
caught red-handed (lit., to swell up).
Oni popuxli na vztke. They were
caught red-handed taking bribes.
PORVTH pasth, idiom, rude. To hit,
beat. Ujdi s dorogi, a to pasth
porvu. Get out of my way or Ill punch
you in the mouth.
PORNXA, -i, f., neg. Pornography. V
tom urnale odna pornuxa. All there
is in this magazine is pornography.
PORNNICATH/ZAPORNNI-
CATH, youth, neg. To act dishonestly,
behave badly. Oni s nami pornuni-
cath stali, opth vewi ne otdali.
Theyve started acting dishonest toward
us, refusing to return our things.
PORNH, -i, f., youth, neg. Pornography.
Pornh esth nova posmotreth?
Any new porn to look at?
(-.), adv. Its all the tank divisions). Vs kupili dl prazd-
same, it doesnt matter (lit., in equal
parts). , pordok v tankovyx vojskax. Have
! It seems its all the same to you bought all the holiday things? Is
you, to me its not!
PORONK, -a, m. Bad luck, a failure
(from poronij, empty). Segodn
poronk, i sta rublej ne zarabotal.
Today was a bummer, I didnt even
make a hundred rubles.
POROSNOK, porosnka, m., crim. A
wallet (lit., a piglet). Posmotri, tam u
klienta porosnok cto nado. Look at
that guy hes carrying quite a wallet.
PORTH, imperf., army. To eat (lit., to
rip). Nadoelo tri raza v denh kau
poroth. Im sick of eating kasha three
times a day.
PORTVJN, -a, m., joc. Cheap, strong
wine (by wordplay on portvejn, port,
and Eng. wine). Nu i kto budet
pith tot portvajn, to e drnh.
Who do you think would drink this
rotgut?
PORTVEST, -a, m. Someone who
drinks only wine (from portvek).
On portveist, on vodku pith ne
budet. Hes strictly a wino doesnt
drink vodka.
PORTVEK, portvek, m., joc., neg.
See portvjn.
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POTRSNO
PORTVA BLDH, idiom, rude. A
bitch, prostitute, nasty woman (lit., a port
prostitute for sailors). Kak ty mo-
eh druith s toj portovoj bl-
dh? How can you associate with that
bitch?
POR, -, f. A portion, share. Daj ew
poru msa. Give me another helping of
the meat.
, -, f. Nonsense, rubbish.
,
. Everything you are talking
about is complete nonsense.
PORTH, perf. only, youth. To go (lit., to
dig). Ty ne znaeh, kuda on poryl?
Do you know where he went?
PORDOK V TNKOVYX VOJ-
SKX, idiom, joc. Everythings fine,
everythings in order (lit., order in the
nika? Vse v sbore? Da. Nu, togda
everyone here? Yes. Well, then,
everythings in order.
POSLDN BLDH, idiom, rude. A
nothing, a cipher, a worthless person (lit.,
the last whore). ne budu, kak posled-
n bldh, prosith u vas pomowi. I
wont be reduced to begging you for help
as if I were the lowest of the low.
POSMTH: Cto posmeh, to i
pomh, see under cto.
POTOM, CTO KONCETS NA
U, idiom, joc. A rhyming phrase used
as an evasive answer to the question
Pocemu?, Why? (Lit., Because it ends
with the letter U). Pocemu ty
sidih, nicego ne delaeh. Poto-
mu, cto koncaets na u. Why are
you just sitting there? Just because.
PTROX DEVYJ, crim., rude. A
scoundrel, bastard (lit., cheap guts).
to ty u men vzl instrument,
potrox devyj! So it was you who
took my tools, you bastard!
POTRSNO, pred. use, youth. Wonder-
ful, excellent. V Soci letom po-
trsno! Its terrific in Sochi in the sum-
mertime!
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POXERCITH 212

POXERCITH, perf. only, rude. To go, PRVO: Telefnnoe prvo, see under
leave (cf. xer). Kuda oni poxeracili? telefnnoe.
Where did they go? PRAJS, -a, m., youth. From Eng. price.
PXODH, -i, f., youth, joc. A womans 1. Price, cost. A kakoj sejcas prajs na
sexually attractive way of walking (play dinsy? How much do jeans cost
on poxodka, gait or stride, and now? 2. Money. U teb skolhko
poxoth, desire). Poxodh u ne, izna- prajsa? How much money do you
silovath xocets. That sexy strut of have?
hers makes me want her. PRAJSOVTH/ZAPRAJSOVTH,
POXUST, -a, m., rude. Someone who youth. To pay, finance (cf. prajs).
looks down on everything, someone who Skolhko ty nam zaprajsueh?
doesnt care (cf. p xuj under xuj). How much can you give us?
Ego to ne volnuet, on poxuist. It PRAJSVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Rich,
doesnt bother him. He couldnt care wealthy. On u teb prajsovyj mn.
less. Your boyfriend is always flush.
PO, -a, m., neg. 1. A guy, fellow. 2. A PRPOR, -a, m., army. A praporwik
fool, a worthless or unplesant person. (praporshchik; similar to an ensign;
Kakoj po zdesh tak nasledil na rank between soldiers and officers, usu-
kovre? What creep dirtied the carpet? ally held by enlisted men voluntarily
POL TY RKOM VDOLH ZAB- serving an extra term in the infantry).
RA! idiom, rude. Get out of here; go to E syn sluit v armii? Da, on
hell (lit., Walk crabwise along the prapor. Is her son in the army? Yes,
fence!). tebe ew raz govor, ona hes a praporshchik.
tebe ne para. A pol ty rakom PRCECNIK, -a, m., business. A money
vdolh zabora. Im telling you, shes not launderer (lit., laundry). Srocno naxo-
for you. Go to hell. di pracecnika, nalicnosth nako-
POL-POXALO, idiom, neg. There pilash. Weve accumulated a lot of
you go again, there it goes again (an cash, its high time to find a laundry for
expression of disapproval). Nu, polo- it.
poexalo, opth vy rugaetesh. There PREDL, -a, m., youth, neg. Misfortune,
you go yelling at each other again. end. Esli on uznaet obo vsm, mne
POBYVATH, imperf. only, rude. To predel. If he finds out about all this itll
have sex with a woman (cf. b-). E be curtains for me.
kto-nibudh pobyvaet? Is anyone PRDOK, prdka, m., joc. A parent (lit.,
screwing her? ancestor). Tvoi predki doma? Are
PS: Vs pone psa, see under vs. your parents home?
PP, abbr., neg. A mistress, lover (from PREDQVA, -y, f., youth. Conditions,
poxodno-poleva ena, battlefield demands. Za to delo kaka u nix
wife). Ona ego PP. Shes his predqva? How much are they asking
mistress. to do the job?
PRAV: Kacth prav, see under PRESS, -a, m., crim. A roll of bills. Lad-
kacth. no, ne mish, dostavaj svoj press,
, -, f., crim. A trial held by plati. Dont be a tightwad take out
criminals or soldiers, a kangaroo court your bankroll and pay up.
(from , to correct). - /,
, crim. To beat up, prosecute (lit., to press,
, . Our as with an industrial metal press).
honorable kangaroo court decided that
the thief needed to have the shit kicked . Headquarters decided to beat
out of him. him into shape.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
213
PRIBABX: S pribabxom, idiom, neg.
Eccentric, exhibiting strange or unusual
behavior. Ego ne pojmh, on s priba-
baxom. You cant make head or tail of
him hes a bit strange.
PRIBLT, -a, m. A national of any of the
Baltic republics of the former Soviet
Union. Vse pribalty teperh inos-
trany. Now all the Balts have sud-
denly become foreigners.
PRIBLTYBATH/PRIBOLTTH. To
talk into, to persuade (from boltath, to
chatter). Ne mogu mua priboltath
pojti v kino ue god. For the last year
I havent been able to talk my husband
into going to the movies.
PRIBAMBSY, -ov, pl. 1. Decorations,
frills. U men net v maine nikakix
pribambasov: ni magnitofona, ni
telefona, ni radio. Ive got a no-
frills car no tape deck, no telephone,
no radio. 2. Complications, difficulties.
PRIBARAXLTHS/PRIBARAX-
LTHS, joc. To get new clothes (from
baraxlo, clothing). Nam vsem ne me-
aet pribaraxliths, obnosilish.
It would be a good idea for us all to get
some new clothes; our old things are
worn out.
PRIBOMBTH. To buy, acquire. Gde
ty takie tufli pribombila? Where
did you manage to get such nice shoes?
PRIVOZTH/PRIVEZT, business. To
cheat. Nu vot, privezli novenhkix na
limon. Well, they cheated the new-
comers out of a cool million.
PRIGOVR, -a, m., joc. A bill, check (lit.,
verdict). ef, nesi prigovor.
Waiter, bring the check.
PRIDLYVATH/PRIDLATH, neg.
1. To hit, beat. Ego tak za bab pride-
lali, sejcas v bolhnie leit. They
beat him up so badly for his philandering
that hes actually in the hospital now.
2. To put someone in an uncomfortable
situation. Kak ego pridelali, kogda
dokazali, cto on na ruku ne cist.
What a fix they got him into when they
proved that he was on the take! Prid-
lyvath/pridlath ngi, idiom. Lit., to
Page 213
PRIPLIVATH/PRIPITH
put feet on something. 1. To steal.
viu, tim casam pridelali nogi.
Apparently somebody stole my watch.
2. To forward a document. Nado ew
bumage pridelath nogi, ctoby delo
dvinulosh. Well have to send these
documents on in order to make any
progress in the matter.
PRIDNESTROFK, -a, m., joc., neg.
The currency of the Pridnestr Region (by
wordplay on distrofi, dystrophy).
pridnestrofiki ne vozhmu, davaj
zelnye. Give me greenbacks, I dont
want any of this local currency.
, perf. To irritate,
annoy, pester (from , to chisel).
, .
Why do you keep pecking away at me
with your dumb stories? Im not inter-
ested.
PRIDROK, pridrka, m., neg. 1. A
fool, idiot. Cto nuno tomu pri-
durku? What does that idiot want? 2.
crim. A prison-camp inmate who serves
the prison authorities. On v pridurki
ne pojdt, on vor v zakone. Hed
never be a stooge; he keeps the thieves
code of honor.
PRIBISTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Nagging,
critical, picky (cf. b-). to komissi
ocenh pribista, budh gotov ko vs-
komu. This auditing team is very picky;
youve got to be prepared for anything
with them.
PRIBYVATHS/PRIEBTHS,
rude. Cf. b-. 1. To be hypercritical.
Cto ni skau, vs ne tak, ty k ka-
domu slovu pribyvaehs. Whatever
I say is always wrong; you find fault with
every word. 2. To nag, be persistent.
Bolhe s timi voprosami ko mne
ne pribyvajs. Dont keep nagging
me with those questions.
PRIMRITHS, perf. only, joc. To
die (lit., to squint; see mur, mrik).
On primurils ew nedel nazad.
He died a week ago.
PRIPLIVATH/PRIPITH,
rude. To apprehend, catch, expose (cf.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PRICIVATH/PRICITH
pa). Kogda ego za maxinaii,
nakone, priopt? When are they
ever going to catch him at his scams?
PRICIVATH/PRICITH. To
squelch, to suppress, put s.o. in his place.
Nikto ego ne moet priucith,
obnaglel vkone. Hes so pushy, no one
can put him in his place.
PRZVEZDH, -i, f., youth, neg. A craze,
fad, eccentricity (euph. for prpizdh).
to u nego prizvezdh citath vse
gazety podrd. Its a craze of his to
read all the papers one after the other.
PRIK, -a, m., youth, rude. A penis (from
Eng. prick). Na prik tebe to
nado! What the hell do you need that
for?
PRIKLYVATHS/PRIKOLTH-
S, youth. 1. To pay attention (lit., to pin
oneself to something). Prikalyva-
ehs, cto tebe govort? Are you
paying attention to what theyre telling
you? 2. neg. To be persistent, stick to
something or someone. On vs vrem
prikalyvaets ko mne, delaet vskie
zamecani. Hes constantly hanging
around me and making all sorts of com-
ments.
PRIKD, -a, m., youth. Stylish clothing.
U nego vsegda prikid cto nado. Hes
always wearing some sort of stylish out-
fit.
PRIKDYVATHS/PRIKNUTH-
S lngom, idiom, neg. To play dumb,
pretend not to understand. priki-
nuls langom, stol, delal vid, cto
nicego ne ponimal. So I played dumb
just stood there as if I didnt under-
stand a thing.
PRIKLDYVATH/PRILOTH
mrdoj ob stol, idiom, neg. To deceive,
cheat, trick. Men priloili mordoj
ob stol, obewali vzth na g i ne
vzli. They tricked me they prom-
ised to take me on vacation with them,
and then they didnt do it.
PRKOVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, rude. Bad,
trashy, defective. Nadoela ta priko-
va pogoda. Im sick of this rotten
weather.
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214
PRIKOZLTH, perf. To cheat (from
kozl, goat). Kak lovko nas prikoz-
lili s toj pokupkoj! How cleverly
they gypped us on this purchase!
PRIKOZLTHS, perf. To make a silly
mistake. Ne mogu ponth, kak my
mogli tak prikozliths. I cant
understand how we could have made
such a silly mistake!
PRIKL, -a, m. An anecdote, interesting
event (lit., pinch, prick). Xoceh, ras-
skau tebe odin prikol? Do you
want me to tell you a funny anecdote?
PRIKOLST, -a, m., youth. An enter-
taining person, a person who plays practi-
cal jokes or otherwise fools people.
Nado ego pozvath v gosti, on takoj
prikolist. Lets invite him over
hes such a joker.
PRIKLHNYJ, -a, -oe. Funny, enter-
taining. to silhno prikolhnyj
anekdot. Thats a really funny anec-
dote.
PRIKRYVTH/PRIKRTH. To hush
something up, get someone off the hook.
Esli by ego ne prikryli sverxu, on
by sgorel. If the higher-ups hadnt
hushed it up for him, he would have been
in hot water. Prikryvth/prikrth
pu, idiom, rude. To take precautions,
cover ones retreat. Prede cem to
delath, nado by opu prikryth.
Before we do this wed better make sure
to cover our asses. Prikryvth/pri-
krth li podkoj, idiom, joc. To
have sex with an unattractive woman (lit.,
to cover her face with a pillow). Ona
celovek nicego, tolhko lio nado by-
lo prikryvath podukoj. Shes a
nice enough person, but I had to hide her
face under the pillow.
PRILIPLA, -y, m. & f., neg. A persis-
tent, clinging person. Ot togo prili-
paly tak prosto ne otdelaehs.
Once he attaches himself to you its not
so easy to get rid of him.
PRIMOLTY, -ov, pl., youth. See
pribambsy.
PRIMCKA, -i, f. A joke, anecdote.
Idi posluaj, on takie primocki
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
215
rasskazyvaet. Dont miss this he
tells such wonderful anecdotes.
PRINADLNOSTI, -ej, pl., joc.
Genitals (lit., belongings). U men cto-
to bolt prinadlenosti. Some-
thing hurts in my private parts.
PRINIMTH/PRINTH polbnki,
idiom. To drink a half-liter bottle. My
ue prinli polbanki, na troix nado
by ew dobavith. Weve already fin-
ished the half-liter; well need a little
more for the three of us.
PRINUDLOVKA, -i, f., neg. A job
forced on someone against his will (from
prinudath). Komu oxota delath
tu prinudilovku? No one would be
willing to be drafted into this job.
PRINUDRABTY, prinudrabt, pl.
Forced labor, a prison term of hard labor
(abbr. of prinuditelhnye raboty).
Emu dali pth let prinudrabot.
He was sentenced to five years of hard
labor.
PRIPXIVATH/PRIPAXTH, neg.
1. To do heavy labor. My pripaxivali
na uborke snega. We slaved away at
shoveling the snow. 2. To force some-
one to work. Men pripaxali na e-
lyj denh, v kino ne pojdu. Theyve
put me to work for the whole day, so I
cant go to the movies.
PRIPKA, -i, f., neg. Heavy labor.
Ne dodush, kogda ta pripaka
koncits? I cant wait until we finish
this heavy work.
PRPIZDH, -i, f., rude. A whim, quirk,
peculiarity (distorted from pridurh; cf.
pizd). On celovek s pripizdh.
Hes got a certain quirk.
PRIPXIJ , -a, -oe, youth, neg. 1.
Selfish, pushy. Ty sovsem pripuxij,
cto li? A to teb uspokoim. Dont
act so high and mighty or well put you in
your place. 2. Crazy. Ty cto pripux-
ij, pith stolhko vodki? Are you
crazy, drinking that much vodka?
PRISOBCIVATH/PRISOBCITH.
To attach, fasten, affix. Prisobach mne
kabluk, otvalils. Can you fix the
heel of my shoe? Its come loose.
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PRISSKA, -i, f., joc. A hand (lit., a
suction cup). Ne trogaj men svoimi
prisoskami. Dont touch me with your
paws.
PRISPCIVATH/PRISPCITH,
neg. To want very intensely (from
spicka, match). Cto tebe tak
prispicilo tuda idti? How come
youre so fired up about going there?
PRISTAVTH/PRISTTH kak repj,
idiom. To pester, bother (lit., to stick to
someone like a burr). Cto ty ko mne
pristal kak repej? Why are you
keeping after me like that?
PRISTAVNCIKI, -ov, pl. Endear-
ments, kissing, sexual advances.
Opth pristavunciki nacinats,
pododi, ustala. Can you hold off
the nuzzlings for later? Im tired.
PRISTAVCIJ, -a, -oe, neg. Nagging,
annoying, irritating. U teb mu pris-
tavucij, vs vrem teb rassprai-
vaet, gde ty byla, cto delala? Your
husbands an awful nag, always pestering
you about where youve been and what
youve been doing.
PRISTEBJ, -, m., euph. Cf. razq-
ebj. 1. A hanger-on, parasite, moocher.
tot pristebaj nicego ne delaet,
a denhgi polucaet. That drone doesnt
do a stitch of work but he keeps pulling in
a salary. 2. An importunate, intrusive
person. Ty men dostal, pristebaj,
kogda ty nakone ujdh? Im sick of
you, you pest! When are you going to
leave already!
/,
army. To steal (lit., to fasten, latch on to).
,
. Keep an eye on
your firearm. Someone will glom onto it
as soon as you look the other way.
PRISTKIVATH/PRISTKNUTH,
neg. To kill (from [s]tuk, the sound of a
blow). On moet i pristuknuth,
esli uznaet ob tom. Hes capable of
killing someone if he finds out about
this.
, perf. To irritate, to
pester (lit., to put sand or dust, as on a
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wound). , drag them here. 3. To attach, affix.

, ? I Prixerach tu dosku k polu. Nail
told you I dont want to talk about it. this board to the floor.
Why are you throwing salt on this old PRIXD, -a, m., pos. Intoxication, drunk-
wound of mine? enness. Ty pocuvstvoval prixod?
/. To Did you get a high?
speed (lit., to submerge, i.e., to drown the / -
accelerator pedal). - , , idiom, army. To be killed
, in action (lit., to come home in the dark,
. Put the pedal to the metal, i.e., in a coffin). ,
lets see what this old jalopy can do. -,
PRITVORTHS/PRITVORTHS . The most important thing is not
prnikom (cjnikom), idiom, neg. To to come back in a box, the rest is rub-
pretend to be foolish, play the fool bish.
(prnik, a gingerbread cookie; cjnik). PRIXURIVATH/PRIXURITH,
Ty vs ponimaeh, ne pritvorjs rude. Cf. xuj. 1. To arrive, come. Kto
prnikom. You understand perfectly ix zval, zacem oni prixurili? No
well whats going on, so dont play one invited them why did they show
dumb. up? 2. To hit, beat. Ego vcera noom
PRITORMIVATH/PRITORMO- prixurili nasmerth. They made a
ZTH, students, neg. To have trouble deadly attack on him with a knife yester-
thinking, to think slowly (lit., to brake). day. 3. To attach, affix. Kuda tu kar-
Ty ne pritormaivaj, tu zadacu tinu prixurith? Where should I nail
nado reith segodn. This is no time up this picture?
for sluggish thinking, weve got to solve
PRIXUCIVATH/PRIXUCITH.
this problem today!
See prixurivath.
PRIXVT, -a, m., youth. A quirk, pecu-
PRIL, -a, m., youth, joc. Eyeglasses
liarity of behavior. to u nego pri-
(lit., gun-sight). Protri priel, vse v
xvat takoj vsex rugath.He has this
grzi. Wipe your glasses theyre all
little habit of bawling people out.
dirty.
PRIXVATIZI, -i, f. Corrupt
exploitation of unstable policies on the PRIP, -a, m., joc. An additional or sup-
privatization of plants, factories, and plementary alcoholic drink (lit., trailer).
stores (punning on prixvatith, grab, U nas esth vodka s priepom ew
and privatizai, privatization). butylka vina. Weve got vodka and a
to ne privatizai, a prixvati- bottle of wine as a chaser.
zai, vse nacalhniki razbogateli. PRICA(E/I)NDLY, -ov, pl. 1.
This so-called privatization just means Thingamajig. Takix pricandalov k
that all the bosses are getting rich. komphtery ew ne videl. Ive
PRIXVTYVATH/PRIXVATTH. To never seen such odd computer aces-
arrest, apprehend. Tam dvoix voriek sories. 2. Genitals (cf. prinadl-
prixvatili. Theyve caught two petty nosti).
thieves. PRICAWTHS/PRICASTTHS,
PRIXERCIVATH/PRIXERCITH, joc. To drink as a supposed remedy for a
rude. 1. To arrive, come. Vmesto pti hangover (lit., to take communion). Gde
celovek prixeracilo celovek dvad- by pricastiths? Where can we get
ath pth. Twenty-five people a little eye-opener?
showed up when we were expecting only PRICSKA: Pricska u mmy
five. 2. To drag, bring. My ele prixe- vmsto vbry, idiom, joc. Shaggy,
racili ti wiki, cto v nix? Whats unkempt hair (lit., the Im-my-mothers-
in these cartons? We barely managed to floor-mop hairdo). Also pricska
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217
upla s samosvla, tormozla golo-
vj (the I-fell-out-of-a-dump-truck-
that-braked-on-my-head hairdo), and
pricska ne odn v ple kuvyr-
klash (the I-wasnt-alone-when-I-
took-a-roll-in-the-hay hairdo). Tebe
pora podstrichs, u teb pricska
u mamy vmesto vabry. You
need to get that shaggy mop cut.
PRICESN, -a, m., youth. A hairdo. U
teb novyj priceson, viu? I see
youve got a new hairdo.
PRICSYVATH/PRICESTH, joc.
To win a decisive victory over someone
(lit., to do someones hair). duma,
my ix priceem v futbol. I think
were going to cream them in the soccer
match.
PRITH, perf. only. To knife to death,
stab to death (lit., to sew on). Vcera
druga tvoego priili. They knifed
your pal yesterday. Prith brodu,
idiom, crim. To deceive, trick (lit., to sew
a beard on someone). Kak my emu pri-
ili borodu, a on nicego i ne ponl.
We really pulled the wool over his eyes,
and he didnt notice a thing.
PRIMANDVKA, -i, f., neg., rude. A
prostitute, whore. Otkuda vzlash
ta primandovka? Where did that
whore come from?
PRIPANDRIVATH/PRIPAN-
DRITH, joc. To attach in a slipshod
way. Kak sda kartinu pripando-
rith, ne pojmu? I dont see how Im
going to get the picture hung here.
PROBZDTHS, perf. only, rude. To go
for a walk, take an airing (lit., to fart one-
self out). Pogoda stoit xoroa,
pojdm pribzdims? The weather is
fine lets go out for some air.
PROBIVTH/PROBTH. 1. To acquire
something with difficulty. On nakone
probil sebe kvartiru. He finally man-
aged to get an apartment. 2. youth. To
sell. vcera probil odnogo inost-
rana na laker. Yesterday I sold a lac-
quer box to a foreigner.
PRBKA, -i, f., neg. A fool, idiot (lit., a
cork). to probka, kakix poiskath!
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PROGNY
Hes a star idiot.
PRBU NGDE STVITH, idiom, neg.
Lit., theres no room to put a stamp of
approval; used to mean shes a promis-
cuous woman or shes a prostitute.
Ty dumaeh, ona pordocna, da na
nej probu negde stavith. You imag-
ine shes a respectable woman, but in fact
shes a whore.
PROVLIVATH, imperf. only, neg. To
leave, get out. Provalivaj, poka ne
pozdno! Get out of here before its too
late!
PROVRKA NA VVOSTH, idiom. A
test, inspectkon (lit., a check for lice).
Sejcas budet tebe proverka na vi-
vosth, pokai, kak ty umeeh
vodith mainu. Now were going to
test how well you can drive.
PROVRKA SLXA, idiom. A tele-
phone-conversation expression meaning
I have nothing special to say, I just
called to say hello (lit., a hearing test).
Cto-nibudh slucilosh? Da tak,
proverka sluxa. Has something hap-
pened? Nothing at all. I just called to
say hello.
PROGB: Slhto s progbom, see under
slhto.
PROGIBTH/PROGNTH. To compel,
persuade (lit., to bend). On ne xocet
prazdnovath denh rodeni, nado ego
prognuth. He doesnt want to celebrate
his birthday; well have to twist his arm.
PROGIBTHS/PROGNTHS, neg.
To confess. On v miliii srazu pro-
gnuls. He confessed immediately at the
police station.
PROGLOTTH ARBZ, idiom. To
become pregnant (lit., to swallow a
watermelon). Ne prolo i goda, ona
opth arbuz proglotila. She got
pregnant again in less than a year.
PROGN, -a, m., youth, neg. Lying, tale-
telling, rumor-mongering (cf. gon).Vs
to progon, a ty poveril. Thats all a
bunch of lies! How could you have
believed it?
PROGNY, -ov, pl., youth. Thoughts,
ideas. Mne progony o zdorovhe poko
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ne dat. Im constantly thinking about (lit., searchlights). Otverni proek-

my health.
/ , What are you staring at? Havent you
idiom, army. To dust (lit., to kick out,
scatter, or spread around the dust).
, KATH. To miss, to fail to notice.
. Dust off the barracks, prozzkal prognoz pogody. I missed
then you can take a break.
PRODAVTH dri, idiom, joc. To
tremble from cold, shiver (lit., to sell
yeast; by wordplay on droath, to
tremble, and droi, yeast). Ne
nadel sviter, teperh droi pro-
dah. Why didnt you wear a sweater?
No wonder youre shivering.
PRODA: Vybrsyvath/vbrosith
(v produ), see under vybrsyvath.
PRODVNUTYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos.
Knowledgeable, expert. Oni ocenh
prodvinutye v joge. Theyre real
experts in yoga.
PRDYX: Bez prdyxu, idiom, neg.
Without a break, constantly. Oni pht
bez prodyxu ue nedel. Theyve
been drinking for a week without any let-
up.
PROBYVATH/PROEBTH, rude. Cf.
b-. 1. To satisfy sexually. On e nikak
proebath ne moet. He cant satisfy
her at all. 2. To scold, yell at. Nu cto,
teb proebali za phnku? Well, did
they bawl you out for getting drunk?
PROSTH PLEH kom-l., neg. To
weary, bore, wear out (lit., to gnaw
through someones bald spot). Ty
svoimi kaprizami mne vs pleh
proel. Youve totally exasperated me
with your constant whims.
PROXATH, perf. only, joc. To miss the
point, fail to catch the gist (lit., to miss
ones stop). O cm vy tut govorili?
Proexal. What were you saying?
You missed it, so forget it; were not
going to repeat it.
PROXATHS na ru, neg. To get
away with not paying. Ty lbih
proexaths na aru, davaj denhgi na
bilet. Pay me for the ticket Im not
going to let you freeload.
PROEKTOR, -v, pl., youth, joc. Eyes
tora, ne videl golyx bab, cto li?
ever seen a naked woman?
PROZZKIVATH/PROZZ-
the weather forecast.
PRJDA, -y, m. & f., neg. A clever,
pushy, active person. tot projda
vs moet dostath. That clever rascal
can manage to get his hands on anything
he wants.
PROKLYVATHS/PROKOLTH-
S. To make a mistake, do something
improper. On prokolols na rabote,
pril phnym. He made a bad move
at work, coming in drunk like that.
PROKTYVATH1/PROKATTH. To
talk over, think over (lit., to roll). tu
myslh prokatath nado, a zatem ue
dejstvovath. This is a matter that has
to be mulled over before taking any
action.
PROKTYVATH2/PROKATTH, neg.
To deceive, trick, cheat. Men vcera
prokatili na sto dollarov. I was
cheated out of a hundred dollars yester-
day.
PROKCIVATH/PROKACTH. To
check out, scrutinize (lit., to pump). Ty
ne znaeh, kak on popal v pravitelh-
stvo, nado by ego biografi proka-
cath. Do you know how he got into the
government? It would be a good idea to
look into his biography.
PROKDYVATH/PROKNUTH. 1. To
accomplish something successfully.
Xoroo my to delo prokinuli.
We brought that off very well. 2. To
mention in an offhand way. Prokinh
emu tu novosth, posmotrim, kak on
sreagiruet. Mention the news to him
so we can see his reaction.
PROKISTH/PROKSNUTH, youth,
neg. To go bad, turn out badly, go wrong
(from kisnuth, to sour). Cuvstvu,
moi denhgi prokisli, ne otdast on
dolg. I have the feeling that my money
has gone down the drain hes not
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
219
going to return what he borrowed.
PROKL, -a, m. A mistake (lit., a punc-
ture). U nix na rabote prokol za
prokolom. Their work is just one fiasco
after another.
PROKENNYJ GONDN, idiom,
neg. See Gondn tpanyj.
PROLT, -a, m. Bad luck (cf. proletth
mmo kssy). U men elyj denh
odni prolty. Ive been having bad
luck all day today.
PROLETTH/PROLETTH kak fan-
ra nad Parem, idiom, joc. To fail,
lose, come to nothing (lit., to fly like ply-
wood over Paris). Ty uspel kupith
mebelh po starym enam? Net,
proletel kak fanera nad Pariem.
Did you manage to buy the furniture
before the prices went up? No, I com-
pletely missed my chance. Proletth/
proletth mmo kssy, idiom. To miss
out, lose out (lit., to fly past the cashier).
opth proletel mimo kassy, ne
smog vyigrath v lotere. I missed
the boat again on that lottery.
PROMOKKA, -i, f., school. A
bookish girl, bookworm (lit., blotting
paper). Ne budh takoj promokakoj,
xvatit sideth za knigami. Dont be
such a bookworm! Youve spent enough
time at your books.
PROMOTTH, perf. only, joc. To promote
(by wordplay on Eng. promote and
Russian promotath, to spend). Kogda
byl v Franii, oni men xoroo
promotali, prodal vse kartiny.
When I was in France my work was so
vigorously promoted that I sold all my
paintings.
PRONIKTHS/PRONKNUTHS.
To feel attracted (lit., to be penetrated).
k nim proniks, xoroie rebta.
I like them, theyre good guys.
PRNHKINY: Ne u Prnhkinyx, see
under ne.
PROPERDTHS, perf. only, rude. To go
on an outing, get some fresh air (cf. pro-
bzdths). Nado by na rybalku
sqezdith, properdeths. Lets go on a
fishing trip to get some fresh air.
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PRTIV LMA NET PRIMA
PROPERDN: Ustrivath/ustrith
properdn, see under ustrivath.
PROPIZDN, -a, m., rude. Scolding,
tongue-lashing (cf. pizd). U men
ue byl segodn propizdon, xvatit.
Enough! Ive already been bawled out
once today.
PRORZYVATHS/PRORZATHS.
To show up, appear (lit., to cut through,
come through, as teeth). Nakone-to
ty prorezals, ty gde propadal? So
you finally showed up. Where have you
been?
PRORV NA XVKU, idiom, youth.
Intense hunger. U men proryv na
xavku, pojdm v restoran. Im starv-
ing! Lets go to a restaurant.
PROSKATH/PROSCH. Lit., to cut
through. 1. To guess, figure out. On
prosk, cto my o nm govorili. He
guessed what we were saying about him.
2. To know. On matematiku neploxo
prosekaet. He knows mathematics
pretty well.
PROSIRTHS/PROSRTHS, rude.
To defecate, empty ones bowels. S
utra ne mogu prosraths. I havent
had a good shit all day. Davth/dath
kom-l. prosrths, see under davth.
PROSTCKA, -i, f., crim. A prostitute
(by wordplay on prostoj, simple, and
prostitutka, prostitute). Esli xo-
ceh perespath s nej, to vsegda
poalujsta. Ona prostcka. You
can sleep with her whenever you want
shes a prostitute.
PROSYXTH/PROSXNUTH, neg. To
sober up (lit., to dry out). Ty ew ne
prosox? Havent you sobered up yet?
PRTIV LMA NET PRIMA,
rhyming phrase, joc. Whoever is stronger
or better armed wins; you cant fight city
hall. Nai boksry proigrali Kube,
protiv loma net prima. Our boxers
lost to the Cubans, of course. What do
you expect? Their guys are simply better
trained. Prtiv lma net prima,
okrom druggo lma, idiom. In order
to win against a superior enemy, one has
to take a leaf from the enemys book; one
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PROTOKLHNA RA
has to use the oppositions methods in
order to win (lit., against a jackhammer
theres no resource except another jack-
hammer).
PROTOKLHNA RA, idiom, neg.
A disapproving facial expression. Ne
delaj protokolhnu rou. Dont
look so disapproving.
PROTUXTH/PROTXNUTH, neg.
(Lit., to rot). 1. To be embarrassed, to feel
uneasy. Cto ty protux, utok ne
ponimaeh? Why are you so freaked
out? Cant you see it was just a joke? 2.
To be bored. My ue protuxli, teb
dm elyj denh. We got bored
waiting for you all day. 3. To be broken,
to be out of order. Televizor ew
vcera protux. The TV went on the fritz
yesterday.
/. To
lose sight of, miss (from , to huff in
the game of checkers, i.e., to remove an
opponents piece from the board as a for-
feit for neglecting to capture an opposing
piece). - PROWJ-MOLODOSTH!, idiom, joc.
? How could Unfashionable footwear, thick shoes or
miss such a big drug shipment? You
really blew it this time.
PROFRA, -y, m. & f., neg. 1. A clever,
self-promoting person. Cto ty o nej
zabotihs, ta profura ne propa-
dt. Why are you worrying about her?
She knows how to look after herself. 2.
A promiscuous woman. ta profura
spit s kadym vstrecnym. That
floozy will sleep with anyone she picks
up.
PROXLPATH, perf. only, neg. To over-
look, fail to notice. Kak ty mog ego
proxlopath? How could you have
missed him?
PROXODTH/PROJT. To be consid-
ered, regarded as. On u nas proxodit
gramotnym inenerom. Among us
hes considered a competent engineer.
Proxodth/projt za suxar, crim.
To be imprisoned for someone elses
crime. Za cto sidih? proxou
za suxar. What are you serving time
for? Im in for someone elses crime.
, -, f., army. See . bad-tempered person (lit., psycho-cross-
Page 220
220
PROCUXNKA, -i, f., joc. A tongue-
lashing, scolding (lit., scratching). Nas
dt xoroa procuxanka. Were in
for a severe scolding. Davth/dath
procuxnku, see under davth.
PROCXIVATHS/PROCXATHS,
rude. To sober up, to recover from drunk-
enness or a hangover. Ty nacal soo-
braath, procuxals? Youre starting
to talk sense sobered up, have you?
PROVYRNTHS, perf. only, joc. To
take a walk. Davaj provyrnms po
sveemu vozduxu. Lets go for a walk in
the fresh air.
PROL LBVH, ZAVLI PO-
MIDRY, idiom, joc. The love affair is
over (lit., love is gone, the tomatoes have
faded).
PROLPITH, perf. To be late for, to
miss. Prolpil povyenie, te-
perh sidi! Youve missed your chance
for promotion, now youll have to stay
where you are.
boots (lit., Farewell, youth!). Kupila
sebe prowaj-molodosth, bolhe ni-
cego v magazinax net. I bought myself
some old ladies shoes it was the only
kind they had in the stores.
PRUDNITH/NAPRUDNITH. To
urinate (from prud, pond). Osto-
rono, zdesh kot naprudonil. Look
out, the cat peed on the floor!
PRM, idiom. No, nothing doing. Ty
xoceh s nim pomiriths? Prm!
Are you willing to forgive him?
Never!
PSIX, -a, m., neg. An idiot, lunatic. Ty
budeh poslednim psixom, esli sde-
laeh to. Youd be crazy to do that.
Psix na vle xe dinamta, idiom,
neg. Lit., an insane person at liberty is
worse than dynamite. Znacit, on
sg svo rukopish? Psix na vole xu-
e dinamita. So he actually burned
his manuscript? Give a lunatic some rope
and hell hang himself.
-, -, m. A nervous,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 221

221 PUSKTH/PUSTTH

blow). - PULEMT, -a, m., crim. Playing cards, a

, deck of cards (lit., a machine gun). U
. How can you be on friendly kogo pulemt esth? Sygraem? Whos
terms with this psycho? Hes on a hair- got a deck? Lets have a game.
trigger, could go off any minute. PL: Bandtska pl dostla, see
PSXIKA: Davth na psxiku, see under bandtska.
under davth. PULTH/ZAPULTH. To throw (from
PSIXVANNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Irrita- pul, bullet). Koncaj pulth sne-
ble, nervous. Ty cto takoj psixo- ki v okna! Stop throwing snowballs at
vannyj segodn? Why are you so ner- the windows!
vous today? PNKER, -a, m., youth. Punk (from Eng.
PSIXKA, -i, f. A mental hospital. punk). Mne ti punkera ne nra-
On popal v psixuku, nervnyj sryv. vts. I dont like those punks.
He had a nervous breakdown and landed PUP: Nadryvth/nadorvth pup, see
in the bughouse. under nadryvth.
PBLIKA, -i, f., business. Nonprofes- PUPTH/OPUPTH, neg. 1. To become
sional dealers or brokers at the exchange. exhausted by something. ot toj
Publika nam ne konkurent, tam raboty sovsem opupel. Im com-
melka rybka. We wont have any pletely knocked out by this job. 2. To go
competition from the public theyre crazy, do something bizarre. Ty cto,
just small fry. opupel, dah rebnku vino? Have
PDRITH/ZAPDRITH mozg, idiom, you gone crazy, giving wine to the
neg. Lit., to powder someones brains. baby?
1. To bore. On nadoel vsem, pudril , -, m., army. A soldier in his
mozgi rasskazami ob Afrike. He first months of service (lit., a navel). See
bored everyone with his stories about . Hey, bellybutton, come
Africa. 2. To deceive. Ty mne mozgi over here and shine my boots!
ne pudri, govori srazu, v cm delo.
PUPK RAZVETS, idiom, joc. To
Dont try to deceive me. Just tell me
get a hernia (lit., to get ones navel torn).
straight out whats the matter.
Ty donesh tot cemodan, pupok
PUZNCIK, -a, m., joc. A person with a ne razvets? Can you carry that
big belly (from puzo, paunch). Ty suitcase without getting a hernia?
znaeh togo puzancika? Do you
/. To com-
know that guy with the beer belly?
plain, whine (from , dated, to fid-
PZO: Ot pza, idiom. Ones fill, as much dle with, to get soiled).
as one wants. Vcera ezdili pomogath ,
ubirath vinograd, naelish ot puza. . Lets make a deal, you
Yesterday we went to help with the wont complain about your health.
grape harvest, so of course we ate grapes
PUSKTH/PUSTTH: Puskth/pus-
to our hearts content.
tth nalvo, idiom, crim. To shoot (lit.,
PUZRH, -, m., joc. A bottle of liquor to let someone go to the left). Vcera
(lit., a bubble). Ty kupil puzyrh na ew dvoix pustili nalevo. Yesterday
vecer? Did you buy a bottle for the they shot two more guys. Puskth/pus-
party? Puskth puzyr, see under tth puzyr, idiom, neg. To complain,
puskth. whine (lit., to emit bubbles). Slikom
, -, f., army. A revolver, gun ty lbih puskath puzyri. Dont
(lit., a farter). be such a complainer. Puskth/pus-
, . tth eptun, idiom, neg. To fart (lit.,
This little pop-gun is useless in an to let out a whisper). Opth kto-to
assault, take a machine gun with you. puskaet eptuna. Someones farting
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
PUSTH RABTAET TRKTOR ON ELZNYJ
again.
PUSTH RABTAET TRKTOR ON
ELZNYJ, idiom, joc. Lit., Let the
tractor do it its iron (and therefore
doesnt get tired); used to express unwill-
ingness to do some job. Davaj rabo-
tath, xvatit kurith. Pusth rabo-
taet traktor on eleznyj.
Youve had your smoke, now get to
work. Let the tractor do it. Its iron.
PUTNA, -y, f. A hard-currency prosti-
tute (from Italian puttana). Putan v
barax razvelosh. The number of hard-
currency prostitutes in the bars has
increased.
PUTNITH, imperf., youth. To engage in
prostitution. Ona putanit s 12-ti
let. Shes been a hooker since she was
12.
, -, f., army. Uncoiled barbed work done. Raz pol tak phn-
wire or razor wire, deployed as an
antipersonnel barrier (from , to raz.
tangle).
PUCEGLZE, puceglza, m., joc. A
Jew (from puceglazyj, goggle-eyed).
Vse oni tam vozle Elhyna puce-
glazy. That whole crew of Yeltsins is
a bunch of Jews.
PKA, -i, f., joc. A pistol (lit., cannon).
Brosh puku, tebe govort. Throw
away the gun, do you hear?
PKIN, -a, m., joc. Someone or other; I
dont know who. I kto isportil
kovr? Pukin. Who made this
stain on the carpet? Pushkin.
PUNNA, -y, f. Money (lit., furs).
Kak u nas s puninoj? How are we
fixed for money?
PCEL, -, f., youth. A girl (lit., a bee).
Cego ta pcela k nam lipnet? Why
is that chick hanging around with us?
PENA, -i, f. Vodka made from
wheat (lit., wheat). to penia ili
iz kartoki? Is this wheat vodka, or is
it made from potatoes?
PIK, -a, m. Nothing, no result. Iz
vsej zatei polucils pik. Nothing
came of that scheme. Odin pik,
idiom. Useless, pointless. Vs to
odin pik. Thats all futile.
Page 222
222
PYLTH1/ZAPYLTH, neg. To talk
nonsense, babble. Pomolci, ne pyli!
Shut up! Stop babbling!
PYLTH2/POPYLTH, joc. To go,
leave, walk (lit., to make dusty). Pyli
otsda! Get out of here!
PXATH/PXNUTH drnh, idiom,
youth. To smoke drugs (lit., to puff junk).
Davaj pyxnem drnh, ne protiv?
Come on, lets smoke some dope.
PYXTLKA, -i, f., joc. A scold, an abu-
sive woman. Ne sluaj ty tu sta-
ru pyxtelku. Dont listen to that old
scold.
PHNKA, -i, f. A drinking party, drinking
bout. U nas na proloj nedele byla
phnka za phnkoj, nekogda rabotath.
Last week was just one drinking bout
after another; there was no time to get any
ka, reh posldnij ogur, see under
PHNSTVOVATH vdku, idiom, joc. To
drink vodka, be or get drunk on vodka.
Vy ew dolgo budete segodn vodku
phnstvovath? How long are you guys
going to go on drinking vodka today?
PHNYJ: Phnyj v dug, idiom, neg.
Extremely drunk (bent-over drunk; lit., so
as to take on the shape of an arch). On
na rabotu ne pojdt, leit phnyj v
dugu. Hes not going to work today; hes
bent-over drunk. Phnyj v sshku,
idiom. Extremely drunk (lit., drunk to a
nipple). On opth phnyj v sishku,
ne volokt sovsem. Hes drunk com-
pletely out of his mind again. Phnyj v
sossku, idiom, neg. Extremely drunk
(lit., drunk as a hot dog, i.e. flaccid,
floppy). On phnyj v sosisku, slova
vygovorith ne moet. Hes dead
drunk he cant even speak intelligi-
bly. Phnyj v stlhku, idiom, neg.
Very drunk (lit., drunk to ones insoles).
Vcera on opth pril na rabotu
phnym v stelhku. Yesterday he came
to work dead drunk again. V dpelh
phnyj, idiom, neg. Very drunk.
Smotri, tam tvoj syn pol v du-
pelh phnyj. Look, there goes your
son, roaring drunk. Phnyj ik,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
223
phnogo ika, idiom, youth, joc. Lit., a
drunken hedgehog. 1. A young person
acting provocative or disorderly, possibly
under the influence of alcohol. O cm
tam sporit tot phnyj ik?
Whats that drunken hedgehog making a
row about over there? 2. A punk hairdo.
Kogda to ty stal nosith phno-
go ika? When did you start wearing
that drunken hedgehog? Phnyj kak
grzh, idiom, neg. Stuporously drunk.
Von tam ofr na phnyj kak
grzh leit. Theres our driver out
cold in a drunken stupor.
PHNH: Po phn, idiom. While drunk,
because of drunkenness. ego udaril
po phni, a tak my druzh. I hit him
when I was under the influence, but were
actually friends.
PRNT, -a, m., youth. A parent (from
Eng. parent). Prnty doma? Are
your parents at home?
PLITHS/VPLITHS. To stare.
Page 223
PTH
Cego plihs, phnyx ne videl?
What are you gaping at? Never seen a
drunk before?
PTK, -, m. A snub nose (from ptak,
snout). Nosa u nego sovsem net,
tak, ptak tolhko. Hes got no nose
at all, just a button.
PTA TCKA, idiom, joc. Buttocks
(lit., fifth point). On prizemlils na
ptu tocku. He landed on his
behind.
PTIFON, -a, youth. Five rubles, a five-
ruble coin.
PTKA, -i, f., youth. A butt, the end of a
marijuana cigarette. Daj ptku doku-
rith. Let me smoke that roach.
-
, idiom. A glass of vodka (lit.,
fifteen drops on ones diaphragm).
PTNKA, -i. 1. Fifteen kopecks.
2. Fifteen rubles.
PTH: Derth pth, see derth
petux under derth.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
RABTA, -y, f., crim. An apartment,
viewed as a target for robbery (lit., a job).
Tam rabota bez xozev stoit ue
nedel. The owners have been away
from that job for a week already.
Rabta ne plhna, idiom, joc. Easy
work, an easy job. Perexodi k nam, u
nas rabota ne pylhna. Why dont
you come work with us? Weve got an
easy job. Rabta ot bort, idiom.
Unauthorized work-carrying passengers
for pay. Voobwe-to on prepodat, no
ego kormit rabota ot borta. Hes
actually a teacher, but he makes his living
as a cabbie on the side. Vvernuth
rabtu, see under vvernuth. Lva
rabta, see under lvyj.
RABTATH/SRABTATH pod kog-l.,
idiom. To impersonate, act as. On ra-
botaet pod krutogo parn, no on sla-
byj celovek. He acts like a tough guy,
but actually hes quite a weak person.
Rabtath na izns, idiom. To work
hard (cf. iznaivath, to wear out).
My zdesh rabotaem na iznos, a ty
proxladaehs. Were slaving away
here while youre cool as a cucumber.
RABOTGA, -i, m. 1. A worker. On
kto, inener ili rabotga? Is he an
engineer or a worker? 2. An industrious,
productive person. tot ucnyj
bolhoj rabotga. That scholar is
very productive.
, -, pl. Eyes (lit., radars). rubl u prezidenta byl razbor pol-
, tov. There was a presidential inquest
, ? after the fall of the ruble.
Focus your eyes on that ridge, do you
see any movement there?
RAZ: Na raz, idiom. Easily or quickly dis-
posed of. Emu tu zadacu reith
na raz. For him its as easy as pie to
solve that problem.
RAZ PLNUTH, idiom. Easily, without
difficulty (lit., [as easy as] spitting once).
Tebe e raz plnuth, ubrath kvar-
tiru. Its easy as pie for you to clean up
the apartment.
RAZ POL TAK PHNKA,
Page 224
REH POSLDNIJ OGUR,
idiom, joc. An expression of grandiose
hospitality or liberality (lit., for a drink-
ing party like this, one shouldnt hesitate
to slice the last cucumber). Vot ew
butylka s men, raz pola taka
phnka. . . . This ones on me! For a
drinking-party like this. . . .
RAZBETHS, perf. only. To dream of,
expect, wish for (in vain). razbeal-
s, dumal kupith takoe palhto, a ix
vse uspeli prodath. I was dreaming of
buying one of those dresses, but they
were sold out. Ne razbehs, see
under ne.
RAZBIVTH/RAZBTH. 1. To make
change, change money. Razbej tuku.
Give me change for a thousand rubles.
2. To persuade, win over. Razbej ego
na poezdku v les. Persuade him to come
to the forest with us.
RAZBIRTHS/RAZOBRTHS, neg.
To quarrel, fight, have it out with some-
one. Slyih kriki? to nai
razbirats s soldatami. Do you
hear those shouts? Thats our guys having
it out with the soldiers.
RAZBJNIK: Polovj razbjnik, see
under polovj.
RAZBR POLTA (POLTOV), idiom,
joc. An analysis, inquest, post-mortem
(lit., an inquiry into flights, with reference
to airplane crashes). Posle padeni
RAZBRKA, -i, f., neg. A quarrel, fight.
Mne nadoeli vai beskonecnye raz-
borki. Im sick of your constant quar-
reling.
RAZVEDNKA, -i, f. A divorced woman.
U ne mua net, ona razvednka.
She has no husband shes divorced.
RAZVODTH/RAZVEST: Razvodth/
razvest (ustrivath/ustrith) bar-
dk, idiom, neg. To mess up, put into dis-
order. Xvatit tanev, razveli zdesh
bardak. Enough dancing youve
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
225
made a mess here. Razvodth/raz-
vest bodgu, idiom, neg. To talk non-
sense, talk without results. Vy, kak
vsegda, razveli bodgu, a reith
problemu nado pobystree. You were
just babbling on as usual, but this is a
problem that has to be solved decisively.
Razvodth/razvest morku, idiom,
neg. To fuss, bustle around pointlessly.
Vokrug prostogo dela razveli moro-
ku. They made a mountain out of a
molehill. Razvodth/razvest
, idiom. To cheat (from , RAZDCA SLONV, idiom, joc. A dis-
to regulate, and , money). Raz-
vodth/razvest ofiiz, idiom, neg.
To do something in an official, ceremo-
nial, or formal way (cf. ofiiz). Ne
nado razvodith ofiioz, kogda pri-
edet ministr, tak on xocet. Theres
no call to make a state occasion of it when
the minister comes; he himself prefers to
keep it informal. Razvodth/razvest
pizd, idiom, rude. To chatter, kid
around. O delax ne govorili, razveli
obycnyj pizd o enax, o politike.
They didnt talk business; they just chat-
tered as usual about prices and politics.
Razvodth/ razvest srosth, idiom,
neg., joc. To weep, cry. Ne razvodi
syrosth, i tak tono. Dont turn on
the waterworks! Things are bad enough
without that. Razvodth/razvest
tti-mti, idiom, joc. To be amorous,
sentimental. Koncaj razvodith
titi-miti, blie k delu. Enough
with the lovey-dovey stuff. Lets get
down to business. nwina razvdit
nogmi, a mucna rukmi, see under
nwina.
RAZVDKA, -i, f. A fraud, swindle (from
razvodith, to dilute). Oni na
razvodku ne klnuli serhznye
ldi. They never even took the bait;
theyre no fools.
RAZGILHDJ, -, m., neg. An irrespon-
sible, unreliable person. Na togo raz-
gilhd ni v cm nelhz poloiths. RAZEVTH/RAZNUTH, RAZVITH
You cant count on that erratic fellow
for anything.
RAZGN, -a, m. A drinking bout (lit., a
taking-off or speeding-up). On opth v
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####
RAZEVTH/RAZNUTH, RAZVITH
razgone. Hes on another drinking
bout. Dl razgnu, idiom, joc. For
starters, as a beginning (usu. in connec-
tion with drinking). Vyphem po
rmocke dl razgonu. Lets have a lit-
tle glass for starters.
RAZDAVTH butlku (bnku, bnoc-
ku), idiom. To drink a bottle of liquor
together, divvy up a bottle (lit., to crush a
bottle). Pojdm razdavim banocku
popolam. Lets go split a bottle between
us.
tribution of bonuses, awards (lit., distrib-
ution of elephants, with ironic allusion to
the disappointing smallness of the much-
touted bonuses). Zavtra budet raz-
daca slonov, premii vsem dadut.
Theres going to be a distribution of ele-
phants tomorrow everyone will get a
bonus.
RAZDEVTH/RAZDTH. To win, beat at
cards (lit., to strip). Ty s nimi v pre-
ferans ne igraj, oni professionaly
razdenut. Dont get into a game
with them. Theyre professionals
theyll fleece you. Razdevth/razdth
manu, idiom. To dismantle, strip a car
for parts. Vcera na stonke razdeli
sosedsku mainu, snli kolesa.
Yesterday they stripped my neighbors
car right in the parking lot they took
his tires.
, -, m. Ass chewing, counsel-
ing. See .
RAZDOLBJ, -, m., rude. A bungler,
confused person. tot razdolbaj vs
pereputal, priexal na cas poze.
That blunderhead got everything mixed
up and came an hour late.
RAZDLBANNYJ, -a, -oe. Worn-out,
broken-down (from dolbath, to strike).
Moj razdolbannyj pylesos otka-
zyvaets rabotath. This decrepit
vacuum cleaner of mine simply refuses to
work.
vreku, idiom. 1. To speak out of turn
or inappropriately. Teb ne sprai-
vat, vareku ne razevaj. No ones
asking your opinion, so dont go shooting
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
RAZZVITH
off your mouth. 2. To gape in amaze-
ment. My vse razinuli vareki, kog-
da uvideli ego novu mainu. We all
dropped our jaws when we saw his new
car. Razevth/raznuth pasth, idiom.
To long for, set ones heart on, covet.
Ona bylo razinula pasth na sapogi,
no ena ne po karmanu. She had her
heart set on those boots, but they were too
expensive. Razvath/raznuth rot,
idiom. Lit., to open ones mouth wide. 1.
To talk. Kogda ne spraivat, rot
ne razevaj. Dont talk when youre not
asked. 2. To envy, begrudge. Na cu-
oe dobro rot ne razevaj. Dont be
envious of other peoples good fortune.
3. To be distracted, be oblivious. Budh
vnimatelhnee, a to rot razineh
u teb vs i stawat. Be more careful
or youll be robbed while youre not
looking. 4. To be amazed. On kak
otkryl sumku, my rty tak i razinu-
li, cego tam tolhko ne bylo.
When he opened the bag our jaws
dropped at all the stuff in it.
RAZZVITH gltku, idiom, neg. To
shout, scream (lit., to open ones throat
wide). Cto ty glotku razzvil, i
tak slyno. Theres no need to shout.
I can hear you just fine.
RAZLV: Mstnyj razlv, see under
mstnyj.
RAZLIVTH/RAZLTH po blhkam,
idiom. To pour (liquor) in proper quanti-
ties by the sound of the bottle (lit., by the
glug-glugs). Razlivaj po bulhkam, u
vsex raznye stakany. Youd better
pour by sound, since weve all got differ-
ent-shaped glasses.
RAZMAZN, -i, f., neg. A nobody (from
kaa-razmazn, a type of gruel). Vse
druzh u teb nacalhniki, a ty, raz-
mazn, nikto. All your friends have
high posts, and youre such a loser.
RAZMZYVATH/RAZMZATH, neg.
To destroy, do in, kill (lit., to spread,
smear). Ego vcera na direkii vzli
i razmazali, obvinili vo vztkax.
They destroyed him at the meeting yes-
terday by accusing him of taking bribes.
Razmzyvath spli po zabru, idiom,
Page 226
226
neg. To break down in tears, to sob (lit.,
to smear snot along the fence; cf. sopl).
Vse umet sejcas razmazyvath sop-
li po zaboru, a cto delath nikto ne
znaet. Everyone can weep and moan
about it, but no one knows what to do.
RAZMORDTH, perf. only, neg. To gain a
lot of weight, become fat (cf. mrda).
Kogda to ona uspela tak raz-
mordeth? When did she put on all that
weight?
RZNIA: Bez rzniy, idiom. Unim-
portant, indifferent, all the same. Mne
bez razniy, gde rabotath. It doesnt
matter to me where I work.
RAZNNITHS, perf. only, neg. To
burst into tears (cf. nni). Nu cto ty
raznnils, ne bolhno vedh sovsem.
Whats with the tears? Youre not hurt at
all!
RAZ-RZ I V DMKI, idiom, neg. Lit.,
one-two and youre kinged, referring to
the kinging of pieces in checkers. Used in
disparagement of attempts at overhasty
successes. Ty xotel bystro razbo-
gateth, raz-raz i v damki, tak ne
byvaet. Youd like to get rich quick
one-two and youre kinged but it
doesnt happen that way.
RAZ-RZ I NA MATR, idiom, joc.
Said of quick, decisive actions (lit., one-
two and into bed). s tim delom
voziths ne budu, raz-raz i na mat-
ra. Im not going to waste time fussing
over this business, just wham-bam-thank-
you-maam.
RAZRTHS/RAZRDTHS. To
relax (lit., to unload, as a gun). Davaj
sqezdim v les za gribami, nado razr-
diths. Lets go mushroom hunting in
the woods for a little relaxation.
RAZJ GLAZ, idiom, rude. Look where
youre going, pay attention (lit., unshoe
your eyes) Razuj glaza, cuth s nog ne
sbil! Look where youre going! You
almost knocked me off my feet.
RAZUKRIVATH/RAZUKRSITH.
To beat up (lit., to decorate). Kto teb
tak razukrasil? Who decorated your
face like that?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
227
RAZQBA, -y, m. & f. See razqebj.
RAZQEBJ, -, m. (razqebjka, -i, f.),
rude. An unreliable, careless, slipshod
person (distorted from razgilhdj; cf.
b-). tot razqebaj cto-nibudh da
pereputaet. That good-for-nothing is
bound to screw something up.
RAZQEBJSTVO, -a, n., rude. Unrelia-
bility, irresponsibility. to ne razq-
ebajstvo, to xue, to naglosth.
This is worse than irresponsibility
this is downright brazenness.
RAZQBANNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Worn
out, not working properly. tot velo-
siped vesh razqbannyj, na nm opas-
no ezdith. This bicyle is an old wreck
it would be dangerous to ride it.
RAZQBKA, -i, f., rude. See razqebn.
RAZQEBN, -a, m., rude. A scolding,
tongue-lashing. Sejcas nam ustrot
razqebon. Now theyre going to bawl us
out.
RAZQBYVATH/RAZQEBTH, rude.
1. To break, smash up. On vcera sov-
sem razqebal mainu. Yesterday he
smashed up the car. 2. To reprimand,
criticize. Oni razqebali ego knigu.
They blasted his book with criticism.
RAJN: Splhnyj rajn, see under
splhnyj.
RAK: Rkom, rude. Rear end up (lit., crab-
wise; esp. of position in sex act). A kak
ty men xoceh? Rakom! How do
you want me? Crabwise. Na bez-
rbhe sam rkom stneh, see under RASKVIVATH/RASKVSITH. To
na. Pol ty rkom vdolh zabra!,
see under pol. Stanovths/stath
rkom, see under stanovths. Stoth
rkom, see under stoth.
RAKTCIK, -a, m. A racketeer (lit., a
rocket-artillery man). Na vas raket-
ciki ew ne naezali? You mean the
rocketeers havent put the squeeze on
you yet?
, idiom, army. nul taku cernuxu, cto sam udiv-
Strategic missile forces (lit., cancer
forces, referring to the numerous cancer-
ous diseases caused by radiation).
, spread out or unfold ones brains). Cto
- . Serv- e dalhe delath, nado by raski-
Page 227
RASKDYVATH/RASKNUTH
ing in the strategic missile forces is no
piece of cake, were always stuck on a
base in the middle of nowhere.
RANH: S smogo s ranh, idiom, joc.,
rude. Early in the morning (playing on
ranh, early morning, and srath, to
shit). Zavtra s samogo s ranh edem
za gribami. Tomorrow were going
mushroom hunting shit-early in the morn-
ing.
RASKADRVANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth.
Very good (cf. kadr). V taku
raskadrovannu pogodu doma ne
sidt. You cant sit indoors in such
fabulous weather.
RASKLYVATH/RASKOLTH. 1. To
make someone tell the truth, make some-
one confess. Ego trudno budet rasko-
loth, nicego on ne skaet. Its going
to be hard to get him to own up; hell try
not to say anything. 2. To pressure,
force. Nado ego by raskoloth na bu-
tylku. Well have to put the screws on
him for a bottle.
RASKLYVATHS/RASKOLTH-
S. To confess. On raskolols, my
znaem, gde on prcet oruie. He
cracked. Now we know where hes been
hiding the guns.
RASKTYVATH/RASKATTH gub
(gby), idiom, joc. To want something
very much (lit., to roll ones lips). Ne
raskatyvaj guby, to tort detm.
Dont start drooling; that cake is for the
children.
smash (from kvasith, to pickle).
Uronila sumku na lestnie, vse
pomidory raskvasila. I dropped the
bag on the stairway and smashed all the
tomatoes!
RASKDYVATH/RASKNUTH: Ras-
kdyvath/rasknuth cernxu, idiom,
crim. To tell lies, be misleading (lit., to
spread trash). na sledstvii raski-
lls. Under interrogation I told such
lies that I myself was amazed. Rask-
nuth mozgmi, idiom. To think (lit., to
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
RASKLD
nuth mozgami. Now itll take some
thought to decide what to do next.
RASKLD, -a, m. A situation, plan (lit., a
hand at cards). Nu, kakoj rasklad, my
edem v gosti ili net? So, whats the
plan? Are we going visiting or not?
RASKLDYVATHS/RAZLOTH-
S, youth. To quarrel, have it out with
someone. Oni raskladyvats na
kuxne. Theyre having a quarrel in the
kitchen.
RASKLCITHS, perf., neg. To block
someones way (from klca, an old
horse).
RASKORVITHS, perf. To become fat
(from korova, cow). Tebe nado
xudeth, raskorovilash sovsem. Youd
better lose some weight, youve got much
too fat.
RASKORKA, -i, m. & f., neg. 1. A
clumsy person, oaf. Cto ty, rasko-
rka, nadelal, razlil vs moloko!
Look what youve done now, you
clumsy oaf! Youve gone and spilled all
the milk! 2. A pair of crooked legs; a
crooked-legged person. Takoj rasko-
rke nosith mini-bku nelhz. A
crooked-legged girl like that shouldnt
wear a miniskirt.
RASKORCIVATHS/RASKOR-
CITHS, neg. 1. To be uncertain what
to do, to doubt, hesitate. sovsem ras-
korcils, ne zna, kuda idti, na
vecer ili v teatr. Im completely at a
loss whether to go to the party or to the
theater. 2. To block someones way, to
be in the way. Cto ty raskorcils
u telefona, daj projti. Youre in the
way with that telephone let me by.
RASKRTKA, -i, f. From raskrucivath,
to unscrew. 1. A drinking bout. Kak
ty posle vceranej raskrutki, golo-
va ne bolit? How are you feeling after
yesterdays spree? A little headachy? 2.
The start-up of a business. Na ras-
krutku torgovli my potratili dve
nedeli. We spent two weeks on the
start-up phase of the business.
/. 1. what I said last night. I was babbling (bub-
To get someone to talk through interroga-
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228
tion. , ,
. Use whatever
measures you need in order to break him
and make him talk. 2. To manipulate, to
use. ,
. You
know, Nicholas made major, lets make
him to take us out to dinner.
/
, idiom. To drop ones jaw in
surprise or amazement (lit., to open
someones mitten).
RASPIZDTH, perf. only, rude. To speak
too openly, spill secrets. Ty ue vsem
raspizdel o naej poezdke. You
already spilled the beans to everyone
about our trip.
RASPIZDTHS, perf. only, rude. To be
noisy, have a quarrel. Cego on raspiz-
dels? What was he making such a
scene about?
RASPZDITH, perf. only, rude. To steal
gradually and completely (as employees
stealing from a firm). Oni ue vesh
zavod raspizdili. Over time they
ripped off everything from the factory.
RASPIZDJ. See razqebj.
RASPIZDCIVATH/RASPIZD-
CITH, rude. To break, smash. Vcera
raspizdcil novye ocki. Yesterday I
smashed my brand new glasses.
, perf. To spread,
become known (from , every-
where).
, , -
, ? Rumors have
already spread throughout the ship. So is
it true that we are pulling into port late?
RASPRGATHS/RASPRCHS,
youth. To remove outer clothing (lit., to
unharness). Nu cto stoite, raspr-
gajtesh! Dont just stand there, take off
your coats!
/-
. 1. To say too much, reveal a
secret (lit., to bubble). ,
, -
. Do me a favor and forget about
bling) about things I shouldnt have. 2.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
229
To be upset. - rude. See raspizdcivath.
, , . RASIB, pred. use. Good, fine.
What are you so down about? Dont
worry about it, everything will be OK.
/, army. RAXT, -a, m., neg. A skinny weakling
To receive a higher status in the soldiers
barracks hierarchy, referring to the fact
that enlisted men are granted the right to
slightly loosen their belts after six months
of service (lit., to loosen ones belt). Ras-
puskth/raspustth nni, idiom, neg.
To cry (lit., to let out whimpers). L-
bih ty raspuskath nni po pust-
kam. Youre always turning on the
waterworks over trifles. Raspuskth/
raspustth rki, neg. To let oneself
get into a fight, let oneself hit someone.
Ty ruki ne raspuskaj, on e ew
rebnok. Dont get into a fistfight with
him hes only a child.
RASSEKTH, imperf., youth. To drive an
expensive car (lit., to slash). Kak
rassekali, tak i budem rassekath na
Mersax, krizis ne dl nas. Crisis or
no crisis, well keep driving our Mer-
cedes as weve always done.
RASSLBITHS, perf. only. To relax,
calm down. Rasslabhs, ne vibriruj.
Calm down. Dont be so tense.
RASSLABXA, -i, f. Leisure, vacation,
carefree life. Kanikuly nacalish,
rasslabuxa polna. The holidays have
started and Im completely at leisure.
RASSUPNIVATHS/RASSUP-
NITHS. To take off ones outer cloth-
ing (lit., to get unharnessed). Rassupo-
nivajs, zdesh arko. Take off your
things. Its hot in here.
RASTREPTH(S), perf. only, neg. To
blurt something out, let out a secret. On
o naem sekrete vsem rastrepals.
He blurted out our secret to everyone.
RASTRSTH/RASTRST ir,
idiom. To move, act, do something (lit., to
jolt ones fat). Pojdi v magazin, ras-
trsi nemnogo ir. Get off your ass
and run down to the store.
RASTUD TVO MATH, idiom, euph.
See b tvo math.
RASXUKIVATH/RASXUKATH,
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REDSKA
Segodn pogoda rasibe! The
weather today is wonderful!
(lit., rickets). Na tom raxite vs
odeda visit. That 90-pound weak-
lings clothes are always hanging loose
on him.
REN-KVEN, idiom, indecl., neg.
Russian, Russian-style. to raen-
kvaen biznes, tovar prodath, a
denhgi propith. This is a Russian-style
business we sell the merchandise and
drink up the money.
RVNYJ, -ogo, m., joc., obs. A ruble (lit.,
a torn fellow). Vot vozhmi ew rva-
nyj. Here, take another ruble.
RVTH/RVANTH. To go quickly and
unexpectedly, to make an unplanned or
spontaneous motion. Oni rvanuli v
kino. They suddenly took off for the
movies. Rvath zdniu, idiom, rude.
Lit., to tear ones behind. 1. To fawn, be
overeager to please. Cto ty pered
nim zadniu rvh? Why are you
always toadying to him? 2. To work
very hard. Na novoj rabote prixo-
dits rvath zadniu. Im breaking
my ass on this new job. Rvath kgti,
idiom, youth. To leave, go away (lit., to
tear ones claws). Pora rvath kogti.
Well, its time to be off.
REANIMROVATHS, imperf. & perf.,
joc. To recover from a hangover. Poj-
dm v pivbar reanimirovaths. Lets
go to the beer bar for a hangover rem-
edy.
REGULRNO, adv., joc. As usual, regu-
larly (used in reply to the question Kak
ivh, How are you doing?; alluding
to having a regular sex life). Nu, kak
ivh? Regulrno. How are you
doing? Fine.
REDSKA, -i, f., neg. Lit., radish. 1. A
penis. Ne trogaj redisku grznymi
rukami, budet boleth. Dont touch
your radish with dirty hands youll
make it sore. 2. A bad or worthless per-
son. Esli obzyvaths budeh, re-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
REZK
diska, tebe roga obloma. You bas-
tard Ill beat you up if you call me
names like that.
REZK, -a, m., army. A bootlicker (lit.,
sharp one). A kto ix lbit rezakov v
castx! No one likes having a
bootlicker in the unit.
RZATH kapstu, idiom, joc. To earn
money (lit., to cut cabbage). Gde ty
reeh sejcas kapustu? Where are
you earning your money these days?
RZATHS v krty, idiom. To be
absorbed in playing cards, be involved
in a card game. Nu xvatit vam re-
zaths v karty, zajmitesh delom.
Enough of your card game! Lets get
down to business.
REZNA: Tnth/potnth reznu, see ring? Whats your telephone number?
under tnth.
REZNKA, -i, f. 1. A condom. Rezinki
stali delath xue nekuda, vs vrem
rvuts. The condoms theyve been
making lately are lousy they keep tear-
ing. 2. Army. A wet suit (lit., a rubber
band or eraser). have to call the office immediately.
, . Put a , idiom.,
sweater on under your wet suit, its cold
down there.
REZHB: Sorvth rezhb, see under
sorvth.
RKORD, -a, m., youth. A record (from
Eng. record). Zr tot rekord get caught its your ass.
kupil. It was a mistake to buy that
record.
RPA, -y, f., youth, joc. A head (lit., a
turnip). Nadenh na repu cto-nibudh,
na ulie moroz. Wear something on
your head. Its cold out. Cesth rpu, (lit., on ones horns). Ne davaj emu
see under cesth.
REPJ: Pristavth/pristth kak
repj, see under pristavth.
REFHZNIK, -a, m. A refusenik, some-
one who has been refused an emigration
visa (usually on such grounds as having
had access to state secrets or classified
information grounds widely under-
stood, during Soviet times, to be manu-
factured). The original term was otkz-
nik; refusenik is the anglicized
version. On refhznik ue pth
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230
let. Hes been a refusenik for five years
already.
RECGA, -i, f., neg. A speech (from
rech). Nadoeli mne recugi i staryx
i novyx liderov. Im sick of all their
speeches the new leaders as well as
the old ones. Tolkth/tolknth re-
cgu, see under tolkth.
RATH/PORTH, neg. To laugh loud-
ly (lit., to neigh). Cto vy vs vrem
rte? Why do you keep guffawing
like that?
RING, -a, m., youth. 1. The ring of a tele-
phone (from Eng. ring). Vozhmi
trubku, ne slyih ring? Pick up
the phone dont you hear it ringing?
2. A telephone number. Kakoj u teb
3. A telephone. U teb esth ring?
Do you have a phone?
RNGATH/RINGANTH, youth. To
phone, call by telephone (cf. ring).
Daj trubku, mne nado srocno ringa-
nuth na rabotu. Give me the phone. I
army. Absence without official leave (lit.,
its always noble to take a risk).
,
, . You may
think its noble to go AWOL but if you
RISKOVTH: Kto ne risket, tot ne
pht ampnskogo, see under kto.
RIXTOVTH/OTRIXTOVTH. To hit,
to beat (lit., to smoothe a metal surface).
ROG: Na rogx, idiom, rude. Very drunk
bolhe vodry, on ue na rogax.
Dont give him any more to drink; hes
already falling-down drunk. Davth/
dath po rogm, see under davth.
Oblmyvath/oblomth rog, see under
oblmyvath. Otibth/otibth
rog, see under otibth. Ryth rgom
zml, see under ryth. Upirths/
uperths rgom, see under upi-
rths.
RODNJ, -, -e. 1. As a casual term of
address: buddy, pal, dear (lit., kin, rela-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
231
tive). Nu, rodna, xoceh zakusith s
nami? Well, dear, would you like to
grab a bite with us? 2. Original, never
having been replaced (esp. of car parts).
U teb, smotr, rezina pocti
lysa. Tak ona u men rodna ew,
nado voobwe-to ue menth. I see
your tires are almost bald. Yes, theyre
the ones that originally came with the car.
Its really time to change them.
RA: Ra kirpic prsit, idiom, that son of yours hes begun hanging
neg. Lit., [someones] face is asking for a
brick; someone is just asking for trouble,
punishment. On takoj naglyj, u nego
roa kirpica prosit. That guy is so
pushy, his face is just asking for a brick.
Ra ne trsnet? idiom, neg. An
expression used in response to exorbitant
demands; lit., Wont your face split
(from overindulgence)? Ty mne za
tu rabotu zaplati sto dollarov,
togda to bystro sdela. A
roa ne tresnet? Pay me a hundred
for the job and Ill get it done quickly.
Thats far too much!
ROTH/RODTH. To break silence,
utter words (lit. to give birth). Ty dolgo
molcath budeh? Roaj, gde ty byl
dve noci? Cat got your tongue? Out
with it where have you been for the
last two nights? (Cto,) teb ro
(, cto li?) idiom, neg. I dont have any, I
cant do it (an expression of impatience).
Otkuda u men denhgi, ix tebe
rou, cto li? Where do you expect
me to get the money? Do you think I can
just give birth to it? Pok ne rodil,
kak ro, tak ska, see under pok.
ROTH/RODTH SLON, idiom, joc.
To think hard (lit., to give birth to an ele-
phant). Cto ty tak dolgo dumaeh,
slona roaeh? What are you think-
ing about so hard?
ROZTKA, -i, f., youth, neg. A prostitute
(lit., an electrical outlet, socket). Brosh
ty tu rozetku. You ought to break
up with that whore.
RZOVA, -oj, f., youth. A lesbian. S
nej nicego ne vyjdet, ona rozova.
You have nothing to hope for from her
shes a lesbian.
Page 231
RBKA LSA
RKER, -a, m. A member of a motorcycle
gang. Mne ti rokery po nocam
spath ne dat, gont pod oknami.
I cant get any sleep, the way those
rockers drive around at night right
under my windows.
ROKERTH/POROKERTH, youth. To
hang around with a motorcycle crowd.
Ty za svoim synom prismotri, on
rokerith nacal. Youd better watch
around with rockers.
ROST: V plnyj rost, see under v.
ROT: V rot teb paroxd, see under v.
Zakrj rot, kik prostdih, see
under zakrj. Zubv boths v rot
ne davth, see under zubv. Ne ber v
glovu, ber v rot, see under brath.
RXL, -i, f., neg. A clumsy or sluggish
person. Govorili tebe: ne enish na
roxle, nicego tolkom delath ne
umeet. We told you not to marry that
slouch! She cant do anything right.
RUBLOVKA, -i, f. Food (cf. rubth).
Segodn rubalovka cto nado. Today
were having a really good meal.
, , m. A flatterer, yes-
man (lit., a wood shaver, someone who
tries to smooth out all rough edges).
. I
never was and I never will be a yes-man.
RUBTH/PORUBTH, joc. To eat (lit., to
cut, chop). Daj cego-nibudh poru-
bath. Let me have something to eat.
RUBLHNIK, -a, m., neg. A big nose
(lit., a knife-switch). Sejcas polucih
po rubilhniku. Im going to give it to
you in the schnozzle.
RUBTH/ZARUBTH, neg. To forbid,
ban (lit., to cut, slash). Oni ego knigu
zarubili. They banned his book.
Rubth kapstu, see rzath kapstu.
RUBTHS/PORUBTHS. To fight, to
compete (from rubith, to chop). S
kem oni rubts zavtra, so Spar-
takom? What team are they plaing
against tomorrow, is it Spartak?
RBKA LSA, idiom. A quarrel, a fight
(lit., felling of trees). Cto za rubka
lesa zdesh proisxodit? Whats the
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
RUK
fight about?
RUK: Svo ruk, idiom, neg. Connec-
tions, protection. U nego v minister-
stve svo ruka, vidih, kak idt v
goru. Hes got connections in the min-
istry, thats why hes getting promoted so
fast. Ruk rku met, idiom, neg. Lit.,
one hand washes the other; used of cor-
ruption, nepotism. Na rabotu ustroi-
li vsex svoix znakomyx. A cto ty
xoceh, ruka ruku moet. Theyve pro-
vided for all their friends at work.
Well, what do you expect? One hand
washes the other. Rki kak krki,
idiom, neg. Clumsiness (lit., hands like
hooks). Cto u teb ruki kak krki,
caj razlith ne moeh, vs ska-
terth zalil. Youre all thumbs; you
cant even pour the tea without getting it
all over the tablecloth. Rki cuts,
idiom, neg. Lit., ones hands are itching;
used to express intense desire to do some-
thing. Ostavh v pokoe radioprim-
nik, ty ego slomaeh, u teb cto,
ruki ceuts? Leave that radio alone
or youll break it. Whats wrong? Are
your hands itching? Po rukm, idiom.
Agreed; its a deal. Nu cto, po rukam?
So, is it a deal? Rki v pe, see
under pa. Rki iz py (iz odnog turbating.
msta) rastt, see under pa. Rki RUCNK, -, m. A hand brake. U men
pod xuj zatceny, see under xuj. Dath
po rukm, see under davth. Otry-
vth/otorvth s rukmi (i nogmi),
see under otryvth. Pojt po rukm,
see under xodth.
RULTH/ZARULTH. To go (lit., to
steer). Ruli k magazinu. Go over to
the store.
RULH, -, m., neg. A big nose (lit., a ships
rudder). Nu i rulh u ne! Look at the
beak on her!
RL, -i, m., army. A driver (from rulh,
steering wheel). Na rul ne ocenh-
to umeet vodith. Our chauffeur isnt a
very good driver.
RPII, -ij, pl., joc. Money (lit., rupees).
Skolhko u teb rupij? How much
money have you got on you?
RSI, -a, m., joc. The Russian language
(from Ger. Russisch). On rusi zna-
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232
et? Does he speak Russian?
RSIE-KULHTRIE, idiom, joc.
An uncultured, rude person (from Germ.
Russische, Russian, and kulhtura).
Cto ot nego mono oidath, on e
rusie-kulhturie. Well, what can
you expect from such an uncultured fel-
low?!
RSSKIJ JGURT, idiom, joc. Vodka,
sold in small plastic containers with foil
caps, resembling yoghurt containers ( lit.,
Russian yoghurt). Sejcas na bazarax
zapretili prodavath russkij jogurt.
Theyre not allowed to sell Russian
yoghurt in the markets any more.
RXNUTH s dba, idiom., neg. To go
crazy, act strange (lit., to fall out of an
oak tree). Ty cto, ruxnul s duba,
takie slova materi govorih? Have
you gone out of your mind, talking to
your mother like that?
, -, f. Stupid person (lit., emer-
gency brake). See .
RUCN STRKA, idiom, youth, joc.
Masturbation (lit., hand laundry).
skoro budu bez bab rucnoj stirkoj
zanimaths. If I go on without women
for much longer Im going to start mas-
rucnik ne rabotaet. My hand brake
isnt working. Na rucnik, idiom,
youth, joc. At a loss, oblivious (lit., hav-
ing the brakes on). Ty ew na ruc-
nike, a nado bystro vs delath.
Youre standing there at a loss, but you
have to act quickly.
RUCNJ TORMZ, idiom, neg. An
idiot, a fool (lit., handbrake).
RUCNKI ALOVLVYE, idiom,
joc. Lit., naughty hands. 1. Clumsiness,
destructiveness. Vot u teb ruconki
alovlivye, zacem trogal televizor,
vs isportil. You shouldnt have
touched the TV with those naughty hands
of yours. Look youve gone and bro-
ken it. 2. Sexual advances. Opth ty
za svo, uberi ruconki alovlivye.
There you go, up to your old tricks
again! Get your naughty hands off me!
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
233
RBA, -y, f. Lit., a fish. 1. An outline,
rough sketch. Sdelaj rybu otzyva na
knigu, dodela. You make an outline
for the book review, and Ill fill in the
text. 2. A sexless or sexually cold
woman. Ona okazalash ryboj v pos-
teli. In bed she turned out to be com-
pletely frigid.
RYGLOVKA, -i, f., rude. A poor-qual-
ity cafeteria (from rygath, to belch).
Kak ty moeh xodith v tu
rygalovku? How can you stand eating
in that greasy-spoon?
RYDNH: Mudvye rydnh, see , -, m., abbr. A racketeer (from
under mudvyj.
RIJ, -a, -ee. An exception, someone
left out or excluded (lit., red-headed).
Cto , ryij, vse otdyxat, a
budu deurith? What am I, some kind
of black sheep, that I should be on duty
while all the rest of you are free?
RYH, -, n., crim. Gold, things made of
gold (cf. rij). Vzli na toj kvar-
tire ne tak mnogo, ryh potnulo
tuk na sto. They didnt get very
much from that apartment; the gold they
took only brought in about 100,000
rubles.
RLO, -a, n., neg. A face, mug (lit., snout
of a pig). Nu i rylo u nego! Look at
the mug on that guy! Na rlo, idiom,
rude. Apiece, per head. Skolhko u nas
edy na rylo? How much food do we
have apiece? Vorotth/otvorotth
rlo, see under vorotth. Ni xa ni
rla, see under ni.
RPATHS/RPNUTHS, neg. To
thrash about, wriggle around. Sidi i
ne rypajs, ty nicem ne pomoeh.
Sit down and dont thrash around;
theres nothing you can do to help.
Page 233
RXA
RYTH rgom zml, idiom, joc. To make
great efforts, try very hard (lit., to dig up
the ground with ones horn). On roet
rogom zeml, xocet kupith dacu.
Hes making enormous efforts to raise
the money to buy a dacha.
RCAG, -a, m. An arm (lit., lever). Ube-
ri svoi rycagi, sam sdela. Take
your arms away, Ill do this myself.
R, m., indecl. A ruble (from the first letter
of rublh). to tebe budet stoith
pthsot r. Thatll cost you five hun-
dred rubles.
).
RKETR, -a, m. A racketeer (from
Eng.). Vcera arestovali dvux rke-
tirov. Yesterday two racketeers were
arrested.
RXATH1, imperf. only, youth. 1. To
understand. On v tom nicego ne
rxaet. He doesnt understand a thing
about it. 2. To think, decide. Rxaj
skorej, ty idh s nami ili net?
Make up your mind quickly are you
coming with us or not?
RXATH2/PORXATH, youth. 1. To hit,
beat up. Cto, porxath vas za ti
tucki? You deserve a beating for
those tricks of yours. 2. To go, trot.
Rxaj otsda! Get out of here!
RBCIK, -a, m. A ruble (lit., a grouse).
Gde e vse moi rbciki, uleteli!
All my pretty little rubles have flown the
coop.
RVKATH/RVKNUTH, neg. To yell,
shout (lit., to roar). Ty na men ne
rvkaj. Dont yell at me.
RXA, -i, f., rude. A face. On sebe rxu
otqel. He put on a lot of weight (lit.,
he fattened his face).
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 234

S KEM POVEDHS, OT TOG I
ZALETH, idiom, joc. A remark
about unintended pregnancies (lit.
Whomever you associate with, you get
pregnant by, distorted from the saying S
kem povedhs, ot togo i naberhs,
Whomever you associate with, you take
on qualities similar to his).
S KON KPAET u kog-l., idiom,
rude. To have gonorrhea (lit., someones
prick is dripping). U nego s kona ka-
paet ue nedel, nado delath ukoly.
Hes had the clap for a week hell
have to get treatment.
S PODCI, idiom. By the advice of, at
the prompting of. S chej to ty
podaci snl denhgi so scta do
kraxa? Who gave you the tip to close
out your bank account before the crash?
SADANTH, perf. To deliver a blow, to
strike, to hit. Kto-to men sadanul
loktem v avtobuse, do six por sink.
Somebody elbowed me on the bus
during rush hour, I still have the bruise.
SADTHS/SESTH n ui, idiom. To
bore with tedious or unwanted conversa-
tion (lit., to sit down on someones ears).
Ne sadish mne na ui so svoim biz-
nesom, vs u ue slyal. Dont bore
me with your business, Ive already heard
it all.
SAJGK, -a, m., neg. 1. An idiot,
blockhead. Vrazumith takogo sajga-
ka nelhz. Theres no talking sense into
an idiot like that. 2. A Central Asian.
SAJZ, -a, m., youth. Size (from Eng.
size). Mne tot baton ne v sajz.
This shirt isnt my size.
SALABN, -a, m., army, neg. See salga.
SALGA, -i, m. 1. An inexperienced first-
year soldier or marine. 2. Any young,
inexperienced person. Cto ty, sala-
ga, ponimaeh v politike? You baby,
what could you possibly understand
about politics?!
SALTNIK, -a, m., joc. Face (lit., salad-
bowl). Salatnik vesh perepackal
klubnikoj, begi umojs. Go wash up,
youve got strawberry juice all over your
face.
SLHTO S PROGBOM, idiom, indecl.,
youth. A trick, strategem (lit., somersault
ending in a standing position). ti
salhto s progibom zna, on ne raz
tak nas obmanyval. I know those
tricks; hes tricked us that way several
times.
SAMIZDT, -a, m., obs. The hand copy-
ing and underground circulation of the
writings of forbidden authors under the
Soviet regime (lit., self-publication; by
imitation of the names of official Soviet
publishing houses such as Politizdat).
V samizdate vse togda procitali
Soleniyna. In those days everyone
read Solzhenitsyn in samizdat.
, -, f., army. A deliberate
absence without official leave (from
).
, -, m., army (lit., scooter or
soap-box racer; a wordplay on
and ). See and
.
SAMOPL, -a, m., neg. Homemade cloth-
ing sold under commercial labels (lit., a
homemade cap gun). ti dinsy
samopal, oni ne Levis. Those jeans
arent real Levis; theyre just imitations.
SAMOSTRCNYJ, -a, -oe, neg.
Homemade (cf. samopl). to samo-
strocna rubaka, a nikakoj ne Kar-
den. Theres no way that shirt is a real
Cardin. Its just a homemade fake.
SAMOXD, -a, m., army. Absence from
ones unit without leave. Ty reil v
subbotu pojti v samoxod? Did you
decide to go AWOL on Saturday?
SAMURJ, -, m., neg. A Japanese (lit.,
samurai). tot samuraj Moskvy
sovsem ne znaet. That Jap doesnt
know Moscow at all.
SPA: Txoj spoj, see under txoj.
SAPG, -, m., army. Lit., boot. 1. neg. An
army officer responsible for ideological
training. Tixo, sapog idt! Quiet!
Here comes the boot! 2. joc. An infan-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
235
try officer. On ne aviator, on sa-
pog. Hes no air force man hes a
boot. Obtcivath/obtocth sapo- SACK, sack, m. A lazy person, a do-
g, see under obtcivath.
SAPNIK, -a, m., neg. An incompe-
tent worker (lit., a shoemaker, from the
idea that shoemakers tend to be drunk-
ards). Vidno, saponik cinil tvoj
televizor: opth ne rabotaet. It
looks like the repairman who fixed your
TV is a real shoemaker here it is on
the fritz again.
SARDLHKA, -i, f., rude. A penis (lit., a
sausage). U teb, kaets, sardelh-
ka stoit. You seem to have an erec-
tion.
SRRA, -y, f., neg. A Jewish woman (lit.,
Sarah). A kto ona, russka ili
Sarra, srazu ne pojmh. Its hard to
tell whether shes Russian or Jewish.
SATAN V BKE, idiom, neg. An
aggressive, pushy woman (lit., a devil in a
skirt). Cego ta satana v bke ruga-
ets? Whats that devil in skirts curs-
ing about?
SATANTH/OSATANTH, neg. To lose
ones self-control. On bez kureva
sataneet. He goes crazy without
tobacco.
SXAR: Cto-l. ne sxar, idiom. Some-
thing is unpleasant, difficult. Da, sej-
cas iznh ne saxar. Life is no bowl
of cherries these days.
SXER, -a, m., joc. Sugar (by wordplay on
saxar and xer). Saxer v caj polo-
il? Did you put sugar in the tea?
Sxer, mxer, obimxer, rhyming
phrase, joc. A swindle, a gyp. U nix
tam v magazine saxer, maxer, obi-
maxer. Youll get swindled in that
store.
SACKOVTH/SACKANTH. To shirk,
avoid work, goof off (from sack).
Lbih ty sackovath, a kto vmes-
to teb to sdelaet? If you keep
goofing off who do you think is going to
get the job done?
SACKODRM, -a, m., joc. A place for
hanging around idly (by wordplay on
sack and arodrom). Pojdm na sac-
Page 235
SVALTH
kodrom, pokurim. Lets go have a
smoke at the hangout.
nothing (lit., a [butterfly-]net). Nu i
sacok e ty! What a lazybones you
are! Davth sack, see under davth.
SA S URALMA, idiom, joc. A
simple or naive person, a provincial (lit.,
Sasha from the Urals Automobile Fac-
tory, the popular hero of the 1940s movie
Two Soldiers). x ty, Saa s Ural-
maa, ti sapogi stot namnogo
deevle, zacem ty kupil ix? You
country bumpkin! These boots arent
worth anything near what you paid for
them!
SBIVTH/SBITH lku, idiom, rude.
1. To deflower, take a girls virginity.
On s nej vozits ue mes, vs el-
ku sbith ne moet. Hes been dating
her for a month and still hasnt managed
to deflower her. 2. To initiate into adult-
hood. Ty ue nacal pith: na zavode
tebe sbili elku. I see youre drink-
ing; apparently they initiated you at the
factory.
SBLEDNTH, perf. only, neg. To become
frightened (by wordplay on blednyj,
pale, and bldh). On srazu sbled-
nul, kogda nas uvidel. He got scared
when he saw us. Sblednth s li,
neg., rude. To turn pale with fright.
Cto to ty sblednul s lia, tebe
ploxo? Youve turned white as a ghost
are you feeling ill?
SBNDITH, perf. only, neg. To steal,
make off with. Kto u men koelk
sbondil? Who lifted my wallet?
SBRNDITH, perf. only, neg. To lose
ones senses, to lose ones judgment.
On ot starosti sovsem sbrendil.
Hes completely lost his judgment in his
old age.
SVDHBA: Do svdhby zaivt, see
under do. Sobch svdhba, see under
sobch.
SVLIVATH/SVALTH. To leave, go,
go away. Oni davno svalili za bugor.
They went abroad long ago.
SVALTH kzmen, idiom, students. To
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
pass an examination. ue svalil vse
kzameny, teperh svoboda! Ive
passed all my exams; now Im free!
, -, f., army. A large-caliber our unit?
machine gun (lit., welding). SVET: Svet v kon tunl, idiom, pos.
, An escape from difficulties, a solution to
. Theres a machine gun sputter- problems (lit., light at the end of the tun-
ing behind that wall, so we cant go in
that direction.
SVAT, -a, m., crim. A police officer (lit., a
matchmaker). Ty togo svata zna-
eh? Do you know this cop?
SV, -i, f., joc. A tall, thin man (lit., a
pole). Dl toj svai divan mal
budet. The couch wont be long enough
for that beanpole to sleep on.
SVEK, -, pred. use. Very fresh or
very sleek-looking. to mso sve-
ak! This meat is really fresh!
SVETINA, -y, f., pos. Something
fresh and new (lit., fresh game). tot
filhm sveatina. This movie is
really original.
SVJKA, -i, f., crim. A penis. Mne po
svejke mcom popali: vs bolit.
They hit me in the crotch with the ball; it
really hurts.
SVERBTH/ZASVERBTH, neg. To
want (lit., to itch). Tebe tak i sverbit
beath na tany. Youre just itching
to go out dancing.
SVERKTH/SVERKNTH glym z-
dom, idiom, rude. To walk around naked
(lit., to flash ones bare behind). Idi
odenhs, ne sverkaj golym zadom,
gosti prili. Go and get dressed, the
guests have arrived.
SVERNTHS, perf. only, joc., neg. To
die (lit., to spoil, turn sour). Sejcas
svernuths toe dorogo, poxorony
stot bolhix deneg. These days
even dying is expensive; funerals cost an
awful lot.
SVRTOK, svrtka, m., joc. A turn, a
crossroad. Gde-to zdesh dolen
byth svrtok k domu. Somewhere
around here there must be a turn toward
the house.
SVERCK, sverck, m., army. One who
decides to do an extra period of army ser-
Page 236
236
vice (lit., a cricket; playing on sverx-
srocnik). Skolhko u nas v rote sver-
ckov? How many crickets are there in
nel). To, cto ty predlagaeh, ue
svet v kone tunel. Your proposal
offers some light at the end of the tunnel.
V svte renij..., idiom, joc. Lit., In
light of the decisions that have been
made, a clich of the years of stagna-
tion under Brezhnev, now used jocu-
larly. Nu, cto nado delath v svete
reenij? Well, what should we do in
light of the decisions that have been
made? Da bdet svet! skazl
montr i sdlal zamyknie, see under
da. Kryth na cm svet stot, see
under kryth. Tu(te) svet!, see under
tu(te).
SVETTH: Cto-l. svtit kom-l.,
idiom, pos. Something is in the cards for
someone; someone has a good chance of
something. Mne polucith tu rabo-
tu ne svetit. I havent got a chance of
getting that job.
SVETTHS/ZASVETTHS, idiom,
neg. To be caught doing something
wrong. Smotri, ne zasvetish na
tom dele. Watch out that you dont get
caught.
SVTKA PIPTKA, idiom. A
rhyming phrase used to tease girls named
Svetlana (lit., Svetka is a pipette).
SVIDNKA, -i, f., joc. A date. Ty
idh na svidanku segodn? Do you
have a date today?
SVINOMTKA, -i, f., neg. A fat woman
(lit., a sow). Smotri, ta svinomat-
ka opth sebe novoe plathe kupila.
Look, that fat pig has bought herself
another new dress!
SVINOFRMA, -y, f., neg. A mess,
messy quarters (lit., a pigsty). Vesh dom
vy prevratili v svinofermu, a kto
ubirath budet? Youve turned the
whole house into a pigsty. Who do you
think is going to clean it up?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
237
SVINTTH, perf. To leave, to escape
(lit., to unscrew). Mne nado iz Mosk-
vy svintith, men milii iwet.
Ive got to get out of Moscow, the police
is after me.
SVNTUS, -a, m., joc. 1. A pig, swine.
A ty cto, svintus, posle seb
ubrath ne moeh, vs posudu brosil
na stole? You pig, cant you clean up
after yourself? Youve left all the dirty
dishes on the table. 2. A selfish person.
tot svintus brosil e s rebnkom.
That swine abandoned her and the
baby.
SVINCITH/NASVINCITH, neg.
To make a mess. Kto to tak nasvi-
ncil na stole? Who made this mess
here on the table?
SVIST, -a, m., neg., joc. Lying, a lie (lit.,
whistling). to vs svist. Thats a
big lie.
SVISTTH, imperf. only, neg., joc. To
tell a lie. Ne svisti, togo ne bylo.
Dont lie! That never happened.
SVSTNUTH, perf. only, neg., joc. To
steal. Kto svistnul moj sviter?
Who lifted my sweater?
SVISTK, svistk, m., army. A fighter
plane. Opth svistok letit, uce-
ni u nix, cto li? There goes another
fighter plane. They must be doing maneu-
vers.
SVISTOPLSKA, -i, f. Fuss, confu-
sion, to-do. V pravitelhstve idt
svistoplska, kadyj denh ment
ministrov. The government is all at
sixes and sevens; they replace the minis-
ters every day.
SVISTN, -a, m., neg. A liar. Ty to-
mu svistunu ne verh. Dont believe that
liar.
SVXIVATHS/SVIXNTHS iz-
z ceg-l., idiom. To be crazy about
something. Moi rebta sovsem svix-
nulish iz-za komphtera, igrat vs
vrem v igry. My kids have completely
flipped over the computer. Now theyre
always playing computer games.
SVOBDA: Vek svobdy ne vidth, see
under vek.
Page 237
SDLAL DLO, SLEZJ S TLA
SVOLTA, -y, f., collect., rude, neg.
Worthless people, bastards, bums. Tam
u nix sobralash odna svolota. The
people theyre hanging out with are just a
bunch of bums.
SVLOCH, -i, f. Scum, swine (used as a
term of abuse). Ty, svoloch, zacem
sda pril? You scum, what did you
come here for?
, -, f. A girlfriend or
female lover (lit., a telephone worker, a
wordplay on , communication, and
, love affair).
SDAVTH/SDATH, youth. 1. To sell.
ti uzy sdal vcera doru. I sold
those shoes to a Georgian yesterday.
2. To betray, hand over. Oni reili
ego sdath, ctoby ujti ot nakazani.
They decided to turn him in so as to
escape punishment themselves.
SDVIG, -a, m., neg. A quirk, eccentricity,
abnormality. U kadogo svoj sdvig.
Everyones got his own quirks.
, idiom. Odd or quirky
behavior (lit., an electric change of polar-
ity). See .
SDVNUTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Crazy,
abnormal. Tolhko sdvinutyj mog na
nej eniths. Only a crazy man could
marry that woman.
SDVNUTHS, perf. only, neg. To go
crazy, go out of ones mind. On u nas
sovsem sdvinuls. Hes gone clean out
of his mind.
SDLAL DLO, SLEZJ S TLA,
rhyming phrase, rude. Lit., Youve done
the deed, now get off the body, from the
saying Sdelal delo, gulj smelo,
Youve done your task; youre free to go
have some fun. 1. A sardonic reference
to having sex, like wham-bam-thank-
you-maam. Sdelal delo, slezaj s
tela, nadevaj tany. Finished?
Okay, put on your pants. 2. In nonsexual
contexts, an authorization to take a break,
take the rest of the day off, and so on.
Sdelal delo? Pokrasil okno?
Slezaj s tela, mono pospath.
Youve finished painting the window?
Well, get off the body go take a nap.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SDLATH
SDLATH, perf. only, youth, neg. To pun-
ish someone, get ones own back against
someone. togo ne zabudu, teb SEKRH, -a, m. A clever, hard-working
ew sdela. I wont forget this, and Ill
get you for it. Sdlath koz, idiom. 1.
To behave strangely (lit., to make a goat).
Nu ty i sdelal kozu, zacem ty tu
grznu koku domoj pritawil?
What a weird thing you did! Why did
you bring home this dirty cat? 2. To take
revenge, to get back at. tebe ew
sdela kozu za to! Ill get even with
you for what youve done to me!
Sdlath rckoj, idiom. To say good-
bye, to leave. Sdelaj pape ruckoj, on
uxodit na rabotu. Say bye-bye to
daddy, hes going to work.
SDIRTH/SODRTH, youth. To copy,
cheat (lit., to skin). Daj sodrath
lekii. Let me copy your notes.
SE L VI, idiom. Thats life, an expres-
sion of resignation (Fr. cest la vie).
Ty znaeh, oni razvelish. Nu cto
, se l vi. Did you hear that theyve
divorced? Well, cest la vie.
SVERNOE SINIE, idiom, joc. A
drink made of vodka, cognac, and cham-
pagne (lit., aurora borealis). Sdelaj
dl xoxmy severnoe sinie. Just for
the fun of it, make us some aurora bore-
alis.
SEDL: Kak korve sedl, see under
kak.
SEZNKA, -i, f. A season pass for a sub-
urban train. U men sezonka kon-
cilash. My season pass has expired.
SEJCS ZBY PROGLTIH!,
idiom. A threat to hit in the face (lit.,
Youll swallow youth teeth!) Sejcas u
men zuby proglotih, esli ne
zatknhs. Ill hit you in the face if SEKN, -, m., youth. An expert, a knowl-
dont shut up.
SEJCS MNO DLATH VS, NO
NE VSEM, idiom, joc. A sardonic
summing-up of post-Soviet lawlessness
in Russia (lit., Everythings permitted
now, but not to everybody).
, idiom. To die to one side.
(from , to die, and , cold SEMJNYE TRUS, idiom, joc. Knee-
weather). length cotton undershorts, considered
Page 238
238
. You can croak from
this slop theyre feeding us.
student (cf. sech). tot sekarh ue
gotov k kzamenam, mne daleko do
nego. That bookworm is already
prepared for the exams, but Ive still got a
long way to go.
SEKTOR, -a, m., army, joc. A smart,
knowledgeable person (see sech).
Sprosi sekatora, on vs tebe obq-
snit. Ask the expert. Hell explain
everything to you.
SKELH, -, m., rude. Clitoris. Ona,
znaeh, kak vozbudaets, esli e za
sekelh potrogaeh. She gets excited if
you touch her on her button.
SEKRTKA, -i, f. A locking or alarm
device for protecting an automobile from
theft. U men maina s sekretkoj, e
tak prosto ne ugonih. My car has
got an anti-theft device, so it wouldnt be
so easy to steal it.
SEKSOKOSLKA, -i, f., joc. A sexy
woman (by wordplay on senokosilka,
mowing machine, and seks, sex).
SEKSUL-DEMOKRT, -a, homosex.,
joc. A homosexual (by wordplay on
soial-demokrat, social democrat).
to kafe tolhko dl seksual-
demokratov. This cafe is only for
gays.
SEKSULHNYJ CAS, idiom, joc. A
scolding from the bosses (lit., a sex ses-
sion). Ty kuda? Sejcas nacnts
seksualhnyj cas, sobirat nasct
trudovoj disipliny. Where are you
off to? Its time for my sex session.
Im going to be disciplined for breaking
the rules.
edgeable person (from sech). On sekun
v literature. Hes an expert on litera-
ture.
SELDKA, -i, f., joc. A necktie (lit., a
herring). Popravh seldku, sqexala
nabok. Straighten your tie its listing
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 239

239 SIVXA

very unfashionable (lit., family under- he as a scholar? So-so.

shorts). Zacem ty kupila opth se- SERJNYJ UBJA, idiom, prof. A
mejnye trusy, ix ue nikto ne serial killer. Opth v Moskve povil-
nosit! What did you buy me more s serijnyj ubija, devocek ubivaet
family undershorts for? No one wears v liftax. Theres another serial killer
them anymore! operating in Moscow now. Hes killing
SEMRA, -y, f., obs. Seven rubles. girls in elevators.
Davaj ew semru. Let me have SERO-BURO-MALNOVYJ, -a, -oe,
another seven. joc. Of an unidentifiable color. Kofty
/. To eat. ona kakie-to nosit sero-buro-mali-
- novye. She wears some sort of gray-
. brownberry jackets.
Theres no nothing to eat in this fridge , -, -. Illegitimate, illegal, or
except the electric light. semi-legal (lit., gray). -
SEMRKA, -i, f. A model 7 Zhiguli auto- ,
mobile. Ch ta semrka? Whose . Our
model 7 is that? bank operations are heading into a gray
SMECKI: Dl kog-l. smecki, area. We should be careful what we do.
idiom, joc. Easy (lit., sunflower seeds) for SRYJ TELEFN, idiom, business. A
someone. Dl nego to sdelath telephone protected against bugging (lit.,
semecki. For him itll be easy as pie to a grey telephone). to seryj tele-
do that. fon, moeh zvonith mne v lboe
, -, f. A home vrem. You can call me anytime at this
brew of bad quality (lit., made from seven number its a grey phone.
stools). , - SERP: Kak serpm po jam, see under
, ? This j.
home brew tastes like wood alcohol, what SRYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Boring, uninterest-
is it made of? See . ing (lit., gray). Celovek on dovolhno
SEMH NA VSEMH, idiom, joc. Very seryj. Hes a pretty boring fellow.
large (lit., seven by eight). Morda u SERHG, -, f., crim. A padlock (lit., an
nego semh na vosemh. Look at the earring). Tam na garae serhga, nado
huge mug on that guy. pilith. Theres a padlock on the
SENHR-POMIDR, -a, m. joc. A garage well have to saw it through.
jocular mode of address (lit., Seor SERHZ: Na plnom serhze, idiom.
Tomato). Nu, senhor-pomidor, esth Seriously, no kidding. Ty to na pol-
budeh? Well, Sir, will you have nom serhze govorih? Do you mean
somet hing to eat? that seriously?
SEPARTKA, -i, f., youth. A private or SECH/POSCH, youth, joc. To under-
reserved supply of liquor (from Eng. stand, be knowledgeable about, be at
separately). Ne xocu vs vodku home with (lit., to cut). Ty v komph-
stavith na stol, budet separatka terax sech? Do you understand
vyphem sami. Im not going to put all computers?
the vodka on the table; well keep a SIRTH/SORTH s potroxmi,
reserve of ourselves. idiom, neg. To humiliate, persecute (lit.,
SERGJ-VOROBJ, idiom. A rhyming to devour, innards and all). Zacem ty
phrase used to tease boys named Sergej possorils s direktorom? Teperh on
(lit., Sergey the sparrow). teb sort s potroxami. Why did
SEREDNK, -, m. Someone or some- you argue with the director? Now hes
thing average, unremarkable. On kak going to eat you alive.
ucnyj nicego? Serednk. How is SIVXA, -i, f., neg. Cheap liquor of poor
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM Page 240

SIGTH/SIGANTH 240

quality (from sivyj, gray). Kak ty army. To be on duty from 3 to 9 A.M. (lit.,
phh tu sivuxu? How can you drink to sit dog hours, from , damned,
that mud? bad). ,
SIGTH/SIGANTH. To jump. Smo- . I cant stand the
tri, kak on siganul metra na tri v dog watch, I have a hard time keeping my
dlinu. Look, he jumped a distance of eyes open.
about three meters. SDOR, -a, m. A bag, string bag. Cto u
, -, f., army. A stretch of teb tam v sidore? What have you
borderland which has been plowed so as got there in your bag?
to reveal footprints (from , a sig- SIKILHDVKA, -i, m. & f., neg. See
nal). krevtka.
SIDLKA, -i, f. Behind, buttocks (from SKOSH-NKOSH, idiom, joc., neg. In
sideth, to sit). Vs sidelku otsi- a careless, slapdash way (from kosoj,
del, poka perevodil tu stath. My crooked). Ty vs privyk delath
behind got numb by the time I finished sikosh-nakosh. Youve got into the
translating the article. habit of doing everything in a half-baked
SIDTH/SESTH, POSIDTH: Si- way.
dth v pecnkax, idiom, neg. To be irri- SLA: Ot sly, idiom. At the most.
tating, annoying (lit., to settle in ones Emu ot sily 50 let. Hes no more
liver). Kogda on uedet, ego zamecani than 50 years old. So strnoj sloj,
sidt v pecnkax? When is he leav- idiom. Intensely, devotedly. On zani-
ing? His remarks are getting under my maets biznesom so stranoj siloj.
skin. / , He puts his whole heart into his busi-
idiom, army. To man a roadblock (lit., to ness.
sit on a block). , -, m. A member of a gov-
, ernment department authorized to use
. Well have to be coercive force, e.g., defense, the army,
on guard duty at this barrier all winter, the the police. A minister of such a depart-
Chechens use this road whenever they ment.
can. / ,
-, -, m., army.
idiom. To sleep (lit., to sit on your own
A soldier sadistically applying brute force
back). ,
against recently enlisted men (from ,
. Have a snooze, Ill stand the
power, strength, and , to
first watch and you can sleep on your
teach).
feet. Sidth na vint/sesth na vint,
idiom, youth. To use narcotics regularly, SIMPAPLECKA, -i, f., joc. A sympa-
to be a drug addict. On ue god sidit thetic, attractive girl or woman. Ona u
na vinte. Hes been addicted to the teb simpapulecka! Your girl is a real
stuff for a year already. Sidth na darling!
nul/sesth na nulh, idiom. To have no SIMPATGA, -i, m. & f., joc. An attrac-
money (lit., to be sitting on zero). tive person or animal. ta sobaka
ue tri dn siu na nule. Ive been taka simpatga! That dog is such a
broke for three days. Sidth/posidth darling!
na ock, idiom. To sit on the toilet. Ty SIMPTNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Attrac-
dolgo budeh sideth na ocke? How tive, pleasing. tot simpotnyj kos-
long are you going to be sitting on the tm kupl. Im going to buy that
can? Sidth na trvke, idiom, youth. nice-looking suit.
To smoke dope (lit., to sit on the grass). SINAGGA, -i, f., neg. A large propor-
On davno sidit na travke. Hes tion of Jews in one office, department, or
been smoking dope for a long time. the like (lit., a synagogue). U nas ne
/ , idiom, kafedra, a sinagoga. Our department is
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
241
a regular synagogue.
SINEGLZKA, -i, f. Lit., blue-eyed. 1.
youth. A police car. Na kadom uglu
po sineglazke, lovt kogo, cto-li?
Theres a police car at every corner,
whats going on, are they trying to catch
someone? 2. A type of potato. Nado
by ew vedro sineglazki kupith. We
better buy another bushel of potatoes.
, -. A thief, convict (lit., blue, To blow, be drafty. Zakroj okno, tak
meaning tattooed). i sifonit. Shut the window. Theres
, , too much of a draft. 2. To leak, drip.
. He has tattoos all over his body; I Pocemu voda sifonit iz krana?
think he used to be in prison.
SINK, -, m., neg. A drunkard (from
sinij, blue [in the face]). Ty togo
sinka znaeh? Do you know that
drunk?
SINCKA, -i, f., neg. A woman drunk-
ard (from sink, a bruise). Sincka
opth prixodila denhgi prosith.
That drunk came asking for money
again.
SISTMA: V sistme, idiom. Belonging
to an official or party organization, the
police, and so on. Skai, v kakoj on
sisteme? Which service does he work
for?
SISTMNYJ, -a, -oe. Cf. sistma. 1.
Belonging to an official or party organi-
zation, the police, and so on. Ty
znaeh, e mu sistemnyj? Do you
know that her husband is a secret police
agent? 2. youth. Belonging to a street
gang. On sistemnyj cuvak. That
guy belongs to a gang.
SSHKA, -i, f., rude. Bosom, breast (lit.,
nipple). Cto-to odna sishka bolit.
Ive got a pain in one of my boobs.
Phnyj v sshku, see under phnyj.
SISSTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Big-
bosomed. Kto ta sissta, von
tam sidit? Whos that busty woman
sitting over there?
SITTH/ZASITTH, youth, obs. To sit
(from Eng. sit). Skolhko ew si-
tath, vremeni bolhe net. I cant sit
here any longer, Ive got no time.
SIF, -a, m., neg. Syphilis. Na ge sif.
Theres an outbreak of syphilis in the
Page 241
SKAKTH/ZASKAKTH
south.
SIFK, -, m., neg. See sif.
SIFN, -a, m. 1. A draft, breeze. Tebe
nado zakleith okna, v kvartire ta-
koj sifon, sideth nelhz. Youd bet-
ter stuff the cracks in the windows.
Theres such a draft in this apartment that
you just cant sit here. 2. neg. See sif.
SIFNITH/ZASIFNITH, neg. 1.
How come water is dripping from the
tap?
SINIE: Svernoe sinie, see under
svernoe.
SKADROVTHS, perf. only, youth, joc.
To become acquainted with a girl (cf.
kadr). Xoceh skadrovaths von s
toj blondinkoj? Do you want to meet
that blond over there?
SKA DA POKA! idiom, neg., joc.
Never mind; its none of your business
(lit., tell and show!, disparagingly
mimicking the others curiosity).
Skai, ty budeh zavtra na pri-
me? Skai da pokai! Tell me, are
you going to the reception tomorrow?
None of your business. Ska da
poka, da daj potrgath, idiom,
neg., joc. A lengthened version of the
foregoing; lit., tell and show and let me
touch!
SKAZTH kak v lu prdnuth, neg.,
rude. To say something unsuitable, out of
place (lit., to talk as if farting in a pool).
Nu, ty skazal kak v luu prdnul,
nikto togo delath ne budet. What
you said is completely out of line no
one would do a thing like that.
, -, m., army. A military
correspondent (lit., a fairy tale teller).
. We have
orders; you fairy tale tellers arent
allowed in the combat zone.
SKAKTH/ZASKAKTH, neg., joc. To
dance (cf. skcki). Daj nemnogo
posiu, skakath nadoelo. Let me take
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SKLITH/POSKLITH
a break; Im tired of dancing. Skakth
kak voh na grebek, idiom, neg. To
fuss around, bustle about, be fidgety (lit.,
to jump around like a louse on a comb).
Cto ty vertihs, skaceh kak
voh na grebeke? Uspokojs! Why
are you jumping around like a chicken
without its head? Calm down!
SKLITH/POSKLITH zby, idiom,
neg. To laugh (lit., to bare ones teeth).
Koncaj skalith zuby, nicego v
tom smenogo net. Stop laughing
theres nothing funny about it.
SKAMJKA, -i, f., crim. A horse (lit., a
bench). Gde tvo skamejka?
Pasts. Wheres your horse?
Grazing.
SKTYVATH/SKATTH, youth. To
copy (lit., to roll). Daj skatath zada-
cu po matematike. Let me copy your
math homework.
SKCKI, skcek, pl., youth, joc. Lit., a
horse race. 1. A date, a tryst. U nego
segodn skacki s Ldkoj. Hes got a
date with Lyudmila today. 2. A dance.
Pojdm na skacki vecerom? Shall
we go to the dance this evening?
SKVOZANTH, perf. only. 1. To go
quickly. Skvozani v magazin, kupi po-
esth. Dash into the store and get some-
thing to eat. 2. To pass by, pass through.
Poka ty spal, my ue skvozanuli
paru gorodov. We already passed
through a couple of towns while you were
asleep.
SKVOR, skvor, m., joc. A person
carrying building materials to a dacha in a
car (lit., a starling, with reference to nest
building). Doroga v subbotu zabita
skvorami, vse cto-to vezut na daci.
The traffic on Saturdays is heavy
because of all the starlings taking stuff
to their dachas.
SKVORCNIK, -a, m., neg. A many-sto-
ried, crowdedly arranged apartment
building; esp. the type built during
Khrushchevs time (lit., a starling house;
cf. xruwba). Nadoelo mne ith v
skvorecnike, xocu postroith sebe
dom za gorodom. Im sick of living in a
birdhouse; I want to build myself a house
Page 242
242
in the suburbs.
SKELT: Xodcij skelt, see under
xodcij.
SKENTOVTHS, youth. To make
friends, become friendly (cf. kent). Ty
davno s nim skentovals? Have you
been friends with him for long?
SKDYVATH: Davj, skidyvj!, see
under davj.
SKNUTH: Sknuth tovr, idiom,
youth. To sell something at a good profit.
Vcera skinul tovar, esth navar.
Yesterday I made a fat sale, so now Ive
got a wad.
SKNXED, -a, m. A skinhead, punk.
Vot ne dumal, cto syn tvoj skin-
xedom stanet! I never imagined that
your son would turn into a skinhead!
SKIPTH, imperf. only, youth. To leave,
run away (from Eng. skip or escape).
Pora skipath otsda. Its time to
get out of here.
SKLITH TPOCKI, idiom. To die
(lit., to glue up ones slippers). Vse my
skleim tapocki v svo vrem. Well
all die when our number is up.
SKLIF, -a, m., Moscow. The Sklifosov-
sky Institute, an emergency clinic in
Moscow. Vezi ego v Sklif: u nego
perelom nogi. Youd better take him to
the Sklif his leg is broken.
SKLONTH, imperf. only, joc., neg. To
curse, abuse. Vse sejcas sklont
pravitelhstvo. Everyones bad-
mouthing the government these days.
SKOZLTH, perf. To say something stu-
pid (from koza, goat). Ty kak vsegda
skozlil. As usual, you put your foot in
your mouth.
SKOKRH, -, m., crim. A robber who
specializes in apartment robberies. to
rabota skokar. Kto u teb proxodil
po kvartirnym kraam? This is the
work of professionals. Do we have any-
thing in the files on this MO?
SKOLOPNDRA, -y, f., neg. A nasty
person. ta skolopendra slova dob-
rogo ne skaet. You cant expect a
kind word from that snake.
SKLHKO VLKA NI KORM, A U
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
243
SLON VS RAVN (JA)
BLHE, idiom, rude. You cant
change the nature of someone or some-
thing (lit., No matter how much you feed
a wolf, an elephant still has bigger
[balls]). This is a playful distortion of
the proverb No matter how much you
feed a wolf, hell still look to the woods
( . . . on vs ravno v les smotrit).
SKOMMUNZDITH, perf. only, joc. To
steal, communize. By rhyme play on
spzdith and kommunizm, commu-
nism. The expression reflects the sar-
donic popular stance on stealing from
plants and factories: there is nothing dis-
honest in it since, according to com-
munist doctrine, property belongs to all,
that is, to no one. Kto skommunizdil
moi casy? Who communized my
watch?
SKOPTITHS, perf. only, joc. 1. To
lie down. On pril s raboty, srazu
skopytils, sejcas ew spit. He lay
down as soon as he got home from work,
and hes still asleep now. 2. To die.
Ot togo spirta skopytiths
mono. You could drop dead from this
liquor.
SKROSTH STKA PREVYET
SKROSTH ZVKA, idiom, joc. Lit.,
The speed of denunciation exceeds the
speed of sound, a rhyming expression of
sardonic resignation to the process of
denunciation. Direktor ue znaet,
kak ty vystupil protiv nego na sob-
ranii. Nicego strannogo. Sko-
rosth stuka. . . . The director already
knows that you spoke against him at the
meeting. Thats no surprise. After all,
the speed of denunciation exceeds the
speed of sound.
, -, m. A strap with spikes today?
placed across a road to bar traffic (lit., a
scorpion).
SKOSOBLIVATHS/SKOSO-
BITHS, rude. 1. To be twisted, dis-
torted. Pocini dverh v tualete, sov-
sem skosobilash. Fix the bathroom
door! Its all warped. 2. To make faces,
grimace. Kogda emu skazali, cto ego
ne izbrali v akademiki, on vesh skoso-
Page 243
SKUL
bils. When they told him he hadnt
been elected to the Academy, he grima-
ced.
SKOTOBZA, -y, f., rude. A worthless or
bad person. Kaka skotobaza ispor-
tila piuwu mainku? Whos the
bastard who broke the typewriter?
SKOTOVZ, -a, m., neg. A large bus (lit.,
a cattle car). Vot skotovoz idt, vsex
zabert na ostanovke. There comes a
cattle car itll be able to take all of us
at this bus stop.
SKRIP, -a, m. 1. crim. A basket (from the
squeaking sound made by woven bas-
kets). Cto ty tam poloil v skrip,
slikom telo nesti. What did
you put in this basket? Its too heavy to
carry. 2. Whining, complaining (cf.
skripth1). Mne tvoj skrip nadoel
do crtikov. Im sick and tired of your
whining. So skrpom, idiom. Diffi-
cult, slow and painful (lit., with creak-
ing). Segodn torgovl idt so
skripom. Business is slow today.
SKRIPTH1/ZASKRIPTH, neg. To
whine, complain. Perestanh skri-
peth, luce zajmish delom. Stop
whining and do something about it.
SKRIPTH2/PROSKRIPTH. To sur-
vive with difficulty, barely stay alive.
Ona sovsem postarela, vidno, ne-
dolgo skripeth ostalosh. Shes aged
a lot; it looks like she wont be able to
squeak along much longer.
SKRIPCIJ, -a, -ee, neg. 1. Squeaky.
Dverh u nas taka skripuca, sil
net. That door of ours is so squeaky, I
cant stand it. 2. Dissatisfied, complain-
ing. Cto ty takoj skripucij
segodn? How come youre so grouchy
SKUKOT, -, f. Insipidity, dullness,
tedium. Kakie-nibudh interesnye
vystupleni v Dume byli? Segod-
n net, odna skukota. Did anything
interesting happen in Parliament today?
No, it was just the usual boring rou-
tine.
SKUL, -a, m., youth, obs. School (from
Eng. school). v skul segodn ne
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SKUL
pojdu. Im not going to school today.
SKUL, -, f., crim. An inner coat pocket
(lit., a cheekbone). Poloi denhgi v
skulu i ne pokazyvaj. Put the money
in your inside pocket and dont let anyone
see it.
SKULVYJ, -a, -oe, youth, obs. Of or
pertaining to school, school-. to mo
ew skulova gerla. This is my old
girlfriend from school.
SKUPERDJ, -, m., neg. A stingy or
greedy person. to takoj skuperdj,
ty ego ew ne znaeh. Hes a real
tightwad, believe me you dont know
him yet.
SKUPLTHS, imperf., south. To buy
food supplies, to shop. Oni poli
skuplths na prazdnik. They went
to stock up on food for the holidays.
SKRVLIVATHS/SKRVITHS,
rude, neg. To change for the worse, go
downhill, turn rotten (from krva). On
sovsem skurvils, staryx druzej ne
priznat. Hes really gone bad; he
doesnt even say hello to his old friends
any more.
SLAB NA PEREDK, idiom, neg.
Promiscuous, sexually available (of a
woman) (lit., weak in the pussy). Ty
u bolhno slaba na peredok. Youre
awfully soft in the pussy you cant say
no to any man.
SLABK, -, m., neg. A weakling. Ty
cto, slabak, dae meok podnth ne
moeh? What are you, some kind of
weakling? Cant even lift that sack?
SLAB: Slab kom-l. sdlath cto-l.,
idiom, neg. Someone cant do something.
Sporim, cto tebe slabo dognath
men! I bet you cant catch up with me!
Ne slab, idiom, joc. Good, well. Ne
slabo ezdit, smotri, on ue obol
troix gonwikov. Hes racing very
well. Look hes already passed three
other drivers.
, -, m. A crime scene investiga- Slivajte vodu, pora domoj! Okay,
tor (from , trace). finish up. Its time to go home!
, SLIVTHS/SLTHS v kstze,
. We didnt leave any clues, so idiom, joc. 1. To have sex. I potom on
we are not afraid of any detectives.
Page 244
244
SLEZTH/SLEZTH: Slezth/slezth s
dreva, idiom, neg. To become civilized
or cultured (lit., to come down from the
trees). Oni tolhko cto s dereva sle-
zli, kuda im demokrati. They just
came down from the trees! How do you
expect them to cope with democracy?
Slezth/slezth s igl, idiom, youth.
To stop using drugs (lit., to dismount
from the needle). Govort, on davno
slez s igly. They say hes quit taking
drugs. (Sesth i) ne slezth/ne slezth
s kog-l., idiom. To bother, harass,
annoy (lit., to [sit on someone and] not
get off). Oni seli na roditelej i ne
slazt, a im ue za tridath.
Theyre over thirty, but theyre still con-
stantly leaning on their parents. Ne
slezth s bby, idiom, rude. To have
sex with women frequently. On s baby
ne slezaet. Hes always sleeping with
someone.
SLSARH PO XLBU, idiom, neg. A
lazy, incompetent worker (lit., a metal-
worker who specializes in bread). Syn
tebe pomogaet po xozjstvu? Net,
on v osnovnom slesarh po xlebu. Does
your son help out around the house?
No, hes really quite a loafer.
SLESARGA, -i, m. A metalworker.
On rabotaet slesargoj. He does
metalwork.
SLVA, -y, f., joc. A blue nose as a sign
of drunkenness (lit., a plum). Po ego
slive srazu skaeh, skolhko on
pht. You can tell by his nose what a
drinker he is.
SLIVTH/SLITH, neg. Lit., to pour
out. 1. To lose, be defeated. Vcera na-
i nemam v futbol slili. Our soc-
cer team lost to the Germans yesterday.
2. perf. only. To get rid of someone.
Kuda by ego slith na vecer? How
can we manage to lose him for the
evening? Slivth/slith vdu, idiom.
To finish, stop (lit., to pour out the water).
tebe, konecno, predloil sliths v
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
245
kstaze. So then I suppose he sug-
gested having some ecstasy. 2. neg. To
be carried away, be transported by emo-
tion. Opth oni tam slivats v
kstaze, svoj rok sluat. There
they are going into ecstasies over their
rock music again.
SLVKI, slvok, pl., business. Win-
nings from gambling (lit., cream).
Bolhie slivki delat v kazino, a
nalogi ne platt. Theyre making a
bundle at the casino, and they dont pay
any taxes on it.
SLIMNITH, perf. only. To steal.
Kto slimonil moi casy? Who stole
my watch?
SLIPTH/ZASLIPTH, youth, obs.
To sleep, take a nap (from Eng. sleep).
Xoroo by sejcas zaslipath. Now
would be a good time for a nap.
SLIPTHS: (pa) ne slpnets?
see under pa.
SLVO NE DOKUMNT, K DLU NE
PODOHH, idiom. A mere promise
cant be trusted (lit., a persons word isnt
a document; it cant be entered into the
file). Slovo da, otdam dolg v pt-
niu. Slovo ne dokument. . . . I give
you my word that Ill pay you back on
Friday. A word isnt a document, it
cant be entered in your file.
SLON, -a, m. Lit., elephant. 1. army. A
new recruit, a soldier in his first year of
service. Slony vse idut cistith
kartoku. All the new guys are going
to peel potatoes. 2. A big, akward man.
Dl takogo slona, kak ty, nuna
mebelh pobolhe. This furniture is too
small for a mammoth like you.
SLNIK, -a, m., crim. A method of
police interrogation by regulating airflow
through a gas mask (lit., baby elephant).
Nesi protivogaz, budem slonik emu
delath. Bring in the gas mask, and
well give him the treatment.
SLUPTH, perf. only, joc., neg. To eat
something quickly or greedily (lit., to
beat). Skolhko ty i slupil? How
many eggs have you wolfed down?
Slupth s kog-l. dnhgi, neg. To
Page 245
SMESH BULHDGA S NOSORGOM
overcharge, cheat. Skolhko s teb
slupili za ti sapogi? How much did
they con out of you for those boots?
SLCAJ: Analogcnyj slcaj byl...,
see under analogcnyj. Klinceskij
slcaj, see under klinceskij. T-
lyj slcaj, see under tlyj.
SLCKA, -i, f., neg., rude. A sexual
encounter, sexual act. Pojti k devkam
v obwagu na slucku, cto li? I wonder
if I should go over to the girls dorm and
have a roll in the hay.
SLAJ XOM, A NE BRXOM,
rhyming phrase, rude. Pay more attention
(lit., Listen with your ear, not with your
belly). sto raz povtorth ne budu,
sluaj uxom, a ne brxom. Listen up! I
dont want to have to repeat this a hun-
dred times.
SLNTJ, -, m., neg. An irresolute,
spineless person (from slna, saliva).
Ty na nego ne nadejs v trudnu
minutu, on slntj. You cant
count on him in difficulties; hes too
indecisive.
SMTYVATH/SMOTTH docki,
idiom. To leave, get away from danger
(lit., to reel in ones line). Nu, smaty-
vaem udocki, skoro roditeli pridut,
oni ne lbt, kogda v dome kurt.
Lets pull out. My parents will be home
soon, and they dont like it when people
smoke in the house.
SMTYVATHS/SMOTTHS. See
smyvths.
SMNA: Po xlopk smna partn-
rov, see under po.
SMNKA, -i, f. Indoor shoes for school.
Ty smenku ne zabyl? Did you
remember to take your indoor shoes?
, , m., army.
A metal dog tag with a personal ID num-
ber (from , death). .
, -
x x
. Heres my toast:
May our dog tags remain around our
necks until the war is over.
SMESH BULHDGA S NOSORGOM,
idiom, joc. A strange or hybrid thing
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SMETTH/SMEST
(lit., a cross between a bulldog and a
rhinoceros). On sam sproektiroval
svo dacu, vot i polucilash smesh
bulhdoga s nosorogom. He designed his
country house himself, so it turned out
neither fish nor fowl.
SMETTH/SMEST. To eat up quickly
(lit., to sweep, to clean up). Kogda ty
uspel smesti vs mso? When did you
manage to eat up all the meat?
SMEX BEZ PRICNY PRZNAK
DURACNY, rhyming phrase, neg.
Lit., Laughter without cause is a mark of
stupidity, a rhyming phrase used in dis-
paragement of inappropriate laughter.
Razve skazal cto-to smenoe?
Smex bez priciny priznak
duraciny. Whats so funny? Laughter
without cause is a mark of stupidity!
SMEXUCKI, -ov, pl., rude. Tricks,
jokes, fooling around. Vam odni smex-
ucki, a delo serhznoe. You keep kid-
ding around, but this is a serious matter.
SMENKA V ROT POPLA, idiom.
To have the giggles, a bout of inappopri-
ate laughter (lit., a funny thing got into
someones mouth). Ne pojmu, cego ty
tak smehs, smeinka v rot
popala? What are you laughing at?
Having a fit of the giggles?
SMITINGOVTHS, perf. only, youth.
See zabivth mting.
SMOK, -a, m., youth. Cigarettes, tobacco
products (from Eng. smoke). Smok
koncils. I have no more cigarettes.
SMOLTH/ZASMOLTH. To smoke
(from smola, pitch, tar). Ne smoli SMURH, -i, f., neg. 1. A bad mood.
kak parovoz. Dont smoke like a loco-
motive.
SMORZITH glposth, idiom, neg. To
say or do something stupid (lit., to freeze
a silly thing). Kaku gluposth
smorozil, cto vas poslual. What a
stupid mistake I made by listening to
you!
SMORCK, smorck, m., neg. Lit., morel
(mushroom). 1. A cheeky young person,
worthless kid. Smorcok, kak ty
smeeh tak razgovarivath s mate-
rh. You cheeky kid, how dare you talk
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246
to your mother that way! 2. A small,
weak person. V lbovnikax u ne
xodit kakoj-to smorcok. Her
boyfriend is a 90-pound weakling.
SMOTRLKI, smotrlok, pl., joc.
Eyes. Zakryvaj svoi smotrelki, de-
tm ue spath pora. Close your peep-
ers; its time for little children to go to
sleep.
SMOTRTH/POSMOTRTH na kog-
l., kak bdto kto-l. dlen sto
rublj, idiom, neg. To give someone
hostile or threatening looks. Cto ty
na men smotrih, kak budto tebe
sto rublej dolen. Why are you look-
ing at me as if I owe you a hundred
rubles?
SMOTRBELHNYJ, -a, -oe, joc.
Worth seeing, interesting. Kak filhm?
Smotribelhnyj. How was the
movie? Worth seeing.
SMUR, -a, m., neg. A bad mood. Sejcas
u nego smur, ostavh ego v pokoe. Leave
him alone. Hes in a bad mood right
now. Smur naxdit na kog-l.,
idiom. Someone has the blues, is
depressed. Na nego smur nal, on
brosil institut. He got into a funk
and quit the Institute.
SMURNTH/ZASMURNTH, joc. To be
gloomy, downhearted. Da ne smurnej
ty, budut skoro denhgi. Dont mope
youll have some money soon.
SMURNJ, -, -e. Gloomy, depressed.
Kakoj-to ty segodn smurnoj.
Why are you so gloomy today?
Opth u teb smurh, nicego delath
ne xoceh. Youre in a bad mood again;
you just dont feel like doing anything.
2. Bad weather. Na ulie smurh, vyxo-
dith ne xocets. The weathers foul. I
dont feel like going out.
SMYVTHS/SMTHS. To leave,
slip away, make off (lit., to wash off).
Davaj smoems s urokov! Lets slip
out of school.
SMYCK: Drath/otodrth v dva
smyck, see under drath2.
SNARD, -a, m., joc. A large liquor bottle
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
247
(lit., [artillery] shell). Kuda ty kupil
stolhko snardov? How come you
bought so many big bottles?
SNEG, -a, m., crim. Bed linens (lit., snow).
Vcera my vzli snega tuk na 50.
Yesterday we stole about 50,000 rubles
worth of linens.
SNESTSH, perf. only, neg. To say
something inappropriate, out of place
(lit., to lay an egg). Nu ty i sneslash,
razve mono takie vewi govorith v
lio? Wow, you really laid an egg!
Dont you know better than to say such
things to someones face?
, -, m. A foreigner (lit., Snick- out the whole staff for being late.
ers, a brand of candy). SNOTHS/POSNOTHS,
, ? Are they from rude, neg. To have sex. Tebe sno-
France, these foreigners?
SNIMTH/SNTH. To pick up a
woman, make a casual acquaintance with
a woman. Nado v restorane bab
snth na vecer. Lets pick up some
dames for the evening at that restaurant.
Snimth/snth pnki, idiom. To get
the best of a situation (lit., to take off the
cream). Oni pervymi stali peca-
tath pornograficesku literaturu,
snli vse penki. They were the first to
start publishing pornography, and they
skimmed the cream off that business.
Snimth/snth strku s kog-l.,
idiom. To bawl out, scold, give a tongue-
lashing (lit., to take shavings off some-
one). Za to, cto oni razbili okna v
kole, s nix snli struku. They
got bawled out for breaking the windows
at school. Snimth/snth kru,
idiom, rude. To beat severely (lit., to take
the skin off). s teb kuru snimu,
esli ty ego xoth palhem troneh.
Ill flay you alive if you so much as
touch him with your little finger. Snth
tan i bgath, idiom, joc. Lit., take
off your pants and run; used as an impa-
tient or dismissive answer to the question
What should I do? Cto delath?
Snth tany i begath. What should
I do? Take off your pants and run!
SNIMTHS/SNTHS s rucnik,
idiom, army. To start thinking (lit., to
release the hand brake). Skorej sni-
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SOBCITHS/POSOBCITHS
majs s rucnika, govori, pravilhno
idm? Start thinking fast: are we on the
right road?
SNOSTH/SNEST, sports. To knock
someone off his feet. Ego snesli na
trafnoj plowadke i zarabotali
penalhti. They knocked him down in
the penalty zone and were penalized.
SNOTH/POSNOTH, rude. 1. To
have sex with a woman. On davno e
snoaet. Hes been sleeping with her
for a long time. 2. To scold, bawl out.
Vcera nacalhnik vsex snoal za
opozdani. Yesterday the boss bawled
aths ne nadoelo? Pora by i o dele
podumath. Arent you tired of sleeping
around? Its time to get serious!
SNXIVATHS/SNXATHS, neg.
To conspire, collaborate in shady deal-
ings (lit., to sniff one another out). Oni
snxalish na tix maxinaix. They
conspired in these intrigues.
SNV(I) TAN, PO VOLOSM
NE GLDT, idiom, rude. Lit., once
youve taken off your pants, its too late
to look at your hair; used in reference to
situations where one step necessarily
leads to another. (This expression is a
play on the proverb Snvi golovu, po
volosam ne placut: When your heads
been cut off, you dont cry about your
hair.) Ne zna, pravilhno sdela-
la, kogda reila s nim razvestish.
Snv(i) tany, po volosam ne
gladt. Im not sure I should have
decided to divorce him. Well, after a
certain point theres really no choice.
SOBKA: Na sobkax, idiom, youth. To
travel by the Moscow suburban electric
trains (lit., by dog team). On v Moskvu
na sobakax ezdit. He gets to Moscow
by dog team.
SOBCITHS/POSOBCITHS,
neg. To argue, quarrel, scold (from
sobaka, dog). Perestanhte soba-
ciths, luce davajte pojdm
pogulem. Stop arguing and lets go out
for a while!
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SOBCH RDOSTH
SOBCH RDOSTH, idiom. Cheap
meat pies sold in the street (lit., dogs
delight). Sobach radosth budeh
esth? Will you have a doggy-treat?
SOBCH SVDHBA, idiom. A casual
love affair (lit., a dogs wedding). U ne-
go opth sobach svadhba. Hes hav-
ing another one of his flings.
SOV: Ne pht tlhko sov: on dnm still not on here. Can you get the male end
spit, a nch magazny zakrty,
see under ne.
SOVTH/SNUTH nos kud ne sldu-
et, idiom, neg. To meddle, be nosy (lit.,
to poke ones nose in inappropriate
places). Ty opth cital moi pishma,
ne suj nos kuda ne sleduet. Youve
been reading my mail again! Dont be so
nosy!
SOVDPI, -i, f., obs., neg. Soviet Rus-
sia, the Soviet Union (from Sovetskie
deputaty). Ty cital gazety, kak
tam dela v Sovdepii idut? Have you
read the papers? Whats new in the Sov.
Dep.?
SOVDPOVSKIJ, -a, -oe, neg. Soviet
(cf. Sovdpi). Mne nadoeli vai
sovdepovskie pordki: togo nelhz,
togo nelhz. Im sick of your Soviet
setup with you everythings forbid-
den!
SOVKVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Soviet (see
sovk). Sovkovu odedu srazu vid-
no. You can recognize Soviet-made
clothes instantly.
SOVK, sovk, m., neg. By wordplay on
sovok, dustpan, and sovetskij,
Soviet. 1. The Soviet Union. Kak
ith v naem sovke, ne ponima. I
cant figure out how to survive in this
Soviet dustpan of ours. 2. A Soviet type
of person, an ignorant, narrowminded,
doctrinaire person. On nikogda ne poj-
mt, cto xott demokraty, on e
sovok! Hell never be able to grasp what
the democrats are after; hes a Soviet-
dustpan type!
SOVRT NE POMRWITS (NE
CIXNT), idiom, neg. Lit., He can lie
without grimacing; an expression used
to blame someone as a habitual liar. Ne
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248
sluaj e, sovrt ne pomorwits.
Dont listen to her! Shell lie at the drop
of a hat.
/
, idiom. Connecting a plug to
a socket (lit., to connect a mom and a
pop). ,
? The lights
into the female socket?
SOZREVTH/SOZRTH. To be ready or
eager to do something (lit., to be ripe).
Ty znaeh, ue sozrel vypith.
Stolhko volnenij bylo za denh, pora
rasslabiths. Well, Im ready for a
drink. After all todays troubles its time
to relax.
SOJDT, idiom. Its okay, itll do. Tebe
ne xolodno budet v plawe? Nicego,
sojdt. Wont you be cold in that rain-
coat? No, itll be fine. Sojdt dl
slhskoj mstnosti, idiom, joc. Lit.,
Itll do for village life. Kak mo no-
va pricska? Sojdt dl selhskoj
mestnosti. How do you like my new
haircut? Itll do for down on the
farm!
SOLDAFN, -a, m., neg. A rough, rude,
military type of person. Da to e
soldafon, vs vrem ort, koman-
duet. Hes a real soldier type always
yelling and ordering people around.
SOLOVJ, vh, m., joc. A policeman
(lit., nightingale, referring to the similar-
ity of the birds warbling and the police
whistle). Na solovej snacala
svistnet, potom grabit. Our police
start by whistling at you and end up rob-
bing you.
SOLMA, -y, f., youth. Chopped poppy-
heads for use as a narcotic (lit., stubble).
Solomu zagotovil? Have you got the
stubble ready?
SLOP, -a, m., rude. A penis. Tebe
solop poko ne dat, vs vrem na bab
tnet. Your prick never lets up its
always hankering after women. Slop
teb ndo? idiom, rude. What more do
you want? Why do you keep bothering
me? Vs u teb esth, solop tebe
nado? Isnt that enough for you? What
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
249
do you want, a prick?
SOLNKA, -i, f., neg. A confused mix-
ture (lit., the name of a type of soup).
to ne konert, a solnka: i klas-
sika, i daz v odnom stakane. This
isnt a concert, its a soup of classical and
jazz.
SNNA TETR, idiom, neg. Someone
who prefers sleeping to doing anything
(lit., a sleepy grouse). x ty, sonna
teter, vs rybalku prospal! Hey,
sleepyhead! You missed the whole fish-
ing trip!
SONH, -, n., joc. A product of the Sony
Company (by wordplay on Sony and
sanh). Cej to televizor? to
sonh. What kind of TV is that? A
Sony.
SOOBRALKA, -i, f., joc. Mind, intel-
ligence. Esli esth u teb soobra-
alka, na novoj rabote ne
propadh. If youve got any sense you
wont miss work at your new job.
SOPTKA, -i, f., neg. Nose (from
sopeth, to breathe noisily through the
nose). Tvoemu druku sopatku raz-
bili. They punched your buddy in the
nose.
SOPLVIC, -a, m., youth, joc. Narcotics,
drugs (from sopl, snot). Ew ne-
mnogo soplevica ostalosh. Theres
still a little dope left.
SOPLEGLT, -a, m., colloquial, neg.
(From sopl, snot.) 1. A person of
weak character. ti soplegloty ni-
kogda ne pojdut protiv nacalhstva.
Those snivelers will never stand up
against the bosses. 2. Someone with the
sniffles, with a runny nose. Vozhmi s
soboj platok, sopleglot nescast-
nyj. Dont forget to take a handker-
chief, you poor sniffler.
SPLI: Na soplx, idiom, neg. Weakly,
barely, with difficulty (lit., [held
together] by snot). Dverh u men v
kvartire derits na soplx. The
door to my apartment is just barely
attached to its hinges. Spli-vpli,
idiom, neg. Whining, moaning and groan-
ing (cf. sopl, snot). Nu net deneg i
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SOROKVNIK
ladno. Mne ti sopli-vopli o niwete
nadoeli. Theres no money and thats
all there is to it. I dont want to hear your
moaning and groaning about being so
poor. Razmzyvath spli po zabru,
see under razmzyvath.
SOPLVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Too young,
green, inexperienced (lit., snot-nosed).
Ty ew soplivyj math ucith.
Youre too young to be telling your
mother what to do. Obxodths/oboj-
tsh bez soplvyx, see under obxo-
dths.
SOPLVYJ, -ogo, m., rude. A penis (lit.,
drippy fellow; from sopl, snot). Xo-
lodno. U men soplivyj cuth ne
otmrz. Its so cold my dripper is half
frozen.
SPLO, -a, n., neg., joc. A nose. Xo-
ceh v soplo, ctob ne vystupal?
Youre going to get it in the nose if you
dont cut out that behavior!
SOPLKA, -i, f., neg., joc. A young,
inexperienced girl (from sopl, snot).
Cto ty, soplka, ponimaeh v
izni? What do you know about life,
you little chit?
SOPL, -, f., army, neg. An epaulet-
stripe as a sign of rank (lit., snot). Emu
dali ew odnu sopl. They gave him
another stripe.
SOPLK, -, m., neg. A young, inexperi-
enced person (from sopl, snot).
Cego tot soplk vypendrivaets?
Mal ew. Whats that little brat show-
ing off about? Hes still a baby.
SOPLCKA, -i, f., neg. See soplka.
SORVTH rezhb, idiom, neg. To go on a
drinking spree, to get completely drunk
(lit., to strip the threads of a screw). On
opth sorval rezhbu, na rabotu ne
xodit ue tri dn. Hes on another
drinking bout; he hasnt been to work in
three days.
SOROKVNIK, -a, m. 1. Forty years.
Emu ue sorokovnik. Hes already
forty years old. 2. obs. Forty rubles.
Daj sorokovnik do zarplaty. Let
me borrow forty rubles until payday.
3. Forty thousand rubles.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SOROKOPTKA
SOROKOPTKA, -i, f., obs. A 45-rpm
record. ta pesn esth tolhko na
sorokoptke. That song is only avail-
able on a 45.
SOSTHS/POSOSTHS, rude. To
kiss (from sosath, to suck). Oni
sosalish elyj vecer. Theyve been
kissing away all evening.
SOSSKA: Phnyj v sossku, see
under phnyj.
SOSKKIVATH/SOSKOCTH. Lit.,
to jump off. 1. To leave. On soskocil
minut pth nazad. He just left about
five minutes ago. 2. To leave alone, stop
bothering. Ty s men soskocih so
svoimi proshbami? Get off my back
with your constant demands!
SOSKK, interj., neg. Scram! Buzz off!
(cf. soskkivath). Nu-ka, bystro
soskok otsda! Hey, get out of here!
SOSTONIE NESTONI, rhyming
phrase, neg., joc. Sexual impotence (by
wordplay on stoth; lit., a condition of
nonstanding). U teb opth sos-
tonie nestoni? Whats with you? SPASBO: Spasbo nekrasvo,
Again youre in a nonstanding condi-
tion?
SOSTYKVATHS/SOSTYKO-
VTHS, joc. To meet, to join (lit., to
dock [spacecraft]). Stykuems za
polcasa do otxoda poezda. Well meet
half an hour before the train leaves.
SOSUNK, sosunk, m., neg. A young,
innocent, inexperienced person (lit., a
suckling). Tebe, sosunku, ew rano
takie filhmy smotreth. Arent you
still a little wet behind the ears to be
watching that sort of movie?
SOTVORTH/SOTVORTH lazh,
idiom, crim. To slap in the face. Esli
tebe sotvorith lazh, dumaeh, ne
obidno? You think its not an insult to
be slapped in the face?
SOXTYJ, -ogo, m., crim., neg. Lit., a
moose. 1. A cuckold. Kto sdelal ego
soxatym? Who cuckolded him? 2. A
fool. Soxatyj on i esth soxatyj,
nicego tolkom skazath ne moet.
Hes a prize fool; he never says anything
that makes any sense.
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250
SOIALST(Y), -a (-ov), m., obs. Citi-
zen(s) of socialist (Soviet-bloc) countries.
rabota perevodcikom u soia-
listov. Im working as a translator in
countries of the Soviet bloc.
SONAKOPLNIE, -, n., neg., obs. A
potbelly (from soialisticeskoe nako-
plenie; lit., a Socialist savings account,
i.e., a savings account in a state bank).
Da, u teb prilicnoe sonakople-
nie. Thats quite a potbelly youve got
there.
SPAGTTI: Vath/povsith spagt-
ti n ui, see under vath.
SPALTHS, perf. only. To get caught
doing something wrong (lit., to get
burned). Oni spalilish na vztkax.
They got caught taking bribes.
SPLHNYJ RAJN, idiom. A residen-
tial region on the outskirts of a city (lit., a
sleeping region). Vse e druzh ivut
v spalhnyx rajonax. All her friends
live way out in the bedroom communi-
ties.
nado dneki platth, idiom, joc. Pro-
fessions of gratitude arent enough; grati-
tude isnt a sufficient reward. Nu, spa-
sibo za vs. Spasibo nekrasivo,
nado deneki platith. Thanks for
everything! Thanks are worthless
without a cash payment. Za spasbo,
idiom. Gratis, for free (lit., for a thank-
you). Za spasibo nikto teperh rabo-
tath ne budet. These days no ones
going to work for nothing.
SPATH: Ne spi, zamrzneh, see under
ne.
SPEKULHNTH, perf. only, neg. To sell,
trade. Spekulhnuth nado casami,
ctob nemnogo podzarabotath. Ive
got to do some trade in watches to earn a
little extra money.
SPERMATOZVR, -a, youth, joc. Sperm
(by wordplay on spermatozoid, sper-
matozoon, and dinozavr, dinosaur).
Ot moix spermatozavrov tolhko
synovh polucats. My sperm
makes only sons.
SPERMONACLHNO, adv., joc. From
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
251
the beginning, to begin with, at once (by
wordplay on sperma and pervonacalh-
no). Ty skai spermonacalhno, kuda
ty sobiraehs nas vezti otdy-
xath. To begin with, tell us where
youre planning to take us for vacation.
SPEXA, -i, f., youth. A students major
subject in an institution of higher educa-
tion. Kogda u nas speuxa? When
does the class in our major subject meet?
SPE I PDA, idiom, neg., joc. No
way; I certainly wont do that (lit., Ill
hurry [to do what you say] so fast that Ill
fall down). Idi ucith uroki! Xva-
tit smotreth televizor. Speu i
pada. Youve watched enough televi-
sion. Now go do your homework! Not
a chance!
SPIDMETR, -a, m., joc., neg. A blood
test for AIDS (from SPID, AIDS, by
wordplay on speedometer). Tebe
delali spidometr? Did you have your
AIDS test?
SPIDONSE, spidonsa, m., neg.
An AIDS carrier, someone who has AIDS
(-nose, carrier). Beri tu loku, stit, see under kto.
spidonosev u nas net, ne bojs.
Dont worry about using the spoon
no one here has AIDS.
SPIN: Pone spin, idiom, joc. On
the buttocks (lit., below the spine).
Dath by tebe ponie spiny za ti
slova. You deserve a spanking for what
you said.
SPINOGRZ, -a, m., joc. A child (lit., a
spine-gnawer). U ne dvoe spinogry-
zov. Shes got a couple of children.
SPIONRIVATH/SPIONRITH,
joc. To steal (from pioner, member of a
junior Komsomol youth group; cf. skom-
munzdith). Skolhko kolbasy spio-
nerili? How much sausage did they
steal?
SPXIVATH/SPIXNTH kzmen,
idiom, youth. To pass an examination.
Nikak ne mogu spixnuth anglijskij.
Theres no way I can pass the English
exam.
SPIXOTXNIKA, -i, f., neg. The art of
passing the buck, leaving the decision to
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SPRGIVATH/SPRGNUTH
someone else (from spixivath, to put
off [as a decision]). On polnosth
ovladel spixotexnikoj. Hes a past
master of the art of passing the buck.
SPCITH/ZASPCITH, joc. To speak,
to speechify (from Eng. speech). Cto
on tam spicet o svetlom buduwem?
Whats he speechifying about the bright
future for?
SPLAVLTH/SPLVITH, neg. Lit., to
float (logs) down a river. 1. To sell.
ti vewi nado srocno splavith.
Wed better sell this stuff quickly.
2. To get rid of. Ona mua splavila
na dacu. She sent her husband packing
off to the dacha.
SPLYTH: Byl da splyl, see under byl.
SPOK: Budh spok!, see under budh.
SPOKXA, -i, f., youth. Calm down,
dont get excited (lit., peace and quiet).
Spokuxa, nicego ew ne proizolo, a
vy v panike. Calm down! Nothings
happened yet, and youre already in a
panic!
SPRITH: Kto sprit, tot govn ne
SPRITH S NACLHSTVOM, CTO
SSATH PRTIV VTRA, idiom,
rude. Arguing with the boss only leads to
trouble for yourself (lit., Arguing with
the management is like pissing into the
wind). Zacem ty ego kritikueh?
Sporith s nacalhstvom, cto. . . Why
do you criticize him? Arguing with the
boss can only get you into trouble.
SPORTVNYJ INTERS, idiom. Lit.,
a sporting interest, that is, disinterested
motives. On to delaet iz sportiv-
nogo interesa ili kak? Is he doing
this out of a purely sporting interest, or
what?
SPROS O CM-NIBDH POLG-
CE, idiom, joc. I havent the faintest idea
(lit., ask me about something easier).
Skai, budet povyenie en?
Sprosi o cm-nibudh polegce. Tell me,
do you think prices are about to go up?
I havent the faintest idea.
SPRGIVATH/SPRGNUTH, youth.
1. To leave. Sprygni otsda! Get
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SPUSK
out of here! 2. To stop, quit. On
sprygnul s kajfa. He quit drinking.
SPUSK, -a, m., rude. An orgasm. Kogda
e u teb spusk budet? When are you
going to come?
SPUSKTH/SPUSTTH, rude. To have
an orgasm (lit., to let down). ne mogu
spuskath po phnke. I cant come
when Im drunk. Spuskth/spustth
na tormozx, idiom. To hush something
up, prevent something from coming to
trial (lit., put the brakes on something).
Slucaj s tvoim tovariwem nado
spustith na tormozax. Your friends
situation has to be hushed up.
SPTITH, perf. only, neg. To go crazy,
lose ones mind. Ty cto, sptil cto
li? Kto e pokupaet mso za taku
enu? Are you out of your mind? No
one spends that much on meat!
SRKA, -i, f., rude. Buttocks. Otorvi
sraku ot stula, pomoj posudu. Get
your ass off that chair and wash the
dishes. Do srki, idiom, rude. Of no
importance, indifferent. Mne ego slova
do sraki. What he says doesnt matter
to me.
SRNYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Bad, worthless.
Zacem mne ti sranye podarki?
What do I need these lousy presents
for?
SRANH, -, n., rude. Shit, a pile of shit.
Vstavth/vstath sranh, see under
vstavth.
SRASTTHS/SRASTTHS,
impers., youth. To work out, be arranged
(lit, to grow together). U men ne sras-
taets na kanikuly poexath domoj.
I cant manage to go home for the holi-
days.
SRATH/NASRTH, POSRTH, rude.
To shit. Gde tut u vas posrath
mono? Where can a person take a shit
around here? Srath/nasrth (xo-
tth) na kog-cto-l., idiom. To hold in
contempt. Srath na nego xotel, na
ego ugrozy. I shit on him and his
threats. Srath/nasrth s vyskoj
grki, idiom, rude. Not to care, to be
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252
indifferent (lit., to shit from a high hill).
Tebe popadt za to, cto propus-
kaeh lekii. A mne nasrath s vy-
sokoj gorki. Youre going to get in
trouble for missing classes. I dont
give a shit. Srath mkom kom-l.,
idiom, rude. No matter how hard one
tries, in spite of all ones efforts (lit.,
[even if] one shits poppy seeds). Tebe
srath makom do nego, on ue izvest-
nyj ucnyj, a ty nikto. You can try
your best with him, but after all hes a
famous scholar and youre just a
nobody. Srath ne prsihs, idiom,
neg., rude. To act independent, grown-up
(lit., not to ask permission to shit).
eniths reil, molode, srath ne
prosihs, a podumal, gde vy budete
ith? So youve decided to get mar-
ried! Well, that seems very grown-up of
you, except that you havent given a
thought to where youre going to live.
Ne sesth rdom srath s kem-l., idiom,
neg., rude. To hold someone in contempt,
to want nothing to do with someone (lit.,
not to sit next to someone to take a shit).
s tim celovekom srath rdom ne
sdu. I wouldnt have anything to do
with that fellow. Vo rtu kak kki
nasrli, idiom, rude. Lit., Its as if cats
took a shit in my mouth. Used to
describe a bad taste in the mouth, espe-
cially of a hangover. Prosnulish, a vo
rtu kak koki nasrali, vcera pere-
kurili i vypili linee. They woke
up with the taste of cat shit in their
mouths after smoking and drinking too
much last night. rath do pta, srath
do slz, see under rath.
SRAC, -a, m., rude. A mess, disorder.
pojdu v magazin, a ty vesh tot srac
v kvartire uberi. Ill go shopping, and
you clean up the mess in the apartment.
SR`EDNEJ PARVOSTI, idiom. Of
poor quality (lit., of medium lousiness).
Vot kupil, a kolbasa srednej
parivosti. That sausage I bought is
pretty awful.
SROK: Motth srok, see under motth.
SRUBTH fku, idiom, youth. To
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
253
understand (lit., to cut the cards).
Teperh srubaeh fiku, pocemu oni
ne priexali? Now do you understand
why they didnt come?
/ , idiom. SSYKXA, -i, f., neg., rude. 1. A girl
Said of drunk or drugged people (lit.,
someones roof has blown away). See
. pisser is all wet again. 2. A woman who
, - urinates frequently. Ty opth, ssyku-
. He xa, v tualet? Off to the john yet again,
drank a bottle, flipped his lid, hijacked a
tank, and drove it into town for another
bottle.
SRYVTHS/SORVTHS. 1. youth.
To slip away. Davaj sorvms s pos-
lednego uroka. Lets cut the last class.
2. perf. only. To appear unexpectedly.
Ty otkuda sorvals? Where did you
pop up from?
SSKI, ssak, pl., rude. Urine. to ne
pivo, a ssaki. This isnt beer, its just
piss.
SSANH, -, n., rude. Piss, a pool of piss,
a mess. Ch to ssanh, kota? Who
made this piss-pool the cat?
SSATH/POSSTH, rude. To urinate.
Possath xocets. I need to take a
piss. Ssath kiptkm, idiom, rude.
To be enthusiastic, eager, carried away by
someone or something (lit., to piss boil-
ing water). U nas molodoj professor
cital leki, vse baby ssali kipt-
kom. A young professor came to lecture,
and all the girls were peeing in their pants
over him. Ne ssy (, prorvms)!, see
under ne.
SSUN, -, m., rude. 1. Someone who uri-
nates a lot. Nu ty i ssun, kadye
pth minut v tualet begaeh. What
a pisser you are running to the john
every five minutes! 2. A coward. to
ssun izvestnyj, vs vrem droit za
svo kuru. Everyone knows hes a
coward always worried about saving
his own skin.
SSYKN, -, m., rude, neg. 1. Someone
who urinates frequently, or a child who
wets the bed or his pants. Nu ty i ssy-
kun, vse prostyni promocil. What a
Page 253
STVITH/POSTVITH
piss pot you are! Youve gone and soaked
the sheets. 2. A coward. tot ssy-
kun draths ne budet. That coward
wont fight with you.
who wets the bed or her pants. ta
ssykuxa opth mokra. That little
you pisser? 3. An innocent, inexperi-
enced girl. Ty ew ssykuxa, ctoby
tak rassudath, podrasti snacala.
Youre still too much of a baby to dis-
cuss such things; wait till you grow up a
little.
STABNIVATHS/STABUNTHS,
joc. To crowd together (lit., to herd).
Opth vy vse stabunilish na kuxne,
idite v komnaty. Why are you all
crowded into the kitchen again? Go to the
living room.
STAV, -a, m., business. Goods, merchan-
dise (from stavith, to put). Ty stav
prins? Have you brought the goods?
STVITH/POSTVITH: Stvith/po-
stvith klzmu, idiom, neg. To scold,
abuse, punish (lit., to give an enema).
Sejcas emu stavt klizmu za obman.
Now hes going to get his punishment
for the trick he played. Stvith/
postvith na knpku, idiom. (To bug,
to monitor covertly (lit., to put on the but-
ton). Ego telefon stavhte na
knopku. Bug his telephone. Stvith/
postvith na sctcik, idiom. To set a
punitive interest rate for debts not paid on
time (lit., to put someone on the meter).
My teb postavili na sctcik, ty
ue nedel ne otdah denhgi.
Weve put you on the meter because
youre a week behind in your payments.
Stvith/postvith pistn, idiom,
rude. To have sex, to have an erection.
Skolhko ty moeh postavith
pistonov za noch? How many times
can you make love to a woman in one
night? Stvith/postvith gnilj
pistn, idiom, joc. To have sex as a rem-
edy for a hangover (gniloj, rotten).
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
STVKA
Sejcas by neploxo gniloj piston
postavith. A little tumble would be
just the thing right now. Stvith/po-
stvith tksu, idiom. To set a price.
Kaku vy postavili taksu na siga-
rety? What price have you set for the
cigarettes? Stvith/postvith fin-
gl, idiom, joc. To give someone a black
eye. Kto tebe postavil takoj fin-
gal? Who gave you that black eye?
STVKA, -i, f., crim. The headquarters of
a mafia boss. V stavku tak prosto ne
popadh, e oxrant i ew kak.
Its not so easy to get into his headquar-
ters, its heavily guarded.
STDO, -a, n., neg. A crowd (lit., a herd).
V magazine stado, v oceredi sto-
th ne xocu. Theres a herd of people in
the store, and I dont want to wait in line.
STAKN, -a, m., neg. A traffic-control
station (lit., a glass). Tie, sbavh sko-
rosth, vperedi stakan. Slow down.
Theres a glass up ahead.
STAKNOVE, staknova, m., joc. A
drunk, a hero of the drinking-glass (by
wordplay on stakan, drinking-glass,
and Staxanov, the first Hero of Socialist
Labor, a miner who, in the industrializ-
ing years of the 1930s, greatly exceeded
his production norm). Vy vse sta-
kanovy! Youre a bunch of drunks!
STLINSKIJ TORT, idiom, neg. A
Stalin cake, a grandiose building of a
type favored and often constructed under
Stalin (in the so-called Stalin baroque
style). A vot to zdanie sovsem
stalinskij tort. That building is a
real Stalin cake.
STLKER, -a, m., youth. A pimp (from
the name of a character in a science fic-
tion story by the Strugatsky brothers). A
on sejcas ew v stalkerax xodit, ne
znaeh? Is he still working as a pimp
these days?
STANOVTHS/STATH rkom, idiom,
rude. To take up a position with rear end
up. Cego ty boihs idti k vracu?
Staneh rakom, on tebe v zad zagl-
net, i vse dela. Why are you so ner-
vous about going to the doctor? Youll
take the crab position, hell look up your
Page 254
254
ass, and thats all there is to it.
STANK, stank, m., joc. Lit., a lathe.
1. A womans buttocks. Stanok u ne
znatnyj. Shes got a beautiful ass.
2. A highly sexed woman. to takoj
stanok, tolhko derish! Watch out,
shes a real sexpot! 3. A bed. Gotovh
stanok, davaj lem. Make the bed so
we can lie down.
STNI BEREZJ! KOM
NDO VYLEZJ! idiom, joc. Lit.,
Berezai Station! All off thats getting
off! A rhyming phrase used to attract the
attention of dozing or distracted passen-
gers to arrival at a station. Vot derev-
n, avtobus zdesh stoit dve minuty.
Stani Berezaj! Komu nado vy-
lezaj. Theres the village. The bus will
only stop here for a minute. Berezai Sta-
tion! All off thats getting off!
STRA BOEV LADH, f., idiom,
joc. A loyal wife or girlfriend (lit., an old
warhorse). A to mo stara boeva
loadh. Meet my dear old gal.
/,
army. To start acting like an experienced
soldier (from , an old man).
,
. Just yesterday
you were a green recruit. Now all of a
sudden youre pushing people around,
acting like a second-year man.
STARLJ, -, m., army. A first lieuten-
ant. Tebe starlej peredal pishmo?
Did the lieutenant give you the letter?
STAROPRIMNYJ, -a, -oe, joc.
An inflexible, reactionary person, some-
one who sticks to the rules and codes of
the old (i.e., Soviet) regime (by word-
play on staroreimnyj, belonging to
the old regime, and priimath, to
oppress or to suppress). On takim
e staropriimnym i ostals, xo-
t sejcas drugoe vrem. Times have
changed, but hes still the same old-
regimer he always was.
STROSTH NE RDOSTH (DA I
MLODOSTH GDOSTH), idiom. A
sardonic comment on aging (lit., Old age
is no joy, and youth is pretty awful too.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
255
STARPR, -a, m., rude. An old man (from
staryj perdun; cf. perdn). V polit-
bro sideli odni starpry. The
guys in the Politburo were all a bunch of
old farts.
STARJ, -go, m. A leader, boss, direc-
tor. Kto u vas staroj? Whos in
charge here?
STRYJ KONH BOROZD NE PR-
TIT, idiom. Lit., an old horse doesnt
mess up the furrow; an expression used to
sum up the advantages of older men as
lovers and, by extension, of older people
in any activity. Nu i cto e, cto on
staryj, staryj konh borozdy ne
portit. So what if hes old! An old
horse doesnt mess up the furrow, you
know.
STSIK, -a, m. A cockroach. tix
stasikov ne perenou. I cant stand
these cockroaches.
STVOL, -, m., rude. Lit., the barrel of a
gun. 1. A penis. Cto to u teb
stvol torcit? How come your prick
is sticking out like that? 2. A gun.
Skolhko u nas stvolov? How many
guns have we got here?
STB: Podnimth/podnth stb, see STLHKA: Phnyj v stlhku, see
under podnimth.
STEBANTYJ, -a, -oe, rude, neg.
Crazy, idiotic. Tolhko stebanutyj
mog takoe ucudith. Only an idiot
could pull off a stunt like that.
STEBANTHS, perf. only, rude. To go
crazy. Ot vsex pereivanij steba-
nuths mono. These troubles could
drive a person crazy.
STEBTHS1, imperf. only, youth, rude.
To mock, ridicule. Koncaj nad nim
stebaths. Stop making fun of him.
STEBTHS2/POSTEBTHS, rude.
To have sexual relations (cf. b-). Oni
stebats ue polgoda. Theyve
been sleeping together for half a year.
Stebths smeths, idiom, rude. Kogda vydadut stip? When are they
Incredible! Too much! Stebaths
smeths, skolhko nas ew budut
nakalyvath! This is unbelievable!
How long can they go on cheating us like
this!
Page 255
STOLA
STEJTSVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Ameri-
can (from Eng. the States). Stejt-
sovye filhmy vsegda zabojnye.
American movies are always interest-
ing.
STEJTS, -v, pl., youth. Americans
(see stejtsvyj). Kogda stejtsy
priedut? When are the Americans
coming?
STEKL, -, n., youth. Glass utensils for
preparing narcotics. Steklo u teb
grznoe, pomoj. Your glassware is dirty
wash it.
STKLYKO: Trzvyj kak stk-
lyko, see under trzvyj.
STEKLNTH/OSTEKLNTH, neg.,
joc. To get drunk, become glassy-eyed.
Ty ue sovsem osteklnel, nicego
pered soboj ne vidih, togo i gldi
upadh. Youre already so drunk that
you cant see whats in front of your nose.
Watch out that you dont fall!
STEKLKA, -i, f. A type of caf with
big windows, constructed especially in
the days of Khrushchev. Davaj posi-
dim v steklke na uglu. Lets get a
corner table in the steklyashka.
under phnyj.
STEND, -a, m., youth. An erection (from
Eng. stand). V koi veki u men
stend, a bab net. Here I am with one
of my rare erections, and not a woman in
sight!
STPA, -y, f., youth. A student stipend
(lit., a nickname for Stepan). Naa
stpa u starosty. Our group leader
has our stipend payments.
STRVA, -y, f., rude. A nasty or worthless
woman (cf. stervtnik, vulture).
Taku stervu, kak naa komendant-
a, poiskath nado. Our house mother
is a real stinker.
STIP, -a, m., youth. A student stipend.
going to pay our stipend?
STOLB: Ne pht tlhko telegrfnyj
stolb (, u neg cki vniz), see under
ne.
STOLA, -y, f. 1. A Stolichnaya brand
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STOLVKA 256

cigarette. Ty cto kurih, stoli- stok? Can we sit down in that bar or is
u? What are you smoking, a Stolich- it a stander? 2. rude. An erection. Po
naya? 2. Stolichnaya brand vodka. utram u nego stok dvum rukami
Pocm stolia? How much is a ne sognh. In the mornings he gets
bottle of Stolichnaya? such an erection you couldnt get your
STOLVKA, -i, f. A cafeteria, dining hands around it! V stok, idiom,
hall. Stolovka ue otkryta? Is rude. In a standing position (esp. of sex).
the cafeteria open yet? Prilosh s nej v stoka muciths
STLHNIK, -a, m. 1. obs. A hundred- xaty net. There was no room in the
ruble bill. Ty ne zabyl, cto nado apartment so I had to screw her standing
stolhnik otdath sosedu? Did you up.
forget to pay our neighbor the hundred STOTH/STATH, VSTATH, POSTO-
we owe him? 2. A hundred thousand TH: Stoth/stath na atse (na vs-
rubles. sere, na strme, na nke, na xere),
STON SO SVSTOM, idiom, youth. idiom, crim. & youth. To stand guard.
Excellent, wonderful (lit., a groan with a Ty stoj na vassere, a my sygraem v
whistle). On anekdoty rasskazy- ocko. You stand guard while we play a
vaet prmo ston so svistom. Hes game of blackjack. Stoth/postoth
fantastic at telling jokes. pekm, idiom, joc. To remain standing,
STOP: xath stpom, see under xath. decline to sit (lit., to stand in a walking
STOPRIK: Vrzath po stopriku, position). Saditesh. Nicego,
see under vrzath. pekom posto. Have a seat.
, -, m., army. A useless soldier Thats all right. Ill stand. Stoth/
(from , a stop, meaning that this per- stath rkom, idiom, rude. 1. To stand
son lets a unit down by poor perfor- bent over. Cto to ty rakom sto-
mance). See . ih? Da igolku uronila, ne mogu
, , najti. Why have you got your ass in
. I dont want him in my com- the air like that? Im looking for a nee-
pany, hes a fuck-up. dle I dropped. 2. To work hard, espe-
cially in a bent-over position. toe
STPITH/ZASTPITH, youth. To
ne bezdelhnica, elyj denh sto
stop a car in order to hitch a ride or, more
rakom nad korytom. I havent exactly
likely, in order to negotiate payment for a
been idle ass-up over a washtub all
ride (from Eng. stop). Poexali, za-
stopil mainu. Come on! Ive day. Stoth/postoth u martna,
flagged down a car. idiom, joc. To cook, prepare food (lit., to
stand at the furnace). sto u mar-
STPOR, -a, m., neg. Dullness, stupor, tena ue cas, skoro obed budet gotov.
mental sluggishness (from Eng. stop). Ive been working at the furnace for an
Na men stopor napal, nicego ne hour already; dinner will be ready soon.
soobraa. A mental shutdown has Stoth na kog-l., idiom, rude. To
come over me; I cant think at all. desire sexually (lit., to have an erection
STOPORLA, -y, m., crim., neg. A ban- toward). U men na ne ne stoit.
dit, armed robber. Kogda togo stopo- Im not attracted to her. Stoth na
rilu vozhmut? When are they going to ux, idiom, joc. To work very hard,
catch that bandit? make a great effort (lit., to stand on ones
STORCTHS, perf. only, youth, neg. To ears). Posledn nedel sto na
die from an overdose of narcotics. Ty uax, zakanciva knigu. This past
znaeh, Nikolaj vcera storcals. week Ive been knocking myself out to
Yesterday Nick died from an overdose. finish the book. Stoth na cto-l.,
STOK, -, m. 1. A beer bar without seats. idiom, rude. To like, feel like, be attracted
Tam posideth mono ili to to. Segodn u men na rabotu ne
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257 STRIPTIZRKA

stoit. I dont feel like working today. STRLKA, -i, f., youth. A meeting, date,
Stoth u kog-l., idiom, rude. Someone appointment (lit., the hand of a watch).
has an erection. U nego ue davno ne Strelka, kak vsegda, v naem kafe.
stoit. Its been ages since the last time Well meet at our cafe as usual. Zabi-
he had a hard-on. Vstath n ui, vth/zabth strlku, see under
idiom. To make a great effort, put oneself zabivth.
out. Vcera my vse vstali na ui, STRELTH/STRLHNUTH. To bum,
ctoby kupith emu xoroij podarok. sponge (as a cigarette) (lit., to shoot).
We all knocked ourselves out yesterday Strelhni sigaretu, a to u nas kon-
getting him a good present. cilish. Were out of cigarettes. See if
STOCKA, -i, f., neg., joc. A beer bar you can bum one for us.
without seats (cf. stok 1). Tut neda- STRELTHS/ZASTRELTHS:
leko stocka esth, mono po-byst- Cto mne, strelths/zastrelths?
romu vypith. Theres a stander not see under cto.
far from here where we can have a quick STRM, -a, m., crim., youth. Danger, ten-
beer. sion. Davaj bez strma obojdms.
, -, m., army. A strategic Lets talk calmly.
bomber pilot (lit., strategist). STREMK, -a, m., youth, neg. Danger,
, - unpleasantness. S toboj vs vrem
. Everybodys underpaid these stremaki proisxodt. Bad things are
days, even those strategic bomber pilots. always happening with you.
STRALO, -a, n., neg. Un ugly person STREMTH/POSTREMTH, youth,
(from stranyj, frightening). Va neg. To frighten, scare. Ty men ne
drug takoe strailo, prisniths stremaj. Dont scare me.
moet. Your friend is nightmarishly STREMTHS/ZASTREMTHS,
ugly. youth, neg. To be frightened. Ne nado
STRNYJ: Strnyj kak vojn, stremaths, nicego tebe ne sdelaem.
idiom, neg. Extremely ugly. Muik u Theres nothing to be afraid of. Were
ne stranyj kak vojna. Her boy- not going to hurt you.
friend is ugly as sin. Strna kak STRMNYJ1, -a, -oe, crim. & youth.
mo iznh, idiom, joc. Very ugly (of a Dangerous. to strmnoe delo.
woman; lit., dreadful as my life). Kto Thats a dangerous business.
e zamu vozhmt? Ona e strana STRMNYJ2, -ogo, m., crim. & youth.
kak mo iznh. Who would marry her? One who stands guard. Ty segodn
Shes ugly as sin. Stranj tomnoj budeh strmnym. Youll be on guard
vojn, idiom, neg. Ugly, terrible. Ba- duty today.
ba u nego stranej atomnoj vojny.
STRMOPTI, -ii, f., youth. An
His girlfriend is uglier than atomic war.
obsessive, unaccountable fear, anxiety
STREJT, -a, m. A heteresexual man (from without manifest cause. U men naci-
Eng. straight). On ne goluboj, nas- naets strmopati. Im having an
towij strejt. Hes not gay, hes anxiety attack.
completely straight. STRIPTZ, -a, m., neg. An intimate,
STREJTOVK, -a, m. See strejt. open conversation (lit., striptease). Mne
STREKOZL, strekozl, m., joc. A nadoel tot striptiz o tvoix l-
light-minded, frivolous, scatterbrained bovnikax. Ive had enough of your true
person (from strekoza, dragonfly, and confessions about all your lovers!
kozl, goat). tot strekozl ne STRIPTIZRKA, -i, f., neg. 1. A strip-
umeet vesti peregovory. That scatter- tease performer. Ona uexala na zapad,
brain wouldnt be able to conduct negoti- tam rabotaet striptizrkoj. She
ations. went to the West, where shes been work-
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STRIT 258

ing as a striptease artist. 2. A woman tool is always ready for a woman.

who speaks with inappropriate or uncon- STRUN, -, f., youth. The needle of a
ventional openness. Ty nastowa syringe (lit., a string). U men struna
striptizrka, ob tom obycno ne slomalash. My needles broken.
govort. Youre quite a stripteaser. STRUCK, struck, m., neg., joc. A
You know, people dont usually talk small penis (lit., a pod). S tvoim
about those things. struckom s nej delath necego. Youll
STRIT, f., indecl., youth. Street (from never be able to satisfy her with that little
Eng. street). Na kakoj strit ty pod of yours.
ivh? What street do you live on? STRUCITH/ZASTRUCITH. From
STROGC, -, m., obs. A harsh punish- stru, stream of water. 1. To beat up.
ment, a tough sentence (esp. a Party repri- Ty sam naprosils, vot teb i
mand). Emu vynesli strogaca na zastrucili. You were asking for the
obwem sobranii za phnku na rabote. beating they gave you. 2. To do some-
They gave him a harsh one at the general thing intensively. My strucili v
meeting for drinking on the job. karty vs noch. We played cards all
STROTELH, -, m., neg. A man who night. 3. To drink.
likes to have sex with two women at a STRST, perf., youth. To borrow money
time. Opth povolok k sebe dvux de- (lit., to shake off). Strsi u nego na
vok, vot zadlyj stroitelh! Again pivo. Borrow some money from him to
hes gone off with two girls at the same buy some beer.
time hes really an inveterate three- STDENH, -dn, m., joc. Lit., meat-jelly.
some artist! 1. A fat, flabby person. Tebe sportom
/. To torment, nado zanths, sovsem v studenh
mock (lit., to form, line up). prevratils. Youd better take up
, , some sport, youve turned into a fatso.
. Im going to stick it 2. A student.
to you until you tell me who stole the ell STUK: Skrosth stka prevyet
phone. skrosth zvka, see under skrosth.
STROTH iz seb lku, idiom, neg. To STUKC, -, m., neg. An informer (lit., a
pretend to be innocent and naive (lit., to knocker; cf. stucth). Ty s nim poos-
make oneself out to be a virgin). Ne toronee, on stukac. Be more cau-
stroj iz seb elku, mono podu- tious with him hes an informer.
math, ty nikogda ne bral podarki. STUKCESTVO, -a, n., neg. Informing.
Dont put on that innocent pose, as if Stukacestvo u nas na rabote silh-
you had never accepted a little gift. no v pocte. Informing has become a
STROCTH/ZASTROCTH, youth, big thing with us at work these days.
rude. To have fellatio performed on one STUKCKA, -i, f., neg. A female
(lit., to fire away, bang away). On informer. Vse znat, cto ona stu-
strocit vsem podrd. He gets them kacka. Everyone knows that shes an
all to give him blow jobs. informer.
STRUGTH/NASTRUGTH, joc. To pro- STUKL, -, n., neg. See stukc.
duce a lot (lit., to plane, from the idea of STUCTH/STKNUTH, NASTUCTH,
producing a lot of shavings). Oni ue neg. To inform. Kto e na nas na-
nastrugali polnyj dom detej. stucal? Who informed on us?
Theyve already produced a houseful of STDNO, U KOG VDNO, rhyming
children. phrase, joc. Im not ashamed (lit., its
STRMENT, -a, m., rude. A penis (from shameful [only] for someone whose [pri-
instrument, instrument). U men vate parts] are showing). Kak tebe ne
strument dl bab vsegda gotov. My stydno materiths pri detx!
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
259
Stydno, u kogo vidno. You should be
ashamed of yourself, swearing like that in
front of the children! Theres nothing
shameful about it.
STYDNK, -a, m., youth. Shame,
disgrace. Kakoj stydnk, ni odnogo
kzamena ne sdal. What a disgrace! I
havent passed a single exam.
STYDBA, -y, f., neg. 1. A shame, a dis-
grace. Razve to ne stydoba byth
nudistom? Isnt it disgraceful to be a
nudist? 2. m. & f. A shameless, disgrace-
ful person. Kak ty moeh tak
xodith, stydoba! How can you go
around like that?! You should be
ashamed.
STYKOVTHS/SOSTYKOVTH-
S. To meet (lit., to dock, join, as in
spaceflight). Vy stykuetesh segodn
na rabote? Are you having a meeting
at work today?
STYKVKA, -i, f. A meeting. Gde u
nas segodn stykovka? Where are we
holding our meeting today?
ST`JTSVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. See
stejtsvyj.
STJTSY, -ov, pl., youth. See stejts.
STND, -a, m., youth. See stend.
SUBBTA: Crna subbta, see under
crna.
SUGRV: Dl sugrvu, idiom, joc. For
warmth, to warm up. Xoroo by ne-
mnogo vypith dl sugrevu. Lets have
a little something to drink, just to warm
us up.
SUETTHS: Ne suetsh pod kli-
ntom, see under ne.
SKA, -i, f., neg., rude. Lit., a bitch. 1. A
term of abuse or reproach (used of both
men and women). Nu i suka e ty,
opth nas zaloil. You bastard!
Youve betrayed us again! 2. crim. A
thief who breaks the thieves code of
honor. Ty ne vrh slucaem? Ty
cto, men za suku derih, govor
vam, magazin bez oxrany. Are you
sure youre not lying? Do you think
Im a rat? Im telling you, the store is
really unguarded.
-, -, f., army. A Its excessive to drink like that. Ne
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SURVO
female mercenary (from , bitch, and
, a cuckoo). See .
, - -
, . We have
reports that a sharpshooter bitch is active
in this area, we have to get her.
SUKOVTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Stubborn,
difficult (lit., knotty, as of wood; cf.
ska). Ty sovsem sukovatym stal, s
toboj trudno dogovoriths. Youve
become awfully stubborn! Its hard to
reach an agreement with you.
SKOJ BDU! crim., rude. Lit., Ill be a
bitch (if I do that), a form of oath.
Pridh noch k reke? Sukoj
budu! Kak dogovorilish. Will you
come to the river tonight? Cross my
heart! Just as we agreed!
SULTGA, -i, f., army. Liquor diluted
with 30% water. Sultyga ostalash?
Poxmeliths nado. Have you still got
some sultyga? I need something for my
hangover.
SMERECNOE ZRNIE, idiom, army.
A night vision scope (lit., twilight vision).
SUNDK, -a, m., neg. A big, tall man (lit,
a trunk). U nego brat cistyj
sunduk. His brother is a real giant.
SUNH XUJ V CAJ (I VYNH SU-
XM), see under xuj.
SUP: A potm sup s kotm, see under a.
SPER, -a, m., pos. Someone or some-
thing outstanding, excellent (from Eng.
super). Ona speialist prosto
super! Shes a really outstanding
expert.
SUPERKLSS, -a, m., pos. Outstanding,
remarkable. U nego segodn leki
superklass. His lecture today was ter-
rific.
SPNIK, -a, m., neg. A faithful lover, a
one-woman man (cf. sup). Opth k
nej supnik pol. Her lover came to
see her again.
SURLTH/POSURLTH. To drink.
Cto u teb surlth esth? What
have you got to drink?
SURVO, adv., youth. Too much, exces-
sive. to slikom surovo tak pith.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:33 AM
SUSNIN
survo? idiom, youth. Its too much, too
expensive. A tebe ne surovo budet
stolhko deneg prosith? How can you
ask for such a sum? Its far too much.
SUSNIN, -a, m., army, joc. From
Susanin, the hero of Musorgskys opera
Ivan Susanin, who led Polish invaders
to their death in a Russian forest. 1. A
guide who doesnt know the way or
whom others suspect of not knowing the
way. A ty, Susanin, znaeh, kuda
my idm? Hey, guide, do you know
where were going? 2. An air force navi-
gator. Skoro vylet, gde na
Susanin? Were scheduled for takeoff.
Wheres our navigator?
STOCNIK, -a, m., neg. Someone sen-
tenced to a 15-day term for hooliganism
(from sutki, twenty-four hours). Gde
tut sutocniki rabotat? Where
are the 15-day guys working?
SUXRIK, -a, m. See suxrh.
SUXRH, -, m. Dry wine (from suxoj).
Tam prodats suxarh, skolhko
xoceh. Theyve got lots of dry wine on
sale there.
SUXC, -, m. Dry wine (from suxoj).
Gde suxac pokupali? Where did you
get the dry wine?
SXE, n., indecl. Dry wine (by wordplay
on suxoj, dry, and Suxe Bator, the
Mongolian revolutionary leader). Vozh-
mi paru butylok suxe. Buy a couple of
bottles of dry wine.
SUXODRCKA, -i, f., rude. 1. Masturba-
tion. Zdesh na korable enwin net,
vse suxodrockoj zanimats. There
are no women on this ship; everyone
masturbates. 2. Futile work, a pointless
job. Bez instrumentov to suxo-
drocka, my ne smoem pocinith
traktor. Without tools this is useless
work well never get the tractor fixed.
SUCRA, -y, m. & f., neg., rude. A bitch,
bastard (from ska). Kak ty s toj
sucaroj moeh razgovarivath?
How can you stand to even talk to that
bitch?
SCIJ: Scij syn, idiom, rude. A
worthless person (lit., son of a bitch).
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260
Ty, sucij syn, zatknish, sluath
teb ne ela. Shut up, you son of a
bitch! I dont want to hear another word
out of you. Sch lpa, idiom, rude. A
bastard, scoundrel (lit., bitchs paw).
Ty, such lapa, dolg otdavath bu-
deh? You bastard, are you going to
pay what you owe me?
SUCK, -ov, pl., joc. Hands (lit., twigs).
SCNIK, -a, m., army. A dog breeder
(from suka, bitch). Ty sobak ne
lbih, rabota sucnika ne dl teb.
You shouldnt be a dog breeder if you
dont like dogs.
SUCK, suck, m., neg. 1. Cheap vodka
of poor quality (lit., knotty wood, allud-
ing to wood alcohol). V magazine
tolhko sucok. Theyve only got cheap
vodka at the store. 2. rude. A bastard,
scoundrel (from ska). Ty komu,
sucok, grubih? Hey, who do you think
youre yelling at, you son of a bitch?
SUTH/NASUTH: suth/nasu-
th suxar, idiom. To get ready to go
to prison (lit., to dry biscuits). Za vse
tvoi dela tebe pora suith suxari.
After what youve done, youd better
start drying biscuits. Suth vsla,
idiom. 1. To stop doing something (lit., to
dry ones oars). Sui vsla, koncaj
rabotu. Well, its time to stop work.
2. An expression of surprise, shock. A
potom nacalosh takoe! Sui vsla:
oni vse polezli v draku. Then all hell
broke loose. Dry your oars they all got
into a fistfight. Suth mozg, idiom,
neg. To pester, annoy (lit., to dry some-
ones brains). Ona mne vesh denh
suila mozgi, vs rasskazyvala o svo-
ix stradanix. She addled my brains
all day with her stories about her trou-
bles.
SUNK, -, m. Dry wine. Pod mso
sunk nicego idt. Dry wine goes
well with meat. Sunk probl
kog-l., idiom. Someone wants to drink
(lit., dryness [thirst] has attacked some-
one). Men sovsem sunk probil,
gde by xoth vina dostath? Im dying
for something to drink. Where can I get
some wine?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
261
, -, f., army. A helmet (lit., mordu i xvatit. Youve punched each
sphere). , other in the face twice, cut in out now.
? Put on your helmet SQEZDK, -a, m., joc., rude. A delegate
or youll lose your head.
SXARCTH, perf. only, neg. To mistreat,
humiliate, persecute maliciously. x,
takogo celoveka sxarcili! Ego uvo-
lili, a byl xoroij ucnyj. The way
those people persecuted that man! In the
end they fired him, though he was a fine
scholar.
SXVATTH: (U kogo-l.) vs sxvceno,
see under vs.
SXLOPOTTH, perf. only, joc. To be
punished, get whats coming to you.
Sejcas sxlopoceh, prekrati u-
meth. Youre going to get it if you dont
stop making that racket.
SXODTH: Kdyj sxdit s um po- SYNK, synk, m., army, neg. A young,
svemu, see under kdyj.
SXDKA, -i, f., joc. A meeting (lit., a
secret or revolutionary meeting). Na
rabote u nas sxodka v 5 casov, budu
doma popoze. Ill be home a little late
today. Were having at meeting at work at
5 oclock.
SXUBNICATH, perf. only, rude. To
make a mistake. Ty, konecno, sxub-
nical, kogda soglasils im pomoch.
You made a big mistake when you
promised to help them.
SCSTHE: Ne v dnhgax scsthe, a v ix
kolcestve, see under ne.
SCT: Za moj sct, za tvo dnhgi, see
under za.
SCITTH/POSCITTH zby, idiom,
rude. To beat someone up (lit., to count
someones teeth). slyal, emu
poscitali zuby za vse ego prodelki. I
heard they beat him up for the things he
did.
SQBYVATHS/SQEBTHS, rude.
Cf. b-. 1. To overindulge in sex. On
sovsem sqebals, poxudel. Hes really
been overdoing it in the sex department
look how much weight hes lost! 2.
To leave, go. Kogda sqbyvaems po
domam? When are we going home?
SQZDITH, perf. To hit (lit., to drive
into). Sqezdili drug druga paru raz v
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SR
of the Peoples Deputy Congresses of the
perestroika period (by wordplay on
sqezd, congress and pizdk).
SQEZTH/SQXATH, neg. To go
crazy. On, poxoe, sovsem sqexal ot
adnosti. He seems to have gone
crazy from greed.
SQM, -a, m., youth. 1. An opportunity or
occasion for meeting girls. Kak prol
sqm? Skolhkix snli? How was the
party? How many girls did you get to
meet? 2. A date, tryst. Kogda u teb s
Lizavetoj sqm? Whens your date
with Liz?
SYGRTH v wik. See under igrth.
inexperienced soldier, a raw recruit. A
nu, synok, bystro za vodoj. Come on,
sonny-boy, get us some water on the dou-
ble!
SPATH/SYPANTH. 1. To leave, get
out. Syph otsda! Get out of here!
2. To run. Vse sypanuli v magazin:
tam spirtnoe dat. Everyone ran to
the store where there was liquor for sale.
SPATHS/ZASPATHS. To fail
an examination. On zasypals na ma-
tematike. He failed the math exam.
Pesk sp(l)ets iz kog-l., see
under pesk.
, -, f. Blood (lit., dampness).
, ,
. Looks
like there was a big fight here, Theres
goo all over the floor.
SROSTH: Zavestsh (vzths) ot s-
rosti, see under zavestsh. Razvo-
dth/razvest srosth, see under
razvodth.
SJN, -a, m., youth. A party, gathering
(from Eng. session). Namecaets
sjn, ty pojdh? Theres going to
be a party. Will you come?
SR, -a, m., joc. Strangeness, unintelligi-
bility, craziness (from srrealizm, sur-
realism). Ne iznh, a sr splonoj.
Our life these days is something com-
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SRNYJ 262

pletely weird.
SRNYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Strange, unintel-
ligible. to srna istori. Thats
a weird story.
SSKATH/ZASSKATH, neg. To
speak fawningly or in baby talk, to coo.
ne lbl, kogda so mnoj ss-
kat. I dont like being crooned at.
SVKA, -i, m., crim., neg. 1. A young,
inexperienced thief. Tut rabota ne
dl men, pusth to svki delat.
Thats no job for me give it to the
small fry. 2. A homeless beggar, a pau-
per. U nego nicego net, u togo
svki. That poor beggar has absolutely
nothing.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TABK: Dlo tabk, see under dlo.
TABL, n., indecl., youth, rude, neg. Face,
mug. Tebe dath v tablo? You look-
ing for a punch in the face? Namli-
vath/namlith tabl komu-l., see
under namlivath.
TABURTOVKA, -i, f., joc. Home brew
(from taburetka, wooden stool). Kto
tebe dal taburetovku? Who did you
get that moonshine from?
TAZ: Nakryvths/nakrths md-
nym tzom, see under nakryvths.
TAK: Za tak, idiom. Gratis, for nothing.
Za tak tebe nikto ne budet pomo-
gath, nado platith ili stavith vy-
pivku. Nobodys going to help you for
nothing you have to pay them or at
least offer them something to drink.
TAK DAM: Tak dam, vs iznh na ap-
tku bdeh rabtath, idiom. A threat
of a severe beating; lit., Ill give it to you
so that youll be paying the medical bills
for the rest of your life. Ne prista-
vaj, a to tak dam, vs iznh na apte-
ku rabotath budeh. Get off my case
or Ill give it to you so that youll never
see the end of the medical bills. Tak
dam, ni odn dktor ne pocnit,
idiom. A threat of a severe beating. Ew
raz s nej budeh tanevath, tak dam,
ni odin doktor ne pocinit. If you
dance with her again Ill give it to you so
that no doctor will be able to fix you.
Tak dam, ni odn bolhna ne pr-
met, idiom. A threat of a severe beating.
Ew raz nas roditelm zaloih,
tak dam, ni odna bolhnia ne
primet. If you tell on us to our parents
again, Ill give it to you so that no hospi-
tal will admit you.
TAK NA TAK MENTH, TLHKO
VRM TERTH, rhyming phrase,
joc., euph. Lit., To exchange this for that
is just a waste of time; an expression for
declining a proposed swap or barter (cf.
xuj na xuj menth . . . under xuj).
Davaj menth benzin na maslo!
Tak na tak menth, tolhko vrem
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terth. Lets trade your gas for my oil.
A deal like that is just a waste of
time.
TAK NE TAK, PERETKIVATH NE
BDEM, idiom, joc. Used in reply to the
expression Tak, tak, in the sense
Theres nothing to be done, It cant be
changed. Tak, tak, pontno, my
nikuda ne idm. Tak ne tak,
peretakivath ne budem. Well, thats
it. Were not going. Right or wrong,
were not going to change it.
TAK ON I LI, gby krsili, a
nog ne mli, rhyming phrase, joc. Lit.,
So they lived: they painted their lips, but
didnt wash their feet. Used in sardonic
response to the difficulties of life.
Opth eny vyrosli vdvoe. Tak oni
i ili. . . . Prices have doubled again.
Well, so they lived. . . . Tak on i
li, spli vrozh, a dti bli,
rhyming phrase, joc. Lit., So they lived:
they slept separately, but still they had
children. Used in ironic resignation to
the difficulties of life: What can you
do? Cest la vie! Skoro nam na
pensi uxodith, a ne xocets. Tak
oni i ili. . . . Were going to be pen-
sioned off soon, though we arent ready
to retire. Well, so they lived. . . .
TAKE PIROG! idiom. Thats the way
it is; thats how things stand (lit., What
pies!). Opth ne platt vovrem
zarplatu, takie pirogi! Theres
going to be another delay in paying our
salaries. Well, thats the way the cookie
crumbles.
TAK-PERETK, idiom, neg. A euphe-
mism for swearwords or abusive lan-
guage. Tak-peretak! Skolhko mono
tebe povtorth: ne beri cuie vewi!
Sugar! How many times do I have to tell
you not to take other peoples things!
TAKJ XOLDNYJ, KAK KROKO-
DL GOLDNYJ, rhyming phrase,
joc. Very cold (lit., as cold as a crocodile
is hungry). Cto, na ulie moroz? Ty
takoj xolodnyj, kak krokodil golod-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TAKJ-SKJ-NEMZANNYJ
nyj. It must be awfully cold out
youre as cold as a crocodile is hungry.
TAKJ-SKJ-NEMZANNYJ,
idiom, joc. A nonsense phrase used as a
euphemism for swearing or obscenity.
Gde to teb ugorazdilo tak vyva-
lths v snegu, takoj-skoj-nemazan-
nyj? How did you manage to get all
covered with snow like that, dang you!
TALDCITH/ZATALDCITH, neg.
To speak repetitively or droningly.
Skucno s nim: on vsegda taldycit o
svoix problemax. Its boring to be
around him; he just keeps droning on and
on about his own problems.
TLITH/POTLITH, rude. To have
sex with a woman. Ty nal mesto,
gde e talith? Have you found some-
place where you can take her to bed?
TALMD, -a, m., neg. A long, difficult,
boring book (lit., Talmud). tot tal-
mud po istorii mne nado procitath
do ponedelhnika. Ive got to read this
whole history tome by Monday.
TALMUDSTIKA, -i, f., neg. A boring,
pedantic, or obscure field of study (lit.,
Talmud studies; cf. mudstika). On
zanimaets kakoj-to talmudisti-
koj: to li istoriej KPSS, to li
filosofiej. Hes studying some sort
of Talmudistics the history of the
CPSU, or philosophy, or something like
that.
TAMBVSKIJ VOLK TEB TOV-
RIW, idiom. Youre not my comrade;
dont call me comrade (lit., A Tambov
wolf is your comrade). This idiom arose
in Soviet prison life as a response of
authorities to detainees who accidentally
addressed them as comrade a status
of which their arrest had deprived them
instead of using the approved term
citizen.
TAMIZDT, -a, m., obs. Russian litera-
ture banned in the Soviet Union and
therefore published abroad (lit., there-
publication, by analogy with samizdt).
Ty cital v tamizdate Vojnovica?
Did you read Voinovich in a tamizdat
edition?
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264
, idiom.
Said of any dirty vehicle (lit., tanks are
not afraid of any dirt).
? Are you going to wash that old
car, or do you think that tanks arent
afraid of dirt?
TNKOM NE OSTANVIH kog-l.,
idiom, joc. Someone is very determined,
persistent, energetic (lit., you cant stop
him with a tank). Ona vs ravno svoego
dobhts: e i tankom ne ostano-
vih. Shell get what she wants no mat-
ter what; she couldnt be stopped even by
a tank.
TANPL, -a, m., youth. A dance floor,
hall (from tany, dances, and pol,
floor). Na tanpol pojdm segod-
n? Are we going dancing today?
TNY-MNY, tnev-mnev,
pl., joc. A dance, dancing (esp. crowded
and noisy). A potom nacalish, kak
vsegda, tany-many. Then they
started up with the dancing, as usual.
TANHG, -, f., joc. Money. Tanhga
esth? Pojdm v restoran. If youve
got money, lets go eat in a restaurant.
TARABRWINA, -y, f. Gibberish,
unintelligible speech. Nicego ne poj-
mu, cto on govorit? Kaka-to tara-
barwina. I cant make out a word of it,
hes just talking giberrish.
TARAKN, -a, m. 1. A nickname for
Stalin (lit., cockroach). Tarakan naro-
da pogubil utko! Its awful how
many people the Cockroach murdered.
2. m., neg. A mustached man (e.g., Stalin;
lit., a cockroach). Ty znaeh togo
tarakana? Do you know that guy with
the mustache? S taraknami, neg.
Having marked peculiarities, eccentrici-
ties, touches of madness (lit., with cock-
roaches). On s bolhimi taraka-
nami. Hes got bats in his belfry.
TARAKNOVKA, -i, f., joc., neg. Cheap,
strong liquor (based on the idea of cock-
roach poison). Kak nuno seb ne
uvaath, ctoby pith taku taraka-
novku. Youd have to be really depraved
to drink that sort of rotgut.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 265

265 TVRCESKIJ ZAPR

TARNITH/PRITARNITH. To bring. rith s toboj taka taska vsegda.

Pritaranh mne knigi. Bring me the Its always a pleasure to talk with you.
books. TSSOVKA, -i, f., journalism, obs. Infor-
TARANTS, -a, m., neg., joc. An old car, mation from the news agency TASS.
jalopy (lit., a type of wagon). Kak ty Ty ue prosmotrel tassovku?
na takom tarantase ezdih? How Have you looked at the TASS report
can you drive that old jalopy? yet?
TARAXTLKA, -i, m. & f., neg., joc. TACNKA, -i, f. An automobile. U
From taraxteth, to rattle, to rum- teb tacanka na xodu? Is your car
ble.) 1. A garrulous person. Nu, ty running?
vs ue uspela rasskazath, tarax- TCKA, -i, f. A automobile, a taxi.
telka? So, have you managed to tell Beri tacku i na samolt. Hail a cab
the whole story yet, chatterbox? 2. A and lets go to the airport.
noisy old car. Zavodi svo tarax- TACKODRM, -a, m., joc. A taxi stand.
telku, da poedem. Crank up the old rat- Pojdm na tackodrom, tam mono
tletrap and lets get going. vzth mainu bystree. Lets go over
/ - to the taxi stand well get a cab quicker
, idiom, army. To be scared, fright- there.
ened (lit., to rattle ones behind). - TAKNT, -a, m., joc. Intense heat (from
, Takent, the capital of Uzbekistan). U
. Now lets vas tut v komnate Takent, a na
think about what we have to get done, we ulie sovsem xolodno. Its hot as an
can have a shit fit later. oven in your room, even though its cold
TARWITHS/VTARAWITS, outdoors.
neg. To stare. Nu, cto ona na men TAW, -a, m., youth. Pleasure. See tska.
vytarawilash? How come she was
TAWLOVKA, -i, f., youth. Something
staring at me like that?
wonderful. Italhnska strada
TARLKA, -i, f. A flying saucer; a UFO prosto tawilovka! That Italian show
(lit., a plate). Vse sejcas tolhko i go- is simply terrific!
vort, cto o tarelkax. All every-
TAWTH, imperf., youth. To please, to
ones talking about these days is flying
delight. Men tawat denhgi i ew
saucers.
kak! I adore money.
TARLOCNIK, -a, m., joc. Someone TAWTHS, imperf. only, youth. 1. To
interested in or attracted by UFOs. ne use drugs. Skolhko let on ue ta-
ponima vsex tix tarelocnikov. I wits? How many years has he been
dont understand all these flying-saucer taking dope? 2. To be high on drugs.
nuts. ue silhno tawush, mne bolhe ne
TARC, -a, m., youth. Drug-induced intoxi- nado. Im already pretty high; I dont
cation. See torc. need any more stuff. Tawths ot
TRY-BRY, idiom, neg. Chatter, empty kog-l., youth, pos. To be crazy about, in
talk. Vcera my vstretilish i veli love with, ecstatic about someone.
tary-bary do utra. We got together ot nego prosto tawush. Im just crazy
last night and chewed the rag until morn- about him. Tawths kak lom v
ing. govn, see under govn.
TASK, -a, m., youth. Drunkenness, drug- TAXA, -i, f., youth, obs. A necktie (from
induced intoxication (from tawiths, to Eng. tie). Taxu ne zabudh nadeth.
drag oneself about). U teb task, Dont forget to wear a tie.
viu. I see youre high. TVRCESKIJ ZAPR, idiom, neg.
TSKA, -i, f., youth. Pleasure (from Inability to work, writers block (lit., con-
tawiths, to be pleased). Pogovo- stipation of the creative faculties). Ne
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TVO DU TAK
trogaj ego, on nervnyj, u nego
tvorceskij zapor. Dont bother him.
Hes got writers block and hes very
touchy.
TVO DU TAK, rude. Damn you!
Damn it! Govori, cto natvoril,
tvo duu tak! Tell me what youve
been up to, damn you!
TEB ZBY NE MUT? idiom, neg. Ill
knock your teeth out (lit., Arent your
teeth feeling a little tight? [Ill loosen
them for you]). Ty slikom obnag-
lel, tebe zuby ne mut? Youre out
of line. Im going to knock your teeth
out.
TEKST, -v, pl., music. (Written) lyrics
of songs, esp. rock songs (distorted from
teksty, texts). U teb esth tek-
sta poslednix grupp? Do you have the
lyrics of the new groups songs?
TEKCKA, -i, f., neg. From tech, to
flow. 1. Routine, daily life. Tekucka
sovsem zaela. Im sick of this daily rou-
tine. 2. Turnover, change of personnel.
U nix na zavode bolha tekucka.
They have a very high turnover at that
plant.
TELGA, -i, f. Lit., a cart. 1. Denuncia-
tion, informing. Kto-to na men te-
legu za telegoj piet. Someone
keeps writing denunciations against me.
2. An official report of someones arrest
or detainment. Na nego telega iz mi-
liii prila: noceval v vytrezvi-
tele. Theres been an official report
about him from the police: he spent the
night in the sobering-up tank. 3. youth,
neg. A tall story, lie. Vs to telegi.
I dont believe those tall tales. Gnath/
prognth telgu, see under gnath2.
TELKA: Vagn i mlenhka tel- TELEFNNOE PRVO, idiom. Lit.,
ka, see under vagn.
TELNIK, -a, m., youth, neg. A liar,
someone who tells dubious tales. Ne
verh emu, on izvestnyj telenik.
Dont believe him. Hes a well-known
liar.
TLEK, -a, m. Television. Cto segodn
po teleku? Whats on TV today?
TELEMN, -a, m. Someone who likes to
Page 266
266
watch TV or watches TV a lot. On knig
ne citaet, sovsem prevratils v
telemana. He doesnt read books any
more; hes turned into a regular couch
potato.
TLE-MTO-BBA-LBTELH, -,
m., joc. A skirt-chaser, playboy. Mne
kaets, tot tele-moto-baba-
lbitelh nikogda ne enits. I
think hes too much of a skirt-chaser to
ever get married.
TELNOK, telnka, m. A inexperienced
young man (lit., calf). Kak ty budeh
ith bez roditelej? Ty ew sovsem
telnok. How are you going to live
without parents? Youre still wet behind
the ears.
TELEPTH/PROTELEPTH, joc. To
guess, divine, intuit (from telepati,
telepathy). Kak ty protelepal,
cto segodn ne budet zantij? How
did you guess that there would be no
classes today?
TELEPTHS1, imperf. only, neg. To lag
behind. Cto vy telepaetesh szadi,
dogonjte! How come youre lagging
behind like that! Catch up!
TELEPTHS 2 /PROTELEPTHS.
To waste time, to spend time uselessly.
My protelepalish v gorode elyj
denh, no tak i nicego ne kupili, cto
xoteli. We wasted the whole day in
town without finding any of the things we
intended to buy.
TELES, tels, pl., neg. A human body,
usually a fat body. Telesa-to pri-
kroj. Put some clothes on your body.
TELEFN: Isprcennyj telefn, see
under isprcennyj.
telephone right. The ability of highly
placed government officials to interfere
in or influence affairs by telephoning
their highly placed friends and connec-
tions. Poka suestvuet telefonnoe
pravo, ni o kakom pravovom gosudar-
stve ne moet byth i reci. So long
as the telephone right exists, there can
be no question of any legitimate govern-
ment.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
267
TELTHS/PROTELTHS, neg. To
delay, go slowly, shilly-shally (lit., to
calve). Cto vy telitesh? Vedh my
ue opazdyvaem na poezd! What are
you dilly-dallying for? Were already late
for the train.
TLKA, -i, f., neg. A girl, a girlfriend (lit.,
a calf). My byli tam vcetverom: s
drugom i dve tlki. There were four of
us my friend and I, and the two
chicks.
TELODVINIE: Dlath telodvi-
ni, see under dlath.
, -, m. A sailors striped t-shirt shadow economy, an operator, a shady
or wife-beater (from , body).
TEMATCESKIJ VCER, idiom. A
party for close friends. Cuix ne
privodi, vecer strogo tematiceskij.
Dont bring any outsiders to the party,
its strictly for friends.
TMECKO: Dolbth po tmecku, see
under dolbth.
TMNA: Ustrivath/ustrith tm-
nu kom-l., see under ustrivath.
TEMNLA, -y, m. & f., neg. Someone
who purposely hides or distorts informa-
tion. On takoj temnila, ty ot nego
nicego ne dobhhs. Hes such an
obfuscator youll never get anything
out of him.
TEMNTH, imperf. only, neg. To hide or
distort information. Ne temni! Ska-
i, cto ty reil delath v toj
situaii. Dont be so secretive! Tell
me what youve decided to do.
TEMNOT, -, f., neg. Lit., darkness.
1. crim. A liar, deceiver. On e
temnota, a vy ui razvesili. Hes a
liar, and you went and believed him! 2.
An ignoramus. Nu i temnota ty,
lementarnyx vewej ne ponimaeh.
What an ignoramus you are! You dont
know the simplest things. 3. crim. Tran-
quilizers, narcotics. Daj nemnogo tem-
noty. Give me a little darkness.
TMNYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Ignorant, stupid
(lit., dark; alluding to the standard pre-
revolutionary characterization of the
Russian peasants as tmnyj narod).
Vasilij u nas tmnyj sovsem, ploxo
Page 267
TERTH
soobraaet cto k cemu. Our Vasily is
a complete numskull; he has no idea
whats what. Tmnyj les, idiom.
Something unintelligible (lit., a dark for-
est). Dl men vai rassudeni ob
konomike, ob inflaii tmnyj
les. Your discussions of economics and
inflation are Greek to me.
TEMP: V tmpe, idiom. Quickly, energeti-
cally. Sobirajs v tempe, v kino
opazdyvaem. Get ready quickly. Were
late for the movie.
TENEVK, -, m., neg. A member of the
character (from tenh, shadow). Tene-
viki ldi neprostye, oni umet
ispolhzovath situai. Those oper-
ators are tricky people they know how
to exploit a situation.
,
idiom, army. Said of privates heading for
absence without leave (lit., shadows dis-
appear at noon, from the title of a popular
movie). ,
, .
Look, theyre climbing over a fence,
those AWOLs disappearing like shadows
at noon.
TPLENHKIJ, -a, -oe. 1. Ripe for
action, ready to go (lit., warm). ego
dolgo ugovarival poexath na g, on
ue tplenhkij. Ive been working on
him for a long time, persuading him to
take a trip to the south; now hes all hot to
trot. 2. Drunk. Vy, viu, ue
tplenhkie. I see you guys are drunk
already.
TPLYJ, -a, -oe. 1. neg. Drunk. Da
ty sovsem tplyj, s toboj nikuda
ne pojdu. Im not going anywhere with
you youre completely drunk!
2. army, joc. Stupid. Ty cto, sovsem
tplyj? What are you, some kind of
idiot?
TERTH, imperf. only. Lit., to rub. 1. To
paint a picture, work on a painting. On
ue god vs trt odnu kartinu. Hes
been smearing away at that same painting
for a year already. 2. rude. To have sex
with a woman. e vs noch tr,
nicego, ponravilosh. I made love with
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TERTHS/POTERTHS
her all night it was great.
TERTHS/POTERTHS, rude. To
spend time in a certain circle, to associate
with certain people. Cto ty tut
trhs, tebe zdesh delath necego.
How come you keep hanging out around
us? Theres nothing for you here.
TERP: Ne v terp, idiom. Very
impatient. Mne ne v terp poexath
v les za gribami. I cant wait to go
mushroom hunting in the woods.
TERPKA, -i, f., joc. Patience, endu-
rance. Tak ith trudno, nikakoj
terpki ne xvataet. Its hard to live
like this; the patience of a saint isnt
enough.
TERP URVLS, idiom, Ukr. I have
no patience, Ive lost my patience (from
terpenie, patience, and rvaths, to
break). Terpe urvals dath, poka
vy boltath koncite. I have no
patience to wait for you to finish your
gabbing.
TERRORST, -a, m., joc. A playboy,
seducer, Don Juan. Ty u nas izvest-
nyj terrorist, ni odnu bku ne pro-
pustih. Everyone knows youre an
awful womanizer youre after every
skirt you see.
TESTH: Xoth kol na golov te, see
under xoth.
TSTO: Iz druggo tsta, idiom, neg.
Different, outside the norm (lit., from a
different dough). Ty cto, iz drugogo
testa, pocemu ne pomogaeh nam?
What do you think you are, some supe-
rior sort of being? Why dont you give us
a hand? enx i nevsta obqlis
tsta, see under enx.
TETR: Glux tetr, see under
glux. Snna tetr, see under sn-
na.
TTKA, -i, f., youth, joc. A girl (lit., an
aunt). A tam ttki na vsex budut?
Will there be enough girls to go
around?
TEXNRH, -, m. Someone with a techni-
cal education. Net, on texnarh, ne
filolog. He studied technical subjects,
not humanities.
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268
TXNIK: nyj txnik, see under
nyj.
: , idiom. On
tape, under electronic surveillance (lit.,
under technical devices).
. Im not
saying anything on tape.
TEXNCNO, adv. Well, elegantly, suc-
cessfully. Ty nad nim texnicno
poutil. That was a clever trick you
played on him.
TCKA, -i, f., rude. Lit., estrus. 1. Sexual
excitement, availability. U teb cto,
tecka, na vsex muikov brosaehs?
What are you, in heat or something?
How come youre throwing yourself at all
the men? 2. Menstruation. U ne
tecka, ona ne dat. Shes got her
period, so she wont sleep with me.
TECH V KRE, idiom, joc. Strange
behavior, eccentricity (lit., a leak in the
roof). U nego tech v krye, vs vre-
m cto-to bormocet vslux. Has he
got a screw loose or something? How
come hes always muttering to himself?
TIGRA, -y, f. A strong, energetic
woman (lit, tigress). Ej pale v rot ne
kladi, nastowa tigria. Dont
mess with her, shes a real tigress.
TKALKA, -i, f., youth., joc. A heart
(from tik-tak, the sound of a clock).
Cto-to tikalka stucit. For some
reason my ticker is thumping very hard.
/. To tick, to make
the sound of time passing (from -,
a watch sound).
? What time does your watch
say (tick)?
/. To run, escape
(from Ukrainian). ,
, ,
. Theres no way to get out
of here, the rivers behind us and they can
get a shot at us from there. We have to
stay where we are.
TKET, -a, m., youth, obs. Ticket (from
Eng. ticket). Tiket dostal? Did
you manage to get a ticket?
TKI-TAK, adv., joc. Ukr. 1. Just right,
just so, exactly. Ty to delaj tiki-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
269
tak, i vs budet xoroo. If you do it
just exactly like that, everything will be
fine. 2. Well, fine. U nas vs budet
tiki-tak, posmotrih. Wait and see
everything will turn out fine.
TIPN TEB NA ZK, idiom, neg.
Lit., (May you get) a blister on your
tongue. An expression for objecting to
the uttering of negative predictions.
Vot zaboleeh, togda uznaeh, cto
znacit byth odnomu. Tipun tebe
na zyk, poka zdorov. When you get
sick, youll find out what it really means
to be on your own. Bite your tongue!
So far Im just fine!
TPCIK, -a, m., neg., joc. An unpleasant
or suspicious character (lit., a type). Nu
i tipcik tvoj drug, takogo grubina
ew ne videla. Your friend is quite an
unpleasant character. Ive never seen
such rudeness!
TIR: Vyxodth/vjti v tir, see
under vyxodth.
, -a, n. A liar (from , to zakoncim. Whats the hurry? We can do
cheat). See . , - the job calmly and still finish by
, . The man evening.
is telling you a pack of lies, hes a bullshit
artist.
TSNUTH, perf. only. Lit., to squeeze,
press. 1. To print, publish. On nedavno
tisnul paru statej. He published a
couple of articles recently. 2. youth. To
steal. Kto tisnul denhgi so stola?
Who stole the money that was on the
table?
TTI-MTI, idiom, neg., joc. A
womans breasts. Prikroj svoi
titi-miti, a to sda mogut vojti.
Cover your titties someone could
walk in here anytime. Razvodith/ raz-
vest tti-mti, see under razvodth.
TTHKA, -i, f., neg., joc. A womans
breasts. Smotri, u ne ue vyrosli
tithki! Look, shes starting to get tit-
ties!
TIXRH, -, m., crim., neg. A plainclothes
police officer. Posmotri, tam ne ti-
xarh za uglom topcets? Go see if
thats a plainclothes cop over there in the
corner.
Page 269
TOLK VEL, BSTOLOK OSTLS
TXIJ (-a, -oe), kak sto obezhn v
kltke, idiom, joc. Naughty, noise (lit.,
as calm as hundred monkeys in a cage).
Kakoj u Vas syn spokojnyj malh-
cik. Kak e tixij, kak sto... What
a well-behaved boy you have! Oh,
yeah, quiet as a barrel of monkeys.
TXIJ AS! idiom. Terrible! Incredi-
ble! (lit., speechless horror). Tixij
uas! Na bank lopnul. Oh, my God!
Our bank has collapsed.
TXO KAK V TNKE, idiom. Calm,
normal, orderly (lit., quiet as in a tank).
Kak dela na rabote: sporite, naver-
noe, perestraivaetesh? Cto ty, u
nas vs tixo kak v tanke. How are
things at work? Are they trying to apply
the perestroika policies in your office?
Are you kidding? Everythings just chug-
ging along as usual.
TXOJ SPOJ, idiom. Calmly, without
haste (lit., with a quiet hoe). Kuda nam
speith, tixoj sapoj k veceru vs
TOVARNK, -, m. A freight train. to
ne lektricka, tovarnk idt.
Thats not our train; its a freight train.
TOG: Kto-l. tog, idiom, neg. Crazy.
On cto, togo? Whats with him? Is
he out of his mind?
TOK, -a, m., youth, obs. Talk (from Eng.
talk). Mne tot tok ne nravits.
I dont like that kind of talk. Davth/
prodavth tok, see under davth.
TKARH-PKARH, tkar-pkar, m.,
neg. An incompetent worker (lit., a
turner-baker). Esli ty ne znaeh,
kak remontirovath utg, tokarh-
pekarh, to zacem togda polez? You
bungler, if you dont know how to fix an
iron, why did you even start up?
TOLK VEL, BSTOLOK OSTL-
S, idiom, joc. An apotropaic expression
used to show uncertainty about the clev-
erness or success of someone or some-
thing (playing on the positive idiom tolk
vyel, someone/something has become
a success). Kak tvoi deti? Iz nix
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TOLKTH/TOLKNTH
vyel tolk? Tolk vyel, besto-
lok ostals. How are your kids doing?
Has anything good come of them?
Well, what can you expect from kids like
that?
TOLKTH/TOLKNTH. To sell (lit., to
push over). ue tolknul vse svoi
dollary. Ive already sold all my dol-
lars. Tolkth/tolknth recgu, Go over to the store.
idiom, neg. To give a speech, deliver a
speech. On opth tolkaet recugu ob
konomike. Hes giving another speech
on economics.
TOLKTHS, imperf. only, rude. To
have sexual relations. On s nej davno
tolkaets? Has he been sleeping with
her for long?
TOLKCKA, -i, f., neg. 1. A crowd. V
metro segodn taka tolkucka. The
subway was awfully crowded today.
2. A market, an open-air bazaar. Poj-
dm na tolkucku, sapogi kupith nado.
Lets go down to the flea market. I need
to buy some boots.
TOLSTOMSYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Fat,
obese. Ty togo tolstomsogo zna-
eh? Do you know that fat fellow?
TOLCK, tolck, m. 1. A toilet. A vot
i tolcok, davaj zajdm. Lets stop in
the bathroom over there. 2. An open-air
market, flea market (cf. tolkcka 2).
Ty byl na tolcke segodn? Plas-
tinki prodavali? Were you at the
market today? Were they selling records
there? Tolck s pedlmi, idiom, , . Im
neg. A car in bad condition, a worthless
automobile (lit., a tolcok with pedals).
to ne maina, a tolcok s peda-
lmi. Thats not a car, its a can on
wheels.
---, idiom, army. ,
Said about a poor marksman (from ,
wide of the mark, and , askew).
, this reconnaissance mission. Youre beat-
---. Try ing a dead horse! See .
to hit the target, why dont you? Youre
shooting here, there, and everywhere.
TNNA, -y, f., youth. A thousand rubles.
Vot dve tonny, kupi sebe vodki.
Heres two thousand. Buy yourself some
vodka.
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270
TNUS: ith v tnuse, see under
ith.
TNHKA, -i, f., youth, joc. Tonic water
(lit., a nickname for Antonina). Ty
din s tonhkoj phh? Can I offer
you a gin and Tonya?
TPATH/POTPATH, joc. To go (lit., to
stamp ones feet). Topaj v magazin.
/ ,
idiom. To sleep (lit., to apply someones
weight). ,
. Stop making so
much noise, Im trying to hit the sack.
TOPR: Xoth topr vaj, see under
xoth.
TOPOTNCIK, -a, m., joc. A fussbud-
get, a bustling person. Kakoj u ne
mu topotuncik, vs srazu sdelal,
kofe prins, kupil konfet. Her hus-
band is quite a busy beaver bringing
the coffee, getting the candy, just seeing
to everything.
TOPTTH/POTOPTTH, rude. 1. To
have sex with a woman. Ne xodi tuda,
tam Pethka topcet babu. Dont go
in there. Pete is screwing a girl. 2. To
beat, win a victory over. Nas potop-
tali v futbol. They beat us in soc-
cer.
, idiom, army. To
patrol a border (lit., to trample a border).
-
sick and tired of this guard duty. Ive
been marching up and down this stretch
of the border for ten years.
, idiom, army. To
bother (lit., to trample Mumu the dog).
.
For the tenth time, I wont take you on
TOPTN, -, m., neg. A detective, sleuth,
plainclothes officer. Tam za uglom
toptun. Theres a detective over there
in the corner.
TRBA, -y, f., crim. Solitary confinement,
isolation cell (lit., a bag). A za cto
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
271
teb v torbu opredelili? How come
you got put into solitary?
TRBITHS/POTRBITHS, crim.
To be in solitary confinement (cf. trba).
Skolhko ty zdesh torbihs?
How much time do you have to do in
solitary?
TORG, -, m., neg. 1. A dishonest
dealer, a speculator. ti torgai
sovsem obnagleli, mso prodat po
nemyslimoj ene. Those operators are
completely shameless, selling meat at
crazy prices like that! 2. A store clerk.
On torga, v vinnom magazine rabo-
taet. Hes a clerk in a liquor store.
TORGOVTH/STORGOVTH, crim. To
steal. Nu cto, udalosh storgovath
mainu? So did you manage to steal the
car?
TOR: Dath v tor, see under dath. TOROPSH NE SPE (, pospej
TORMKI: Vverx tormkami,
idiom, joc. 1. Topsy-turvy, in disorder.
Prila s raboty, xotela otdox-
nuth, a v dome vs vverx tormakami.
I came home from work exhausted and
wanted a rest, but everything was in a
mess. 2. usu. in childrens speech. Head
over heels, somersaulting. emu kak
dal, on i poletel vverx tormakami.
I gave him a punch and he went flying
head over heels.
, -, m. A stupid person (lit., a you up! The hell with you and your
brake pedal). threats.
. I TORPDA, -y, f. A medicinal ampule
cant explain it any more simply. Slow-
pokes like you are never going to under-
stand. Your brain must have brakes on
it.
TRMOZ: Spuskth/spustth na tor-
mozx, see under spuskth.
TORMOZTH/TORMOZNTH. To stop
someone suddenly or unexpectedly. On
perestal delath karheru, kto ego
tormoznul? It looks like his career got
stalled. Who put the brakes on him?
TORMOZTHS/TORMOZNTHS.
To stop, halt, cease. tormoznush,
bolhe pith ne budu, zavtra rano
vstavath. Im stopping now. I have to
be up early tomorrow, so Im not going to
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drink another drop.
TORMOZNJ, -, -e, youth, neg.
1. Empty, inane, stupid (of things). Cto
ty vs citaeh tormoznye knigi?
Why do you keep reading those inane
books? 2. Thickheaded, stupid (of peo-
ple). Ty segodn kakoj-to tor-
moznoj, nicego ne ponimaeh. Youre
being such a numskull today! You dont
seem to understand anything.
TORMOZK, tormozk, m., obs. A
workers lunch bag. Dostavaj tormo-
zok, pora perekusith. Get out your
lunch bag. Its time for a bite.
, -, f. Brake fluid (from
, brake). ,
, . You
need some brake fluid. I think theres a
leak in the line.
mdlenno), idiom. Slow down, dont be
in such a rush (lit., make haste slowly).
Davaj bystree, opazdyvaem!
Toropish ne spea. Come on, were
late! Dont be in such a rush.
TOROPLSH, A VSPOTL, idiom,
neg., joc. Lit., Im hurrying, Im in a
sweat; used sarcastically in refusing to
do what someone else requests. Vali
otsda, poka iv! Toroplsh, a
vspotel. Get out of here before I beat
implanted under the skin for the treatment
of alcoholism (lit., a torpedo). On s
torpedoj, emu pith nelhz. Hes got a
torpedo so he cant drink at all. Zai-
vth/zath torpdu, see under
zaivth.
TORT: Stlinskij tort, see under st-
linskij.
TORC, -a, m., youth. See torck.
TORCTH/ZATORCTH. To be drunk,
high on drugs (lit., to protrude, stick out).
Ty ue torcih. Youre high
already.
, -, -. Intoxicated or
high (from ). See .
,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TORCK
. Dont try difficulties (from Eng. trouble). Nu
to talk to him, hes stoned out of his
mind.
TORCK, torck, m., youth, neg. 1. A
drug addict. tot torcok vs zaby-
vaet. That dopehead forgets every-
thing. 2. Delight, enjoyment. ta
muzyka takoj torcok! That music
is fantastic!
TOCLO, -a, n., neg. A taxi (lit., a grind-
stone). Beri tocilo bystrej, a to
opozdaem. Get a taxi or well be late.
TOCTH/POTOCTH, army. To eat (lit.,
to sharpen, to gnaw). Tawi na stol
vs, cto potocith mono. Put
everything edible out on the table.
TCKA: Tcka soprotivlni, idiom,
joc., obs. A liquor store (lit., a point of
resistance; referring to the period of Gor-
bachevs anti-alcohol policies). A ty
znaeh, gde zdesh tocka soprotiv-
leni? Do you know if theres a point
of resistance around here? Pta tc-
ka, see under pta. Upsth na cetre
tcki, see under upsth.
TOCNK, pred. use. Accurate, exact.
Raz on skazal, znacit, to tocnk.
If he said so, you can be sure its exactly
so.
TONLOVKA, -i, f., neg. A cafeteria,
dining hall (from tonith, to be nau-
seous). Ty opth v pereryv idh v
tu tonilovku, davaj luce pojdm
v drugoe mesto perekusith. Are you
going back to that greasy-spoon for
lunch? Lets go someplace else to have a
bite.
TONTIK, -a, m., neg. An annoying,
unpleasant person (from tonith, to be
nauseous). togo tonotika trud-
no vyderath bolee pti minut.
Its hard to take that guy for more than
five minutes.
TONK, pred. use, youth, neg. Some-
thing disgusting, terribly bad (from
tonith, to be nauseous). tot
spektaklh tonk i bolhe nice-
go. That play is simply awful.
TPRU: Ni tpru, ni nu, see under ni.
TRBLY, -ov, pl., youth, joc. Troubles,
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272
cego ty placeh, kakie u teb tra-
bly? What are you crying about?
Whats the trouble?
TRAVTH/POTRAVTH, neg., joc. To
tell tall tales, to lie (lit., to give slack, give
play to rope). On master travith.
Hes a past master of spinning yarns.
TRVKA, -i, f., youth. Drugs, marijuana
(from trava, grass). Xoceh travku
pokurith? Do you want to smoke some
grass?
TRAKTOVTH/ZATRAKTOVTH,
neg., joc. To explain the obvious, to be
pedantic (from traktat, treatise). Ne
nado tak dolgo traktovath, i tak
sno, cto nuno delath. Theres no
need to lecture about it its perfectly
clear what needs to be done.
TRKTOR: Pusth rabtaet trktor
on elznyj, see under pusth.
TRLI-VLI, idiom, neg., joc. 1. Long-
drawn-out conversations. Koncaj po
telefonu beskonecnye trali-vali.
Enough of your eternal yakkety-yak on
the telephone. 2. Intimate relations, a
love affair. Ty cto, ne znaeh, u nix
trali-vali i pricm davno. Didnt
you know? Theyve been lovers for a
long time.
TRAMVJ: ne tak, du tram-
v, see under . Popadth/popsth
pod tramvj, see under popadth.
TRANDTH/ZATRANDTH, neg. To
babble on, to talk nonsense. Ne tran-
di, kto v to poverit? Dont babble
such nonsense, no one will believe it.
TRANDECXA, -i, f., joc. An overtalka-
tive woman (cf. trandth). usta s
toj trandecixoj razgovarivath.
Im tired of talking with that magpie.
TRANRA, -y, m. & f., neg. A big
spender, spendthrift. Ty u nas v semhe
odin takoj tranira, opth u teb
net deneg. Youre the biggest spend-
thrift in our family; here you are out of
money again!
TRANK, -a, m., youth. A tranquilizer, tran-
quilizers. U kogo ew trank ostals?
Who has some more tranq?
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273
TRANKSIBRSKIJ KSPRSS,
idiom, youth, joc. The Trans-Siberian
Express train, considered as a drug-traf-
ficking locale (by wordplay on trank
and transsibirskij kspress, Trans-
Siberian Express). Na tranksibir-
skom kspresse ezdt vse narki. All
the druggies ride the Trans-Siberian
Express.
TRANS: V trnse, idiom, neg. In shock,
struck dumb. Posle ego vyxodki
xou v transe. Kak mono bylo uda-
rith devuku?! Im shocked by his
behavior. How could he hit a girl?!
TRUR POD NOGTMI, idiom, joc.
Dirty nails, dirt under the fingernails (lit.,
mourning under the fingernails). U
teb pod nogtmi traur, kak ne
stydno. You should be ashamed to go
around with such dirty fingernails.
TRXALH, -, m., neg. A sexually preda-
tory man, a Don Juan. tot traxalh
vsex devok pereportil v derevne. That
Don Juan has been to bed with all the
girls in the village.
TRAXLHWIK, -a, m., neg. See tr-
xalh.
TRXANHE, -, n., rude. 1. Sex, sexual
activity. U teb na ume odno tra-
xanhe. Sex is all youve ever got on your
mind. 2. neg. Difficult, painstaking
work. Mne ue nevmogotu to tra-
xanhe so slovarem. Ive had it with this
grueling work on the dictionary.
TRXATH/TRXNUTH, rude. To have
sex with a woman. On e traxnul god
nazad, i vse ob tom znat. He
screwed her last year, and everyone
knows about it.
TRXATHS/POTRXATHS, rude.
To have sex. Ty s nej ue traxals?
Have you been to bed with her?
TRXNUTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Crazy,
strange, abnormal. Cto s toboj, xo-
dih kakoj-to traxnutyj. Whats
with you? Youre going around like some
kind of maniac. Iz-z ugl mekm
trxnutyj, idiom, neg., rude. Dazed,
crazed (lit., hit with a sack from the cor-
ner). S nim nelhz delo imeth, on e
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TRP
iz-za ugla mekom traxnutyj. You
cant do anything with him, hes com-
pletely bonkers.
TRAXODRM, -a, m., joc. A bed (lit., a
sex field). Loish v traxodrom, po-
obnimaems. Get into bed and lets
have some embraces.
TREBUX, -, f., neg. Unreliable informa-
tion (lit., entrails). to trebuxa, ne
verh emu. Thats a bunch of nonsense
dont believe him.
TRZVYJ KAK STKLYKO,
idiom, joc. Sober (lit., sober as a piece of
glass). Zavtra vse dolny byth
trezvymi kak stklyko. Tomor-
row everyones got to stay sober as a
judge.
TREJDTH(S)/POTREJDTH(S),
youth, neg. To bargain, dicker, haggle
about prices (from Eng. trade). Ne
nado trejdiths, davaj tuku i
razojdms. Lets not dicker about it;
call it a thousand and its a deal.
TRKALO, -a, n., neg. A chatterbox, leg-
puller, spinner of tall tales, liar. Nu i
trkalo ty, tebe ne ver. Youre a
fibber. I dont believe you.
TRKATH/POTRKATH, neg. To chat-
ter idly, talk nonsense. Vam ne nadoelo
ew trkath? Havent you had your
fill of chatter yet?
TREKLTYJ, -a, -oe. Damned, cursed
(thrice damned, from prokltyj and
tri). Gde e tot trekltyj gal-
stuk? Where is that damned necktie?
TRENDTHS1, youth, joc. To flirt, carry
on a courtship. Vy tut reili tren-
diths elyj denh, tak ne pojdt: u
nas ew mnogo del. If you guys are
planning to bill and coo all day, that
wont do! Weve got a lot of work to do!
TRENDTH(S)2/POTRENDTH(S),
youth, neg. To bargain, trade (cf. trej-
dths). On, kak vsegda, na Arbate
trendit, kartinki prodat. Hes on
the Arbat as usual, trading in pictures.
TRP, -a, m., neg. Long, pointless conver-
sations; babbling. Mne va trp na-
doel uasno, ot nego golova puxnet.
Your chatter is driving me crazy. My
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TREPK
head is spinning from it.
TREPK, -, m., neg. Gonorrhea (by
wordplay on tripper and the name of a
Ukrainian dance). Budeh po babam
xodith, trepak sxvatih. You could
get the clap if you sleep around.
TREPTH: iznh trepanla (potre-
pla) kog-l., see under iznh.
TREPTHS/POTREPTHS, neg. To
talk long and pointlessly, to chatter on.
Ne trepish! Esli ne znaeh naver-
nka, to i govorith nezacem. Dont
babble. If you dont know for sure, then
dont talk about it.
TREPC, -, m., neg., rude. A big talker,
boaster. Ty togo trepaca ne slu-
aj. Dont listen to that windbag.
TREPETLHKA, -i, f., youth, joc. A
romantic, sentimental young girl. Ty
davno s toj trepetulhkoj xodih?
Have you been dating that doting girl for
long?
TREPL, -, n., neg., rude. See trepc.
TRSKATH/POTRSKATH, neg. To eat
greedily (lit., to crunch). Skolhko
mono konfety treskath? Dont
wolf down so much candy.
TRSKATHS/VTRSKATHS,
youth. To take drugs. Oni v drugoj
komnate treskats. Theyre doing
some drugs in the other room.
TRXA, -i, f., neg., obs. Three rubles, a
three-ruble piece. Daj emu trxu, ne
bolhe. Dont give him more than a
three.
TRXMESTKA, -i, f., crim., obs. Thirty
rubles. S teb trxmestka. Give me
thirty rubles.
TRXNUTHS, perf. only, neg. To go
crazy, become crazed. Ot vaix zaki-
donov trxnuths mono. Your
pranks could drive someone crazy.
TRKA, -i, f., neg. See trxa.
TREWTH: Golov trewt u kog-l.,
idiom. Someone has a splitting headache
(lit., someones head is making a crack-
ing sound). U men golova trewit.
Ive got a splitting headache. Za
umi trewt, idiom. To have a hearty
appetite. Snacala otkazyvals
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274
esth, a sejcas est tak, cto za uami
trewit. At first he refused to eat, but
now hes packing it away with a hearty
appetite.
TRIDTNIK, -a, m. 1. Thirty years.
Emu zavtra tridatnik. Hell be
thirty years old tomorrow. 2. obs. Thirty
rubles. Vot tebe tridatnik i
xvatit. Heres thirty, and thats the
end of it.
TRPPER, -a, m. Gonorrhea. ,
kaets, podxvatil tripper. I seem
to have caught the clap. Kak zju
trpper, see under kak.
TRGATH mmu, idiom, neg., rude. To
hold in contempt, despise, spit on (lit., to
touch someones mother; euph. for b
tvo math). ego mamu trogal,
pusth ne grozit. The hell with him and
his threats.
TRE STOK I VS LSOM, idiom,
joc. Too far away (lit., its a three-day trip
and all forest). ivut oni gde-to na
zapade Moskvy, troe sutok i vs
lesom. They live somewhere out in the
boondocks of western Moscow.
, -, m., army. A rifle with a
telescopic sight (lit., trombone).
,
. My sniper scope was
damaged by a piece of shrapnel and I
need a new one.
TRNUTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Crazy (lit.,
touched). Ty cto, tronutyj? Takie
denhgi potratil na cepuxu! Are you
crazy, spending all that money on this
crap?
TRNUTHS, perf. only, neg. To go
crazy, lose ones mind. Posle avarii
na zavode on sovsem tronuls. After
the accident at the plant he went com-
pletely bonkers.
TROK, -, m. 1. neg. See trxa. 2. youth,
school. An average grade, a 3.
Opth trok sxlopotal po matem-
atike. I got a C in math again.
TRUB, -, f., neg. Lit., pipe. 1. Trouble,
disaster. Mne truba budet, esli
roditeli ob tom uznat. Itll be
curtains for me if my parents find out
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
275
about this. 2. youth. An underground
passageway (for crossing city streets).
Kupi gazety v trube. Buy the news-
paper in the tube. Trub dlo, idiom,
neg. Its all over, its the end, its gone.
Vsej rabote truba delo. All that
work is down the tubes.
, -, f. The end (lit., a tube). prosto trynkaet. He doesnt really
know how to play the guitar; he just did-
. Without Pakistans help, the dles around on it.
Taliban would be down the tubes.
TRUBTH/PROTRUBTH. To work long
and productively. v institute ue
protrubil 15 let. Ive been working
at the Institute for 15 years.
TRUDTHS kak Zluka, idiom. To
do hard and menial work (lit., to work
like Cinderella). truush kak
Zoluka, nikto spasibo ne skaet.
Here I am slaving away like Cinderella
and not a word of thanks from anyone.
TRUDOGLIK, -a, m. 1. obs. An inmate
of a labor-camp-cum-detox-institution for
alcoholics. Nu, trudogoliki, kogda
plan budem vypolnth? Well, worka-
holics, when are we going to get this job
done? 2. joc. Someone who drinks at
work. Trudogoliki, kogda vy domoj
pojdte, xvatit pith! Well, you
workaholics, its about time to stop drink-
ing and go home.
TRUZER, -v, pl., youth. Slacks, trousers
(from Eng. trousers). vet u tix
truzerov ne tot. Those pants are the
wrong color.
TRUP, -a, m., neg. A very drunk person
(lit., a corpse). Smotri, von ew dva
trupa idut. Look, there go two more
dead-drunk guys.
TRUS: Semjnye (Baltjskie) tru-
s, see under semjnye.
TRUXTH, imperf. only, rude. 1. To have
an orgasm. Ty sobiraehs truxath
ili net? Well, are you going to come
or not? 2. To be cowardly. Ne truxaj,
vs budet v pordke. Dont be such a
scaredy-cat. Everythings going to be all
right.
TRYND, -a, m., youth, neg. Prattle,
lies. to trynd, nicego bolhe.
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TRSTSH/POTRSTSH
Thats just a bunch of lies.
TRYNDTH/POTRYNDTH, neg. To
chatter idly, to lie. Potryndili,
xvatit. Enough tall tales.
TRNKATH/ZATRNKATH. To play a
stringed instrument without skill or train-
ing. On na gitare ne umeet igrath,
TRYN-TRAV, idiom. Unimportant, all
the same. Vse volnuts, pereiva-
t, opozdaem na samolt ili net, a
emu vs tryn-trava. Everyone else is
in a tizzy about whether were going to
miss the plane, but its all the same to
him.
TRK: Vykdyvath/vkinuth trk,
see under vykdyvath.
TRM, -a, m., joc. A stomach, belly (lit., a
ships hold). Trm pustoj s utra,
nado perekusith cego-nibudh. Ive
been running on empty all day, Ive got to
get a bite.
TRNDELH, -, m., joc., obs. Three
rubles. Trndelh na pivo esth?
Have you got a three for a beer?
TRXATH/POTRXATH, joc. To go
softly, slip out. Davaj otsda tr-
xath potixonhku. Lets slip out of here
on the quiet.
TRPCNIK, -a, m., neg. A man who is
very concerned about fashion and cloth-
ing. Ne znala , cto ty takoj
trpicnik. I didnt know you were
such a clothes-horse.
TRPKA, -i, f., neg. A person of weak
will, weak character (lit., [mere]
cloth[es]). On teb ne podderit, on
trpka. He wont be able to support
you; hes just a rag.
TRPKI, trpok, pl., neg. Clothing.
Kuda tebe stolhko trpok? What
do you need all those clothes for?
TRPOCKA: Molcth/zamolcth v
trpocku, see under molcth.
TRSTSH/POTRSTSH, joc. To
dance (lit., to shake). Idi potrsish!
Cto ty vesh vecer sidih? Come
dance! Dont just sit there all evening!
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TRXOMDSTVO
TRXOMDSTVO, -a, n., neg. Stupid
behavior, stupidity (cf. mudk). Trxo-
mudstvo takie denhgi platith za
dinsy. Its lunacy to pay that much
for jeans.
TRXOMNDI, -i, f., rude. Confu-
sion, hubbub, fuss. Skolhko moet
prodolaths ta trxomundi s
zarplatoj, e povyst ili net?
How long are they going to keep up this
confusion about our salaries? Are we get-
ting raises or not?
TBZIK, -a, m., joc. A toilet. Tebe ne
pora v tubzik? Do you need to go to
the john?
TGO, adv., youth. Excellent, very well
(lit., tightly). Cf. krto.
TUGOPLVKIJ, -a, -oe. Stupid, slow
to react (lit., of low malleability). Nu,
reajs, idh s nami, kakoj-to ty
segodn ne takoj, tugoplavkij. Make
up your mind whether youre coming
with us or not! Youre being very in-
decisive today.
TGRIKI, -ov, pl. Money (from Mongo-
lian). Skolhko u teb tugrikov,
xvatit na bloki? How much money
do you have on you? Will it be enough to
buy apples?
TUD, GDE NET TRUD, idiom, joc.
Where life is easy, where the work isnt
hard (a rhyming phrase; lit., where theres
no work). Kuda tvoj otprysk pos-
tupil uciths? Tuda, gde net tru-
da. Where is your son going to college?
On easy street.
TUD/TUD EG (E, IX) V KA-
CLH, idiom, rude. Damn him (her,
them) (a euphemistic phrase; lit., there
onto a swing). Znacit, ona brosila
syna, tuda e v kacelh. So she aban-
doned her son, damn her.
TUZ, -, m., crim. Buttocks (lit., ace).
Uberi svoj tuz, sesth negde. Move
your ass. Theres no room to sit.
TULTHS/PRITULTHS. 1. To
live in crowded conditions or in a small
space. Nadoelo zdesh tuliths v
uglu. Im sick of living in this hole in the
wall. 2. To lean up against someone.
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276
Pritulish ko mne, teplee budet.
Lean against me; itll be warmer that
way.
TMBA-MBA, tmby-mby, f.,
collect., joc. 1. Africans. 2. An exotic
language. Na kakom zyke on govo-
rit? tu tumbu-mbu ne ponima.
What language is he speaking? I dont
follow that mambo-jumbo.
TMKATH/POTMKATH, joc. 1. To
think. Siu i tumka, kak dalhe
byth. Im sitting here thinking what I
should do next. 2. imperf. only. To
understand, to know. On v algebre
cto-nibudh tumkaet? Does he know
any algebra?
TNDRA, -y, f., youth, joc. An ignorant,
uneducated person (lit., tundra). A ty,
tundra, tak nicego i ne ponl, cto
proizolo? You ignoramus, you just
havent figured out what happened, have
you?
TUPRH, -, m., neg. An ignorant, stupid,
awkward person (from tupoj, blunt).
Tuparh ty, bolhe nikto, esli mog
takoe natvorith. Youre just a
dumbbell, to do a thing like that.
TUPTH/ZATUPTH, army. To act
stupid, to play the fool (cf. tuprh).
TUPJ KAK SIBRSKIJ VLE-
NOK, idiom, joc. Stupid, ignorat (lit., as
dull as a Siberian felt boot).
TUPORLYJ, -a, -oe, neg., rude. Stu-
pid, dumb. Ne znal , cto on takim
tuporylym okaets. I had no idea
hed turn out to be so thickheaded.
TURBOVINTOVJ, -, -e, joc. Ener-
getic, efficient (lit., prop jet). On tur-
bovintovoj, on vs ustroit. Hell
arrange everything hes a regular pow-
erhouse.
, -, m., army. A soldier absent
without leave (lit. a tourist). -
,
. Lets check that guys papers, I
think hes AWOL.
TURMALJ, -, m., youth, neg. A Finn.
Priexal avtobus s turmalami,
sejcas nacnts phnka. A busload of
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277
Finns has just arrived; now the drinking
will really begin!
TROK, NE KAZK, idiom, neg. A
weak, cowardly person (lit., a Turk, not a
Cossack). x ty, turok, ne kazak, ne
moeh dae prygnuth s para-
tom! Hey, you Turk, you cant even
bring yourself to do a parachute jump!
TROK NEDORZANNYJ, idiom, neg.
A Turk (lit., an incompletely killed Turk).
Vot turki nedorezannye, opth
oni lezut v nai dela. There go those
damned Turks interfering in our affairs
again.
TURSY NA KOLSAX, idiom, neg.
Untruth. Vs to turusy na kolsax.
Xvatit sluath tu erundu! Thats
a crock! I dont want to hear that crap.
TUSMN, -a, m., youth. A crowd, a gath-
ering. Po kakomu sluca na ulie
tusman? Why is there such a crowd out
on the street?
TUSNK, -a, m., youth. See tusvka.
TUSOVTHS/POTUSOVTHS,
youth. To meet, to get together, to spend
time together (lit., to shuffle [cards]).
My obycno v kafe tusuems po
veceram. We usually get together at the
caf in the evenings.
TUSVKA, -i, f., youth. A get-together.
A gde u nix tusovka? Where do they
usually get together?
TUSVWIK, -a, m., youth. A party-goer,
playboy, good-time Charlie. Ego rabo-
tath ne zastavih, to tusov-
wik, kakix poiskath nado. Youll
never get him to work hes such a
playboy.
TUFT, -, f., crim. Nonsense, falsehood.
Ne sluaj tu tuftu. Dont listen
to that nonsense. Gnath/pognth
tuft, see under gnath2.
TUFTTH/ZATUFTTH, youth and
crim. To lie (cf. tuft).
TXAS, -a, m., neg. Buttocks (from
Heb./Yiddish tukhas). Podvinh tu-
xas, a to projti nelhz v dverh.
Move your behind youre blocking
the door.
TXLYJ, -a, -oe, neg., joc. In a bad
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TYL
mood, depressed. Cto ty xodih
elyj denh kakoj-to tuxlyj? How
come youve been going around in such a
funk all day?
TCA, -i, f. A bazaar, a secondhand mar-
ket (lit., a cloud). Ty byl segodn na
tuce? Did you go to the flea market
today?
TUEVTHS/STUEVTHS. To
be shy, shrinking (lit., to shade in a draw-
ing). Ne tuujs, zdesh vse svoi.
Dont be shy! Youre among friends
here.
TU(TE) SVET! idiom. Lit., Turn off
the light. 1. neg. Something terrible, an
awful situation. My sidim, phm.
Vdrug zaxodit nacalhnik tui
svet! We were sitting there drinking
when the boss walked in horrors!
2. pos. Excellent! Wonderful! Vcera
byli na ego konerte tuite
svet! We went to his concert last night
it was terrific!
TY I MRTVOGO IZNASLUEH
(podnmeh), idiom, neg. Lit., you
would rape (resurrect) a corpse; used in
protest against excessive insistence on
anything. Ty men dostal svoimi
proshbami. Ot teb ne otstaneh,
ty i mrtvogo iznasilueh. Theres
no getting away from your constant
demands; you would rape a corpse.
TY MNE NE TYCH, idiom. Dont
address me with ty; dont take liberties
with me. Ty mne ne tych, teb v
pervyj raz viu. Dont call me ty! I
dont even know you.
TYK: Mtod tka, see under mtod.
TKATH/TKNUTH nsom, idiom, neg.
To point out someones mistakes, criti-
cize. Cto ty men tykaeh nosom v
moi oibki? Why are you always rub-
bing my nose in my mistakes?
TKVA, -y, f., joc. A head (lit., pumpkin).
U teb esth tykva na plecax?
Havent you got a head on your shoul-
ders? Vsivath/vsadth po tkve,
see under vsivath. Davth/dath po
tkve, see under davth.
TYL, -a, m. Connections, protection,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
TRITH/STRITH
influence. Kakie u teb tyly, cto-
by ustroith ego v institut? What
kind of connections do you have, that you
were able to get him into the institute?
TRITH/STRITH. To steal. Ty
pojdh noch tyrith tlhpany?
Are you coming with us tonight to steal
some tulips?
TRKATHS/POTRKATHS, neg.
1. To bustle around, make a fuss. Ona
ue nedel so mnoj tyrkaets, tre-
buet, ctoby brosil kurith. Shes
been fussing at me for a week, trying to
get me to stop smoking. 2. To try some-
thing unsuccessfully. potyrkals v
dverh i ul. I fiddled with the door
but couldnt open it, so I left.
TYR-PR, idiom, joc. Any which way,
pointlessly, unsuccessfully. Otveca
na kzamene, tyr-pyr, viu, govor
ne to. I was just answering at random
on the exam; I could see that what I was
saying wasnt right.
TYR-PR-NAATRH, rhyming
phrase, joc. In vain, pointlessly, unsuc-
cessfully (an absurd rhyming phrase from
tyr-pr and naatyrh, smelling
salts). Popytalish zavesti mai-
nu, ona dolgo stola na moroze, tyr-
pyr-naatyrh ne polucilosh. We
tried to start the car after it had been
standing out in the cold, but nothing
doing.
TYRS(A)NTH, perf., south. To hit, to
strike (from tyrsa, sawdust).
TWA, -i, f. A thousand roubles.
Odoli tywu. Lend me a thou-
sand.
THMUTARAKNH, -i, f. An out-of-the-
way place, a distant, obscure place. On
ivt gde-to v thmutarakani, exath
k nemu casa dva. He lives somewhere
out in the sticks. It takes two hours to get
there.
TN, -a, m., youth. Ten rubles (from Eng.
ten). Daj mne tn. Give me a ten.
TNK, tnk, m. See tn.
, -, m. A pistol (from ty na men tneh, ne bral tvoi
, a type of officers gun ). denhgi. What are you blaming me for? I
TL, -i, f., joc. An awkward, clumsy
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278
person. x ty, tl, nicego delath
ne umeeh. You clumsy oaf, you cant
do anything right!
TLHKA, -i, f. Lies, tall talk. Gnath/po-
gnth tlhku, idiom. To lie. Nu ty i
master gnath tlhku. Youre so
good at making up tall tales.
TR, -i, f., crim. Bread moistened with
vodka (reputedly a way of getting more
drunk on less vodka). On potreblet
tolhko tr. He takes vodka only
with bread.
TRGA, -i, f. A prison (from trhma).
On v trge ue bolhe goda. Hes
been in jail for over a year.
TTELHKA V TTELHKU, idiom. Just
right, just exactly. Nu cto, sapogi pri-
lish kak raz? Ttelhka v t-
telhku. So, did you find boots that fit
you right? To a tee.
TFK, -a, m., neg. A passive, ineffec-
tual person (lit., a mattress). Ne budh
takim tfkom, potrebuj povye-
ni. Dont sit there like a bump on a
log, ask for a promotion!
TGA: Zadavth/zadth tgu, see under
zadavth.
TLYJ SLCAJ, idiom. Thats
hard, thats a difficult situation. Ne
mogu synu kupith zimn obuvh.
Da, tlyj slucaj. I cant afford to
buy winter shoes for my son. Thats
really tough.
-, idiom. Any mechanism
that can only be operated by human
power (lit., push-pull).
, -,
. Half the time my car
wont run on its own power, you have to
push it to get anywhere.
TNTH1/VTNUTH. To drink. My
ne uspeli oglnuths, on vytnul
elu butylku vodki. Before we
could even look around, he had already
drunk up a whole bottle of vodka.
TNTH2/POTNTH. Lit., to drag,
pull. 1. crim. To accuse, blame. Cto
didnt take your money. 2. To cost. Na
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
279
skolhko ta kurtka tnet? How
much does this jacket cost? Tnth/
potnth pustku, idiom. To fail, to
come to nothing (lit., to draw an empty
one). V kotoryj raz mu ne moem
najti ubiju, tnem pustyku za
pustykoj. Again we havent been
able find the killer. We keep drawing a
losing ticket. Tnth/potnth rez-
nu, idiom, neg. To stall, hold back, be
reluctant (lit., to stretch the rubber). Ne
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TPATH/TPNUTH
tni rezinu, govori, v cm delo!
Dont beat around the bush say
whats the matter. Ne tn kot za
xvost, see under ne.
, idiom. To smoke.
, 5
. If anyone wants to take a drag
you have five minutes.
TPATH/TPNUTH, joc. To drink (lit.,
to hoe). Davaj ew po odnoj tpnem.
Lets have another round.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
U MATRSOV NET VOPRSOV,
rhyming phrase, joc. What you said is
clear, there are no questions (lit., the
sailors have no questions, an absurd
rhyming phrase). Zadaca pontna?
Voprosy esth? U matrosov net
voprosov. Is the assignment clear? Are
there any questions? Perfectly clear.
No questions.
UBLTYVATH/UBOLTTH. To con-
vince, to persuade (from boltath, to
chat). Ne ubaltyvaj men, ne pojdu.
Dont try to talk me into it, Im simply
not going.
UBJS VNIKOM, idiom, joc. Leave
me alone, stop bothering me (lit., kill
yourself with a broom). Ubejs veni-
kom, ne meaj citath! Leave me
alone, Im trying to read!
UBIRTH/UBRTH blhma, rude. To
turn ones eyes away, look away from
something. Uberi belhma! Stop look-
ing at me!
UBLDOK, ubldka, m., neg. Idiot (lit.,
bastard). U teb znakomye odni
ubldki. Your friends are a bunch of
idiots.
UBJ, pred. use, youth. Great! Wonderful!
Stath v gazete o reforme uboj!
Theres a terrific article in the paper
about the reforms. Na ubj, idiom.
1. To death, to slaughter. Skolhko
ldej otpravili na uboj v Afganis-
tan i nikto za to ne otvetil.
Look how many people went to their
deaths in Afghanistan with no one taking
responsibility for it. 2. For slaughter.
Cto vy kormite detej kak na uboj,
oni e rastolstet, a to vredno.
Why are you stuffing the children like
turkeys for slaughter? Theyll just get fat,
and thats no good for them.
UBJNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Excellent,
wonderful. Kupi tu plastinku,
sovetu, ubojna vewh. Buy that
record believe me, its really great!
UBTH: Kog-l. ne ubdet, idiom. Noth-
ing bad will happen to someone. Lad-
Page 280
no, segodn vmesto nego porabota,
men ne ubudet. Okay, Ill take his
place at work today. No harm will come
to me by it.
/, army. To
head into town on liberty. See
.
,
. Half of the company must
stay here on duty and the other half is
authorized to go out on libbo for the
night.
UVDETH: Poum uvdim, see
under poum.
UVODTH/UVEST. To steal. U men
tolhko cto sumku uveli. My purse
was just stolen.
UGR, pred. use, youth, pos. Excellent!
Wonderful! Nu i avtomobilh u teb,
polnyj ugar! What a terrific car youve
got!
UGOVRIVATH/UGOVORTH (bu-
tlku, litr), idiom. To drink (a lot).
Kogda vy uspeli ugovorith elu
butylku? When did you manage to
drink up the whole bottle?
GOL, ugl, m. 1. obs. Twenty-five rubles.
S teb ew ugol. You still owe me
twenty-five. 2. A suitcase. Stavh
svoj ugol sda. Put your suitcase here.
Iz-z ugl mekm udrennyj (pri-
btyj, trxnutyj), see under trxnu-
tyj.
UGOLK, ugolhk, m., youth. A black
person (lit., a charcoal). A cto delaet
segodn na ugolk? Whats our black
friend up to today?
UGORTH/UGORTH, youth. To be
delighted, amazed (lit., to have carbon
monoxide poisoning). prosto ugo-
rel, kogda uznal, cto postupil v vuz.
I was just thrilled when I found out I got
accepted to college.
UGORLYJ: Kak ugorlyj, see under
kak. Kak ugorla kka, see under
kak.
UGRXATH, perf. only, neg. Lit., to thud,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
281
thump. 1. To kill. Oni ego rano ili
pozdno ugroxat. Theyre going to kill
him sooner or later. 2. To spend, waste.
ugroxal vse denhgi na mebelh. I
blew all the money on furniture.
-, idiom, army. Said of sol- sink. Who beat you up like that? Your
diers bad mood after detention in a
guardhouse (from the title of popular
novel -, lit., a gloomy river). UBYVATH/UEBTH, rude. To leave
- : (cf. b-). Pora ubyvath. Its time to
. Well leave.
take care of your bad mood right quick.
Drink two glasses of vodka and youll
feel like a new man.
UDVKA, -i, f., joc. A necktie (lit., a
noose). Ty zabyl nadeth udavku.
You forgot to wear a tie.
UDARTH/UDRITH: Udarth/ud-
rith v bku (v glovu), idiom. To
intoxicate, make drunk. On ne pil dav-
no, vino srazu udarilo v golovu. He
hasnt drunk for a long time, so the wine
went to his head very quickly.
Udarth/udrith po bbam, idiom, joc.
To go out with girls, go looking for girls
(playing on the Soviet exhortation uda-
rth/udarith po phnstvu [po progu-
lam, etc.], to strike a blow in the field of
drunkenness [absenteeism, etc.]). Pora
nam po babam udarith. Its about time
we went and struck a blow in the field of
girls. Udarth/udrith po pvu,
idiom. To drink beer, to drink in a beer
bar (lit., to hit a beer). Neploxo uda-
rith po pivu, arko! It sure would be
nice to knock back a couple of beers in
this heat! Udarth/udrith po petu-
xm, see under derth.
UDLYVATH/UDLATH, neg. Lit., to
knock down. 1. To beat, win a victory
over. Ty ego vcera xoroo udelal v
tennis. You really whipped him in that
tennis game yesterday. 2. To hit, beat
up. Skorej, tam Kolhku udelyvat
za zaborom. Hurry up. Theyre beating
up on Nick behind the fence there.
UDOVLHSTVIE: Vse trdath tri
udovlhstvi, see under vse.
UDJ, -a, m. Income (lit., yield of milk).
Neploxoj udoj za dva dn! Quite a
good income for two days work!
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UKKIVATHS/UKKATHS
DOCKA: Smtyvath/smotth docki,
see under smtyvath. Ucths na
docku, see under ucths.
UEBTH, perf. only, rude. To hit, beat (cf.
b-). Kto teb tak uebal, ne lio, a
whole face is one big black-and-blue
mark.
UBYVATHS/UEBTHS, rude. To
leave, go away (cf. b-). Kuda oni
uebalish? Where did they go?
UEDTH/USTH, neg. To criticize or
rebuke sharply, assail harshly (lit., to
bite). Elhina silhno ueli v presse
za ego phnstvo. Yeltsin was sting-
ingly rebuked in the press for his drunk-
enness.
UIRTHS/URTHS, neg. To get
very drunk. Ty vcera sovsem ural-
s. You got completely smashed yester-
day.
UIRN, -a, m., youth, neg. A drinking
bout. Posle uirona golova tre-
wit. My head is splitting after that
drinking party.
UZKOPLNOCNYJ, -ogo, neg. A
Mongolian or Asian person (lit., narrow
film, referring to the shape of the eyes).
V Irkutske devaths nelhz ot
uzkoplnocnyx. Theres no escape
from the slant-eyes over there in Irkutsk.
UZZKIVATHS/UZZKATH-
S, joc. To get very drunk. Kak tolh-
ko ty s nim vstretihs, obza-
telhno uzzkaehs. Whenever you
get together with him you get roaring
drunk.
UIKND (VIKND), -a, m. Weekend
(from Eng. weekend). Cto ty dela-
eh na uiknd? What are you doing
over the weekend?
UJT kog-l., idiom. To get rid of, fire.
On sam ul, ili ego uli s rabo-
ty? Did he leave voluntarily, or did
they fire him?
UKKIVATHS/UKKATHS. 1. To
shit in ones pants. Ty ue bolhoj, a
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
UKT
ukakals. Youre too old to soil your
pants! 2. To get scared. Cego vy vse
ukakalish, to vsego lih grom. What
are you all so scared of? Its just
thunder.
UKT, pred. use, youth. Good! Excellent!
Sluaj, anekdot zna, ukat! Lis-
ten to this joke its terrific!
UKORCIVATH/UKOROTTH. To put
someone in his place, bring someone
down a peg (lit., to shorten). Nado e
ukorotith, ona delaet, cto xocet.
Shes got to be put in her place she
thinks she can do just whatever she feels
like.
KSUS, -a, m., neg. Sour wine (lit., vine-
gar). tot uksus pith ne budu.
Im not going to drink this vinegar.
UKUSTH: Kak mxa teb ukusla?, Ive been running around all day.
see under kak.
ULMYVATH/ULOMTH, joc. To per-
suade. Tebe ego ulomath ne udasts.
You wont manage to talk him into it.
ULEPTYVATH/ULEPETNTH, joc.
To flee. Pocemu oni tak ulep-
tyvat, bots nas, cto li? Why
are they taking to their heels like that?
Are they afraid of us?
ULT! pred. use, youth. Good! Wonderful!
tot filhm nu prosto ult!
This movie is out of this world! V
ulte, idiom. Happily drunk, high.
sovsem v ulte, bolhe ne ph. Im
high as a kite already; no more for me.
ULETTH/ULETTH, youth. Lit., to fly
away. 1. To be delighted, thrilled, full of
admiration. Palhto u teb, ule-
ta! Im crazy about that coat of
yours. 2. To be amazed, shocked.
Uleteth mono, ty slyal, eny
vyrosli v tri raza. Im in shock
have you heard that prices have just
tripled?
ULTNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Amazing,
wonderful. Takix ultnyx vesternov
davno ne videl. Its been ages since
Ive seen such terrific Westerns!
UM: Ne dl srdnego um (srdnix
umv), see under ne. Ne po um, see
under ne.
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282
UMT, -a, m., youth, pos. A wonder,
something or someone wonderful. ta
gerla umat! That girl is wonder-
ful.
UMTNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Amus-
ing, entertaining. On umatnyj cuvak.
Hes a very amusing fellow.
UMTYVATH/UMOTTH, joc. 1. To
bore, weary. On umotaet kogo xo-
ceh svoimi razgovorami. Hed bore
anyone to tears with his stories. 2. To go
away, go out. Kuda deti umotali?
Where have the children gone to?
UMTYVATHS/UMOTTHS. To
be on ones feet, be running around (cf.
motath, to wind [wool, a bobbin, etc.]).
Daj poleu, umotals za elyj
denh. Let me lie down for a while
UMCI DLGO, idiom, joc. An off-
color reply to the idiom Dolgo li
imeci?, It doesnt take long for some-
one who knows how, alluding to the idea
that sex is something that takes a long
time precisely for someone who knows
how. Vy uspeete sdelath to do
zavtra? Dolgo li umeci?
Umeci dolgo. Can you get this done
by tomorrow? Im a professional! Ill
be quick. A real professional takes
some time over it.
UMINTH/UMTH. To eat quickly and
hungrily (lit., to knead, press). Pirogi
ue umli, pejte caj. Now that
youve gobbled up all the pastries, why
dont you have some tea.
UMRA, -y, f., pred. use. Someone or
something killingly funny. to ne
celovek odna umora. That fellow
could make you die laughing.
UMYVTH/UMTH, neg. 1. To deceive,
cheat (lit., to wash). Opth men
umyli na 1000 rublej. Theyve
cheated me out of another thousand
rubles. 2. To win, show superiority, get
the upper hand. Vy vcera ix xoroo
umyli v futbol. You guys really
creamed them in the soccer game yester-
day.
UMYKTH/UMYKNTH. To steal, lift
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
283
(lit., to abduct). Kto mo rucku umyk-
nul, otdavajte! Whoever made off
with my pen, give it back!
UPD, indecl., pred., youth. Something
wonderful (from padath, to fall). Cf.
otpd.
UPDNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Excellent,
fine (cf. pdath). to upadnyj cu-
vak. Hes a great guy.
UPAKVANNYJ, -a, -oe. Well
dressed. Ty otkuda takoj upakovan-
nyj, iz tatov? Wheres your sharp
outfit from, the States? Upakvannyj
ot i do, idiom. Dressed very fashion-
ably, dressed to the nines. ta devoc-
ka upakovanna ot i do. That gal is
dressed to kill.
UPAKVYVATH/UPAKOVTH, joc.
To imprison. Vsex putcistov upako-
vali za retku. Theyve put all the
putschists behind bars.
UPAKVYVATHS/UPAKOVTH-
S. To dress well or fashionably. Ty
neploxo upakovals. Youve really
decked yourself out.
, ! Idiom. Do what was Tam nado upiraths rogom, ne posi-
ordered (lit., drop, do some push-ups).
UPSTH, perf. only, youth. Lit., to fall.
1. To be at a loss, understand nothing, be
disoriented. Ty cto, upal, ne znaeh,
skolhko stoit vodka? Whered you
come from, Mars, not to know the price
of vodka?! 2. To fall in love. na te-
b upal. Ive fallen for you. Upsth v
kolde, idiom, joc. Lit., to fall into a
well; used of strange or unexpected
behavior. Ty cto, upal v kolode, ma-
terihs pri detx? Whats wrong
with you? Have you lost your mind,
swearing like that in front of the chil-
dren? Upsth na cetre tcki, idiom,
joc. To land on all fours. Xoroo,
upal na cetyre tocki, a to by nogu
slomal. Its a good thing I landed on all
fours; otherwise I could have broken a
leg. Upsth s lun, idiom, neg. To lose
ones sense of reality (lit., to fall out of
the moon). Ty, vidno, upal s luny,
nicego ne znaeh, cto u nas proisxo-
dit. Are you in another world? You
dont seem to have any idea whats going
Page 283
URL
on.
UPEKTH/UPCH. To imprison (from
pech, to bake). Ego upekli v trh-
mu na 5 let za maxinaii. He was
sentenced to five years for swindling.
UPRTOSTH, -i, f. Stubbornness. Tvo
uprtosth vsem izvestna. Everyone
knows how stubborn you are.
UPRTYJ, -a, -oe, neg., Ukr. Stubborn.
Nelhz byth takim uprtym.
Dont be such a stubborn ass.
UPZIVATH/UPZDITH, rude. To
leave. Kogda on upizdil v kino?
When did he leave for the movies?
UPIRTHS/UPERTHS, joc. 1. To
make an effort, make a push. Nado
upereths i bystro zakoncith tu
rabotu. We have to make a big push
and finish up this job. 2. To be stubborn,
dig in ones heels. On uprs, ne
xocet exath s nami i vs. Hes dug in
his heels about it he wont come with
us and thats that. Upirths/upe-
rths rgom, idiom, joc. Lit., to push
with ones horn. 1. To work very hard.
dih. You really have to slave on that
job no fooling around. 2. To be stub-
born. On uprs rogom, ne duma,
cto ego mono ubedith. Now that
hes dug in his heels, I dont think itll be
possible to persuade him.
UPSATHS MNO, idiom, joc. Lit.,
one could pee from it (i.e., from amaze-
ment, admiration). On takie anek-
doty rasskazyval, upisaths mono.
The stories he told! You could pee in
your pants!
UPR: V upr ne vdeth, see under
vdeth.
UPXANNYJ, -a, -oe, youth. High on
drugs, stoned. Oni kadyj denh
zdesh brodt upyxannye. They go
around stoned here every day.
RKA, -i, m., neg. A thug, a hoodlum.
Strano po uliam xodith, vezde
urki. The streets are so full of hood-
lums, its scary to go for a walk.
URL, -, f., collect., neg. Hooligans, ruf-
fians. Opth vo dvore urla
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 284

284

sobralash. Those hooligans are hang- none of your business!

ing out in the yard again. URLHNIK, -a, m., youth. A washbasin.
, -, m. A nasty person (from Gde zdesh u vas urylhnik, ruki spo-
, a hooligan, and , a gang- losnuth nado. Wheres a washbasin
ster). - around here? I need to wash my hands.
, URK, -a, neg. A person from the eastern
. If any of those hoodlums mess republics of the former Soviet Union; a
with you, theyre going to have to deal Kazakh, Uzbek, Tadjik, and so on (lit., a
with me. dried apricot). Za skolhko tot urk
URLVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Of or pertain- prodat dyni? How much is that
ing to thieves, bandits, gangsters (cf. apricot asking for his melons?
url). to urlovye dela, my zdesh USTA KONSTITI, idiom, joc.
ni pricm. We had nothing to do with The Stalin Constitution of the 1930s (lit.,
this it was the work of gangsters. the mustachioed constitution). Usata
RNA PRIVOKZLHNA, idiom, neg. konstitui na slovax byla sama
A cheap woman, slut (lit., a railroad-sta- demokraticna. The words of the
tion trash can). Ty by pomolcala, Stalin Constitution sounded very demo-
urna privokzalhna. Shut up, you cratic.
slut. USTYJ, m. Joseph Stalin (lit., the mus-
ROVENH: Na rovne, idiom. Of the tachioed fellow). Kogda usatyj byl v
highest quality, superior. On xoroij Kremle, to byl pordok. When Mus-
prepodavatelh? Na urovne. Is he a taches was in the Kremlin, at least we had
good teacher? Tops. law and order.
, -, m., army. A soldier in his first USEKTH/USCH. To understand. Ty
month of service (lit., a freak, monster). usk, cto tebe skazali? Did you
, understand what they said to you?
, USR: Do usru, idiom, rude. Too much
. Let the private sleep, hes (lit., to the point of shitting in ones
worthless now, hes just come off duty. pants). ne mogu zdesh sideth do us-
URONTH, perf. only, youth. To beat up ru, u men dela. I cant sit around too
(lit., to drop). Za to teb malo uro- long Ive got work to do.
nith. After what you did, beatings too USIVATH/USIDTH. To drink a
good for you. lot. Vcera my s toboj litr usideli.
URYVTH1/URVTH, neg. To get, grab, Yesterday you and I drank a whole
pick up (lit., to tear out). Smotri, liter.
kakoe plathe vcera sebe urvala na USIRTHS/USRTHS, rude. To shit
rasprodae. Look at the dress I got in ones pants. Ty znaeh, on usrals
myself at the sale yesterday. ot straxa. He shit in his pants from
URYVTH2/URTH, neg. To hit, beat to terror. Usrths mno! idiom, rude.
death (cf. ryth mogilu, to dig a Incredible! Wow! U nego sejcas kvar-
grave). Ew slovo i teb uro. tira, usraths mono! What an
One more word out of you and Ill kill apartment hes got! You could wet your
you. pants!
URYVTHS/URTHS, youth. 1. To USRCKA: Do usrcki, idiom, rude. See
make a mistake, to disgrace oneself. do usru under usr.
Vidih, kak on uryls, ne znaet, USSYVTHS/USSTHS, rude. To
kak rabotath s komphterom. Look pee in ones pants. Skolhko mono
how he messed up! He doesnt know how menth tebe tany! Ty opth
to use a computer. 2. To shut up. Uroj- ussals. How many times a day can I
s, ne tvo to delo! Shut up! This is change your pants! Youve peed all over
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
285
yourself again. Ussyvths/ussths
ot smexa, idiom. To piss from laughter.
On takie piet mornye
rasskazy, ussaths mono ot smexa.
The stories he writes are so funny, youll
pee in your pants. Ussths mno!
idiom, rude. See usrths mno under
usirths.
USTRIVATH/USTRITH: Ustri-
vath/ustrith nervotrpku, idiom,
neg. To make people nervous. Na ra-
bote idut proverki, ustroili nervo-
trpku vsem bez isklceni. Were
being audited at work its making
absolutely everybody nervous. Ustri-
vath/ustrith properdn, idiom, rude.
To abuse, insult. Sejcas nam ustrot
properdon za to, cto kovr progli.
Were going to get a scolding for burn-
ing the carpet. Ustrivath/ustrith
tmnu kom-l., idiom, neg. To beat
someone unconscious (lit., to make [the
room] dark for someone). On nas
predal, nado emu ustroith tmnu.
He betrayed us, so well have to beat
him to a pulp. Ustrivath/ustrith
xorovd, idiom, youth. To beat up (an
individual) as a gang (lit., to arrange a cir-
cle dance). My teb ew pojmaem,
ustroim xorovod. Well catch you yet,
and when we do well beat you up.
Ustrivath/ustrith bardk, see
under razvodth/razvest bardk.
USPKA-UTRSKA, -i, f., joc. Theft
of merchandise in transit or by store per-
sonnel (lit., spillage and leakage). A gde
20 butylok, usypka-utruska? What
happened to the other 20 bottles? A little
spillage and leakage?
USYXTH/USXNUTH. To get thin
(lit., to dry out). Za leto ty sovsem
usoxla. You lost a lot of weight over the
summer. Usyxth/usxnuth ot sm-
xa, idiom. To laugh hard and long. My
vse prosto usoxli ot smexa. We all
died laughing.
UTERTH nos kom-l., idiom. To show
ones superiority, get the better of some-
one. ti ltciki v vozduxe xoth
komu utrut nos. These pilots are better
fliers than anyone else.
Page 285
UXRKIVATHS/UXRKATHS
UTIRTHS/UTERTHS, neg. To be
victimized, humiliated, taken advantage
of (lit., to wipe spit off ones face). Nu
cto, utrs, tvoi denhgi sgoreli v
banke? So are you another victim of the
banks collapse?
UTRNKA: Po utrnke, idiom. In the
morning. Po utrnke vstavath ne-
oxota. I dont feel like getting up in the
morning.
UTG, -, m., youth. A dealer in hard cur-
rency (lit., an iron). Skolhko tot
utg vozhmt i za skolhko? How
much is he willing to buy and at what
rate?
UTITH/PROUTITH karm-
ny, idiom, crim. To pick pockets, be a
pickpocket (lit., to iron pockets). On
pri dele: utit karmany v tram-
vax. Hes on the job, picking pockets
on the tram.
UXAJDKIVATH/UXAJDKATH.
To kill. Skolhko parnej uxajdakali v
Afganistane? How many of our boys
were killed in Afghanistan?
UXLSTYVATH/UXLESTNTH. To
make advances, to flirt (from xlestath,
to lash). tot za kadoj bkoj
uxlstyvaet. He goes running after
every skirt.
UXLPYVATH/UXLPATH. 1. To
kill. 2. To spend a lot of money. vse
denhgi uxlopal na prezenty. Ive
spent all my money on
presents.XNUTH, perf. only, neg. To
spend a lot of money (lit., to crash, fall).
Znaeh, skolhko my uxnuli deneg za
nedel? Do you realize how much
money weve blown in one week?
: , idiom. I dont care.
, . Just lock it
up, I really dont care what you have to
say. See
UXODTH/UJT v tcku, idiom, youth.
To leave, vanish, hide (lit., to turn into a
dot). Ne uxodi v tocku, ty mne
budeh nuen. Dont disappear on me.
Im going to need you.
UXRKIVATHS/UXRKATHS,
joc. To drink, get drunk (lit., to oink like a
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
UXUL
pig). S kem to ty tak uxrxals?
Who was that you were drinking so
much with?
UXUL? idiom, rude. Are you crazy? (dis-
torted from oxuel [see oxuth]; by word-
play on Uxu el? Did you eat fish
soup?). Ty cto, uxuel? Are you out
of your mind?
UCSH, POK IV(), idiom, joc.
Dont just praise me follow my exam-
ple! (lit., learn [from me] while Im still
alive). Ty otlicno gotovih borw!
Ucish, poka iv! What delicious
borscht you make! Well, youd better
learn my technique while Im still among
the living!
UCTH: Ne uc men ith (, lce
pomog materilhno)!, see under ne.
UCTHS na docku, idiom, youth. To
be a C student, to get average grades.
On u vas, navernoe, otlicnik? Da
net, ucits tak sebe, na udocku. I
suppose hes a real whiz-kid. Far from
it! Hes only getting Cs.
I: i vnut, idiom, neg. Im tired of
listening (lit., my ears are fading). Ne
xocu teb sluath, ty taku cuh
nesh, ui vnut. I dont want to lis-
Page 286
286
ten to your nonsense. Its wearing out my
ears. i pxnut, idiom, neg. Some-
one is tired of listening (lit., someones
ears are swollen). Ot vaix razgovo-
rov ui puxnut. Youve talked my ears
off. I i u teb xoldnye, idiom,
joc. Youre a fool (lit., even your ears are
cold). x ty, i ui u teb xolod-
nye, zacem ty reil prodavath dom?
You fool, how come you decided to sell
your house? Po smye i, idiom.
Very much, to an extreme degree (lit., up
to ones ears). Emu dali srok po
samye ui. They sentenced him to an
extremely long prison term. P ui v
derhm, idiom, rude. In a lot of trouble
(lit., up to ones ears in shit). Iz-za
tvoix oibok my okazalish po ui v
derhme. Now were up to our ears in it
because of your mistakes. Stoth na
ux, see under stoth.
KI: Derth ki toprikom, see
under derth.
UWCIVATH/UWCITH. To catch
someone lying (from wuka, a pike).
Zdorovo ty ego uwucil, ne budet
bolhe vrath. You caught him out
beautifully! Now he wont tell any more
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
lies.
FAZN, -a, m., army, joc. A soldier
enlisted in the spring enlistment period
(lit., a pheasant). Skolhko fazanov v
rote? How many pheasants are there
in this unit?
, -, m., army. An autumn ets. Theyre getting up a group-sex
draftee. (lit., a pheasant school). See
. FALOVTH/ZAFALOVTH.
FAZNDA, -y, f., joc. A dacha, a country
house (from a popular Latin American
television series). Nado exath na
fazendu kartoku kopath. Ive got
to go out to my hacienda to dig some
potatoes.
FZER, -a, m. Father (from Eng. father).
Gde tvoj fazer rabotaet? Where
does your father work?
FAJF, -a, m., youth, obs. Five rubles
(from Eng. five). Daj ew fajf i
xvatit. Give me another five and
were even.
FAK, -a, m., youth, rude. Lay, fuck (from
Eng. fuck). Tebe nuen xoroij
fak. What you need is a good lay.
Konstatrovath fak, see under kon-
statrovath.
FKATHS/ZAFKATHS, youth,
rude. Cf. fak. 1. To sleep with someone.
On fakaets s Lbkoj? Is he sleep-
ing with Lyubka? 2. To become
exhausted, worn out. My zafakalish
s tvoim motorom. Were sick and tired
of trying to fix your motor. Cem by
dit ni tilosh, lih by ne fka-
losh, see under cem.
FAKR BYL PHN I FKUS NE
UDLS, idiom, joc. Lit., The fakir
was drunk and the trick didnt work;
used in evasive explanation of a failure or
disappointment. Pocemu ty ne poka-
eh video? Fakir byl phn i
fokus ne udals, vidak slomals.
Why dont you show a movie? The
fakir was drunk and the trick didnt work.
The television is broken.
FKMEN, -a, m., youth, rude. A woman-
izer, skirt chaser (cf. fak). U togo
Page 287
fakmena na ume odni baby. That
womanizer has nothing but dames on his
mind.
FAK-SJN, -a, m., youth, rude. Group
sex (from Eng. fuck session). U nix
segodn vecerom fak-sejn zateva-
session for this evening.
From
fal, a sailors rope. 1. To pick up, make
the acquaintance of (a girl, woman).
e zafaloval, ona pridt v pth.
That girl I picked up is coming over at
five. 2. To persuade, win over. Mne
nikak ego ne zafalovath na pokupku
daci. Ill never be able to persuade him
to buy a dacha.
FANT, -a, m. A sports fan (from
fanatik). Vcera fanaty ustroili
draku posle matca. The fans got into a
fistfight after yesterdays match.
FANTETH/ZAFANATTH. To be a
sports or music fan. Cf. fant.
FANRA, -y, f., joc. Money (lit., veneer,
plywood). S faneroj sejcas tugo.
Moneys tight right now. Proletth/
proletth kak fanra nad Parem,
see under proletth.
FAN, indecl. An upright piano (from
fortepiano, piano). A fano kuda
stavith? Where should we put the
piano?
FARMAZN, -a, m., crim. A big-time
robber. to tebe ne kakoj-nibudh
karmannik, to farmazon. Hes no
pickpocket hes a bigtimer.
FART, -a, m. Good luck, a good break.
Kadomu v izni nuen fart.
Everyone needs a lucky break in life.
FARTTH/PO(D)FARTTH komu-l.
To turn out well, go well, be fortunate for
someone. Emu silhno pofartilo, on
vyigral krupnoe delo. Things went
really well for him he won that big
case.
FAR, -, m. See farvwik.
FAREVTH/SFAREVTH. To trade,
traffic, buy and sell (esp. with foreigners).
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FARVWIK 288

On faruet vs svo iznh, tak i story. Rasskai ew raz tu fenec-

deurit u Inturista. He spends ku. Spin us that yarn again.
all his time trading; right now hes work-
FN, -i, f. 1. crim. Thieves cant. ne
ing at the Intourist Hotel.
zna fen. I dont speak the argot.
FARVWIK, -a, m., neg. One who 2. joc. Buttocks. Otrastil sebe
trades with foreigners, dealing in cloth- fen, v brki ne vlezaeh. Youve
ing, currency, and the like. U nego kuca got so broad in the beam that youll never
deneg, on e farovwik. Hes made fit into these pants. Do fni, idiom,
heaps of money trafficking with foreign- neg. It doesnt matter to someone, its all
ers. the same. Mne vai problemy do
FRY, far, pl., neg. Eyes (lit., head- feni. I dont give a damn about your
lights). Nu cto ty fary vylupil? problems. K drnoj fne, idiom,
What are you staring at? rude, neg. To hell, to the devil (euph. for
FASD, -a, m., joc. A face (lit., facade). k banoj fene). Poli ego k drnoj
Posmotri, u men fasad ne grz- fene i delo s konom. Tell him to go to
nyj? Is my face dirty? hell, and thats the end of the matter.
FASN: Derth fasn, see under FIG, -a, m., rude. A fig (an obscene ges-
derth. ture). Fig vam! (rasxodtesh po
FATRA, -y, f., joc. An apartment, flat. domm), idiom, joc. No; no way; too bad
Kakoj u ne nomer fatery? Whats for you. vas ne povezu v Moskvu,
the number of her apartment? tak cto fig vam, rasxoditesh po
FA-F, idiom, youth, neg. Chatter, chit- domam. Im not taking you to Moscow,
chat, empty talk. Opth vy tut fa- so too bad for you. Fig s nim (s nej, s
fa? Are you guys yakking away nmi), idiom, neg. The hell with, too bad
again? for him (her, them). Ty ix ne pozval,
FFA I FFA, idiom, joc. Conceited, oni obidts. Da fig s nimi, pusth
spoiled girls. Kto ti fafa i fifa? obiats! Theyll be offended that
Who are those stuck-up girls? you didnt call them. The hell with
FCITH/ZAFCITH, youth, rude. See them! So let them be offended. Fig
Fkath. kom-l. na pstnom msle, idiom, neg.
FIK, -a, m., youth. A fascist (from Too bad for someone, the hell with some-
faist). On xodit v faikax. Hes one. Fig emu na postnom masle, a ne
joined the fascists. knigu. Too bad for him Im not giv-
ing him the book. N fig, idiom, rude.
, -, m. A serviceman (from 1. To the devil, to hell. Idi ty na fig,
, federal armed nadoel. Go to hell. Im sick of you. 2.
forces). , Unnecessary, useless. Sam podumaj,
. na fig mne to nado. Cant you see I
We are soldiers, dammit, and we need this like a hole in the head! Na
shouldnt have to be bothered with police fig, idiom, rude. What the hell for for?
matters. See .
Na figa mne ta rabota. What do I
FEJS, -a, m., youth. A face (from Eng. need that job for? Na fig koz ban,
face). Umoj fejs, ty grznyj. idiom, rude. Its inappropriate, unneces-
Wash your face youre filthy! sary, out of place (lit., a goat doesnt need
FEN, -a, m., youth. A drug, narcotic. an accordion). podar emu vety.
Fen prins? Did you bring the Na figa koze ban, on e ne
dope? devuka. Im going to bring him flow-
FNECKA, -i, f., youth. 1. Decorative ers. What the hell for? Hes not a girl!
beadwork or leatherwork. Kto poda- Ni fig, idiom, neg. Nothing. Doma
ril tebe tu fenecku? Who gave you ni figa net poesth. Theres not a
the fancy beadwork? 2. An entertaining thing to eat in the house. Ni fig
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
289
seb!, idiom. Incredible! Are you kid-
ding? Ni figa sebe skazal! What did
you say! Fga s dv kom-l., idiom,
neg. By no means; no; no way. Figa s
dva emu, a ne premi. Hes certainly
not getting a bonus.
FGA, -i, f., rude. A fig (an obscene ges-
ture). Figu tebe, a ne zagrankoman-
dirovku. Up yours! Youre not getting
to go on a trip abroad. Fgu s mslom,
idiom, joc. No, no way, nothing. du-
mal polucith zarplatu, a polucil
figu s maslom. I was supposed to get
my salary, but I got exactly nothing.
Derth fgu v karmne, see under
derth.
FIGANTYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Crazy, ab-
normal (cf. fig). Cto on xodit ka-
koj-to figanutyj? Why is he going
around as if hes off his rocker?
FIGCITH/ZAFIGCITH. Cf. fig.
1. To hit, throw. Kuda vy zafigacili
mc? Where did you throw the ball?
2. To do something intensely, strongly.
Kakoj dodh figacit! Its raining
cats and dogs.
FIGTH/OFIGTH. Cf. fig. 1. To be
amazed. s teb fige, kak ty mog
takoe sdelath. Im surprised at you!
How could you do such a thing! 2. To be
exhausted, worn out. Ofigel ot
modnyx pesen. Im sick of the popular
songs.
FGLI-MGLI, -ej, pl., neg. Non-
sense, idle chatter; sweet nothings (cf.
fig). Nu, nacalish tut figli-mig-
li, on ej komplimenty, ona glazki
stroit. So now theyve starting with
the billing and cooing he gives her
compliments; she makes eyes at him.
FIGN, -, f., neg. Nonsense, rubbish (cf.
fig). to splona fign, cto on
govorit. What hes saying is a bunch of
crap.
FIGVINA, -y, f., joc. A gadget, thing
(cf. fig). Vot ew kaka-to figovi-
na ot motora. Heres another thin-
gummy from the motor.
FIGVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Bad (cf. fig).
Fonarh u teb figovyj, ne svetit
Page 289
FILHTRJ BAZR
ni certa. Your flashlight is lousy. It
doesnt give any light at all.
FIGLECKA, -i, f., joc. A fig (an
obscene gesture; cf. fig). Figulecku
tebe, a ne apelhsin. Up yours! No,
you cant have an orange!
FIGLECKU TEB NA ROGLEC-
KU, rude. Up yours! The hell with you!
Prodaj mne tu knigu! Figulecku
tebe na rogulecku. Id like to buy that
book. The hell with you! Im not sell-
ing.
FIGURSTYJ, -a, -oe. Having an
attractive figure (esp. of a woman).
ena u nego nicego, figurista.
His wife is really stacked.
FIGURTH/FIGURNTH, joc. 1. To
show off clothes, model clothes. Ona
lbit figurth v novyx plathx.
She likes to show off new dresses.
2. To appear. Ego im figuret vo
vsex gazetax. His name is showing up
in all the papers.
FZI, -i, f., joc. A face (from fiziono-
mi, physiognomy). Kto to tak
tebe razukrasil fizi? Who made
up your face like that?
FKSA, -y, f. A metal false tooth. U
nego fiksa iz zolota. Hes got a gold
tooth.
FIKSTYJ, -a, -oe. Having a metal
tooth or teeth. A kak ego uzna?
On vysokij, cernvyj, fiksatyj.
How will I recognize him? Hes tall
and dark and has a metal tooth.
FILN, -a, m., neg. An idler, lazy person.
On ne budet rabotath, to e fi-
lon. Hes too lazy to work.
FILNITH/PROFILNITH, neg.
To be idle, lazy. Ty vs leto profi-
lonil, pora iskath rabotu. Youve
idled away the whole summer; now its
time to look for a job.
FILHTROVTH/OTFILHTROVTH,
youth. To weigh ones words, speak cau-
tiously (lit., to filter out). Filhtruj
pri nm, emu ob tom znath ne nado.
Speak carefully when hes around I
dont want him to find out about this.
FILHTRJ BAZR! idiom, neg. Stop
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
FINNSY POT ROMNSY
yelling, stop scolding. Ne tebe ego
rugath, filhtruj bazar! Stop yelling
at him!
FINNSY POT ROMNSY,
idiom. Theres no money (lit., The
finances are singing romances). U vsex
sejcas finansy pot romansy.
Everyone has money problems these
days.
FINGL, -a, m., joc. A black eye. On
xodit s fingalom ue nedel. Hes
had that black eye for a week already.
Stvith/postvith fingl, see
under stvith.
FNIK, -a, m., joc. A Finn (lit., a date
[fruit]). U finikov do six por suxoj
zakon? Do the Finns still have dry
laws?
FNKA, -i, f. A Finnish knife (a weapon
popular with mobsters). Dae ne
dumaj finku dostath. dont you even
think of getting a finka.
FINT, -, m., neg. A trick, ruse. to
ego obycnyj fint poobewath i ne
sdelath. Well, thats his usual trick, to
promise and then not deliver. Fint
umi, idiom, neg. A trick (lit., a trick
with ears). Opth ty delaeh fint
uami. There you go again with your
nasty tricks.
, -, m. A black eye (lit., wick). traption, thing. A gde otsda taka
See .
FINTTH/ZAFINTTH, neg. To be
tricky, to talk ones way out of something.
Ego ne spraivaj, on nacnt fin-
tith! Dont bother questioning him
hell find a way to wriggle out of it.
FINTIFLKA, -i, f., neg. 1. Adorn-
ment, jewelry. Zacem ty nadela ti
fintiflki, ne na bal, na rabotu
idh. What are you wearing all those
baubles for? Youre going to work, not to
a ball. 2. A silly, light-headed woman.
Ne enish na toj fintiflke,
tolku ne budet. Dont marry that silly
girl! Youll never hear a sensible word
from her.
, adv. All the same, I dont podderit? Ne zna, fifti-
care (from , lilac, pale pur- fifti. Are you sure hell support us?
ple, meaning the color of little attraction).
Page 290
290
,
, ,
! I dont care whether you want
to man your post or not. Youre gonna do
it and youre gonna do it now!
FIRM, -, f. 1. youth. Foreigner(s). V
tom dome tolhko firma ivt. The
only people living in this building are for-
eigners. 2. pos. A brand-name item,
something with a (usually foreign) label.
tot plaw firma! That raincoat
has a foreign label.
FIRMC, -, m. 1. A businessman, a
company employee. On firmac, ra-
botaet v sovmestnom predpritii.
Hes a businessman working for a joint-
venture company. 2. A fashionable per-
son. Kakoj firmac idt, vs po pos-
lednej mode! What a fashion plate he is
always in the latest style.
FITLH, -, m. Lit., a wick. 1. neg. A
weakling. tot fitilh po doroge
slomaets, ego nelhz brath s soboj.
We cant take that weakling on the trip
with us; hell collapse on the way. 2. A
tall person. Nu i fitilh ty! Skolh-
ko u teb rostu? What a beanpole you
are! How tall are you, anyhow? Vstav-
lth/vstvith fitlh, see under
vstavlth.
FITLHKA, -i, f., joc. 1. A gadget, con-
fitlhka, bez togo televizor rabo-
tath ne budet. Wheres that gadget
that was here? The TV wont work with-
out it. 2. A small, weak-looking man.
to razve muik? Tak, fitlhka.
You call that 90-pound weakling a
man? 3. A silly, flighty woman. Sam
on celovek serhznyj, a ena u nego
fitlhka kaka-to. He himself is a
serious person, but his wife is a bimbo.
FFA, -y, f., neg. A fashion-crazy girl.
Davno on s toj fifoj xodit? Has
he been going with that fashion-plate for
a long time?
FFTI-FFTI, idiom. Fifty-fifty
(from Eng). Ty uveren, cto on nas
I dont know, its really fifty-fifty.
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291 FRAERNTHS

FKA, -i, f. A playing card. Po- fonar, idiom, neg. Out of the blue;
smotri, kaets, odnoj fiki ne without forethought, unintentionally.
xvataet. Look theres a card miss- On to skazal ot fonar, ne dumaj
ing from the deck. Kak fka ob tom. He didnt mean anything by
let, idiom. It depends on fate; its in what he said. Dont give it a second
the stars; theres no way of knowing thought.
beforehand (lit., its lying hidden like a FOND NEZAVSIMOSTI, idiom,
card). ne zna ew, gde budu rab- joc. A hidden stash of money (lit., an
otath, kak fika let. I still dont independence fund). ena ob tix
know where Ill be working; well see denhgax ne znaet, to fond nezavisi-
what kind of a hand fate deals me. mosti. My wife doesnt know about
Srubth fku, see under srubth. this money its my independence
FKI, fek, pl., youth. Eyes. fund.
Protri fiki, ne vidih, kuda FONTH/ZAFONTH, neg. To inter-
idh. Rub your eyes! Youre not look- rupt, make noise (lit., of distortions in
ing where youre going. amplifying systems). Ne foni, kogda
, , m., army. A safety vzroslye razgovarivat. Dont make
(lit., a flag), referring to the shape of a such a racket when the grown-ups are
safety on an automatic rifle. talking.
, FONTN: Zakryvth/zakrth fon-
. Check your safeties before you tn, see under zakryvth.
hit the barracks so you dont end up FONTANROVATH/ZAFONTAN-
shooting each other. ROVATH, neg. To talk much and contin-
FLAKN, -a, m., youth. A bottle. U uously (cf. fontn). Sluaj, on na-
teb ew bulhkaet v flakone? Do cal fontanirovath, to casa na dva.
you have anything left in that bottle? Now that hes started spouting off, hell
FLT, -a, m., youth. An apartment (from go on for two hours.
Eng. flat). Na cej flt pojdm slu- FRIN, -a, m., youth. A foreigner (from
ath diski? Whose apartment should Eng. foreign). Ona xodit tolhko s
we go to to listen to the records? forinami. She only goes out with for-
FLTVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Domestic, eigners.
of the home, homemade. lbl FORSTH/POFORSTH, neg. To
fltovu edu. I like home cooking. flaunt new and fashionable things
FOLHKLR, -a, m., joc. Swearing, abuse (clothes, cars). Lbit ona pofor-
(lit., folklore). A dalhe vse uslya- sith, kadyj denh u ne novye sapo-
li takoj folhklor, xoth ui zaty- gi. She just loves to show off her stylish
kaj. Then they heard the kind of swear- things! It seems as though she wears a
ing that could make your ears turn red. new pair of boots every day.
FONARTH/OFONARTH, neg. To FRTELH, -, m., neg. Surprising behav-
become exhausted. ofonarel ot za- ior; a stunt, trick. to cto za for-
ntij, sxodith v kino, cto li? Im telh? What sort of stunt is that!
knocked out from all this studying. What Vykdyvath/vyknuth frtelh,
do you say we go to the movies? see under vykdyvath.
FONRH, -, m., joc. A black eye (lit., a FRER, -a, m., crim. A noncriminal.
torch, lantern, streetlight). U teb fo- Kto tot fraer, cto emu nuno?
narh pod glazom, otkuda? Where did What does that straight fellow want
you get that black eye? Do fonar, here? dnosth frera pogbit,
idiom, neg. Indifferent, immaterial, unim- see under dnosth. elznyj fr-
portant. Mne eny ti do fonar. er, see under elznyj.
The prices dont matter to me. Ot FRAERNTHS, perf. only, crim., neg.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
FRILVNIK
To be taken in, to be conned (cf. frer).
Ty znaeh, kak my fraernulish,
poverili emu, a on nas zaloil. Do
you realize how weve been taken in? We
trusted him, and he betrayed us.
FRILVNIK, -a, youth. Someone who
follows the beliefs and practices of free
love (from Eng. free love). Oni
ivut vmeste ue enatye? Net,
oni frilavniki. Theyre living
together are they married? No, they
believe in free love.
FRUKT, -a, m., neg. An unpleasant or bad
person (lit., a fruit). Nu ty i frukt,
predal druga. What a rat you are,
betraying your friend like that. Vs-
komu vowu svoj frukt, see under
vskomu.
FRND, -a, m., youth. A friend (from Eng.
friend). U teb esth frnd? Do ot redaktora k redaktoru, a reeni
you have a friend?
FRNDVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Of a
friend (from Eng. friend). to
frndovye knigi. These are my
friends books.
FRNC, -a, m., youth. A Frenchman (from
Eng. French). tot frnc kogda going on! Fu-ty, nu-ty, kakoj ser-
priexal? When did that Frenchman get
here?
FR, -i, f., neg. A girl, woman (from Ger.
Frau). Cto to za fr sidit v FUFL, -, n., neg. 1. Goods of poor
uglu? Whos that dame sitting over there
in the corner?
FUGS, -a, m., neg. A large (more than
half-liter) bottle of usually low-quality
wine (lit., a high-explosive bomb).
Vozhmi paru fugasov, nam na troix
xvatit. Get a couple of wine bombs
thatll be enough for the three of us.
FUGOVTH/FUGANTH. 1. To work
(lit., to plane). My fugovali vs
nedel, a polucili vsego nicego. We
worked hard all week and got paid
practically nothing. 2. To throw out, to
kick out. Fugani ego otsda! Kick
him out of here!
FLI NDO? idiom, rude. What are you
up to? (euph. for xli ndo; an indignant
response to cheating or aggression).
Fuli nado? Cego bez oceredi prh?
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292
What do you think youre doing, cutting
ahead in line like that?
FUNT: Ne funt izmu, see under ne.
FUNTH/NAFUNTH. To fart. Zdesh
zdorovo kto-to nafunl. Someone
farted here.
FRA, -y, f., army. An army cap (from
furaka). Furu svo nikak ne naj-
du, ty ne bral? Did you take my cap?
I cant find it anywhere.
, -, m. A cap (lit., a carriage,
from a horse and carriage and wagon).
FURCITH/ZAFURCITH. To be
operating, to function, work (from the
sound of a motor). U men televizor
ne furycit. My TV is on the fritz.
FUTBLITH/OTFUTBLITH, neg.
To pass on to someone else (as a memo,
request). Mo rukopish futbolt
ne prinimat. Theyve passed my
manuscript like a hot potato from one edi-
tor to another without reaching any deci-
sion.
F-TY, N-TY (, LPTI GNTY),
rhyming phrase, neg. Well, well! Whats
hznyj, davno takim stal? Well,
well, whats with the long face? Has this
been going on for a long time?
quality, junk, trash. to fuflo ne
kupl. Im not going to buy that junk.
2. A worthless person, bastard. Ne
oidal, cto on takoe fuflo. I didnt
expect him to be such a bastard. Dv-
gath fufl, see under dvgath.
FU-F: Na fu-f, idiom. For nothing,
wastefully, pointlessly. Math iz koi
lezet, pomogaet tebe, a ty vs na
fu-fu puskaeh. Your mothers
knocking herself out to help you, and you
go and spend everything on useless
stuff.
FJS, -a, m., youth. A face (from Eng.
face). Pobrej fjs. Shave your
face.
FJSOVTH/FJSANTH, youth.
To slap or punch in the face (cf. fejs).
Kto tebe tak fjsanul? Who
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 293

293 FRGNIK

punched you in the face like that?

FRGNIK, -a, m. A German (from
the abbreviation FRG, Federativna
Respublika Germani). Da, frge-
niki umet delath mainy! Those
Germans sure know how to make cars!
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 294

XABLKA, -i, f., neg. A loud, pushy XALTRITH/POXALTURTH. To

woman. Otkuda takie xabalki be- earn money at a supplementary job, to
ruts? Where did those shrews come moonlight. Ona xalturit po vece-
from? ram, dat uroki anglijskogo zyka.
, -, m. A hidden cigarette She earns extra money by giving Eng-
which was partly smoked and then put lish lessons in the evenings.
out (from , a greedy person). XALPA, -y, f., neg. A poor, shabby
, house or apartment, a hut or slum. V
. Does anyone have any butts I can toj xalupe net dae tualeta.
bum, Im dying for a smoke. See There isnt even a toilet in this hovel.
. XALVA, -y, f. Something free, given
XVALKA, -i, f., joc. A mouth. U teb gratis. V samolte mono na xalvu
kogda-nibudh xavalka zakryvaets? vypith. Complimentary drinks are
Dont you ever shut your mouth? served on the plane. Na xalvu i
XVALO, -a, n., rude. A mouth. Zakroj ksus sldkij, see under na.
xavalo! Shut your mouth! XALVITH/POXALVITH, neg. To
XVATH/SXVATH. 1. To eat. Kto work carelessly, to do things sloppily.
sxaval vs mso? Who ate up all the Kto privyk xalvith, togo trudno
meat? 2. To understand, to know ones naucith rabotath xoroo. When
way around in something (lit., to chew). someone is used to doing sloppy work,
Ty v axmatax xavaeh? Do you its hard to train him to work well.
understand chess? XAM TRAMVJNYJ, idiom, rude. A
XVKA: Prorv na xvku, see under boor, lout, a rough, ignorant person.
prorv. Drugix slov ot teb i ne dali, xam
tramvajnyj. You lout, you cant even
XZA, -y, f. A house. Na xaze kto use decent language.
budet? Whos going to be at the
XAN, pred. use, neg. The end, curtains,
house?
disaster. Mne xana, esli to ne
XAJ, -, m., neg. Noise, uproar. Cto za sdela. Itll be curtains for me if I dont
xaj? Whats the ruckus? get this done.
XAJVJ, -, m., youth. Road, street (from XNKA, -i, f. Vodka. xanku s utra
Eng. highway). tot xajvj po rath ne budu. I dont drink vodka in
veceram zabit mainami. This road the morning.
has a lot of traffic in the evenings. XANGA, -i, m., neg. A drunkard (cf.
XAJR, -a, m., youth. Hair (from Eng. xanh). tot xanyga ue phn s
hair). Kogda xajr budeh strich? utra. That boozer has been drunk since
When are you going to get your hair this morning.
cut? XANH, -i, f. A drink. Davaj snacala
XAJRTH/OBXAJRTH, youth. To cut delo sdelaem, a potom budem xanh glo-
hair. Kto teb tak korotko obxaj- tath. Lets do the job first, and then
ral? Who cut your hair so short? well have ourselves a drink.
XAJFJ, -, m., youth. Stereo equipment XPALKA, -i, f., neg. A hand (cf. x-
(from Eng. hi-fi). U teb xajfaj path). Uberi svoi xapalki, to ne
esth? Have you got a hi-fi? tvoi vewi. Get your hands off those
XALD, -, f., neg. An uneducated, vulgar things, theyre not yours.
woman. Cto s ne vzth, ona e xal- XPATH/XPNUTH, neg. 1. To steal.
da! What can you expect from a bimbo On, znaeh, skolhko xapnul, poka v
like that? magazine rabotal? Do you know how
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
295
much he managed to steal while he was
working at the store? 2. To touch, take.
Ne xapaj, ne tvo kniga. Dont
touch that book its not yours. 3. To
eat greedily. Cto ty xapaeh, eh
akkuratno. Why are you gobbling it
down like that? Eat properly!
XPKA, -, f. A homemade liquor (from
x, to drink with thirst. , stand what theyre trying to achieve.
x x , XLHNIK, -a, m., rude. A mouth (from
, . Unfortunately, out xath, to bad-mouth). Sejcas dam v
hostess doesnt make her own moonshine
anymore but she said she knows where to
get some good juice.
XARITN, -a, m., youth, joc. A face.
Xariton u teb kirpica prosit.
That face of yours is just begging to be
hit with a brick.
XRITH/OTXRITH, rude. To have sex
with a woman. Xoroo by e otxa-
rith. Id like to go to bed with her.
XARKOT, -, f., collect., neg. Negli-
gible, contemptible people (lit., spittle).
Zacem ty vodih s toj xarkotoj,
ne druzh oni tebe. Why do you hang
around with those nobodies? Theyre not
for you.
XARC, -a, m. Food. Ty xarc s soboj
vzl? Did you bring the grub with
you? Metth xarc, see under
metth.
XARCEVTHS/POXARCEVTHS.
To eat (cf. xarc). Gde vy xarcuetesh v
obed? Where do you eat lunch?
XAR, adv. From xoroo. 1. Thats
enough, stop. Xar rath. Stop
laughing. 2. All right, agreed. Ty poj-
dh s nami? Xar. Are you coming
with us? Okay.
XR: Mth xr, see under mth.
XTA, -y, f. An apartment (from Ukr.
word for a house). U teb xata trx-
komnatna? Do you have a three-room
apartment?
XXALH, -, m., neg. A sweetheart, suitor,
beau. K komu, interesno, tot xa-
xalh s vetami pol? I wonder who
that beau is going to court with those
flowers.
XXANHKI-XXONHKI, pl., neg.
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XER
Jokes, tricks. Vam by tolhko xaxanh-
ki-xixonhki, a delo stoit. With you
its just a barrel of laughs but no work.
XCIK, -a, m., neg. A Caucasian (from a
Caucasian proper name). Xaciki u
seb vs vrem vot, cto im nado,
ne pojmu. Those Caucasians are always
at war among themselves; I cant under-
xalhnik za takie slova. Im going to
give it to you in the mouth for what you
said.
XVA, interj., youth. Enough; stop it (short-
ened from xvatit). Xva, ne xocu slu-
ath tvo ruganh. Cut it out. I dont
want to listen to your yelling.
XVATTH/SXVATTH za ja, see
under j.
XVORTH/ZAXVORTH, joc. To suffer
the effects of a hangover. On xvoraet,
nalej emu sto gramm. Hes hung over
pour him a hundred grams.
XVRA, -y, f., youth & crim. A group, set,
company (from Hebr. hevrah, a group of
friends). Ch to xevra tam stoit,
kurit? Who are those guys standing
over there smoking?
XZATH/POXZATH, rude. To defecate.
Uberi za kotom, on v uglu poxezal.
Clean up after the cat he pooped over
there in the corner.
XER, -a, m., rude. A penis. Xer drnyj,
idiom, rude. An idiot, bastard (dranyj,
worn-out). Xer dranyj, vali ots-
da! Get out of here, you idiot! For the
following expressions, see under xuj:
Xer (xuj) s gor; Xer (xuj) lyx,
nolh destyx; Xer (xuj) znet cto;
Kak xer (xuj) rznia; Men
ucth, tlhko xer (xuj) tupth;
zykm xoth xer (xuj) li, a rukm
vli ne davj; N xer (xuj); Xotth i
rbku sqesth i n xer (xuj) sesth; Ni
xer (xu) seb; Stryj xer (xuj);
Xer (xuj) morvyj; N xer (xuj);
Odn xer (xuj); Xoth by xer (xuj);
Xer (xuj) v pu; Xer (xuj) ego
znet; Ctob mne xer (xuj) pty
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
XERN
sklevli; Srvnivath/sravnth xer
(xuj) s plhem; Tocth/natocth xer
(xuj); N xer (xuj) (ne ndo); Posy-
lth/poslth n xer (xuj); Xotth/
zaxotth i rbku (i kku) sqsth, i
n xer (xuj) sesth; Do xer (xu);
Kakgo xra (x) teb ndo?; Ni
xer (xu) seb!; Na xer (xu) koz
ban (pop garmnh)?; Za kakm x-
rom (xem)?
XERN, -i, rude. Cf. xujn. 1. Semen.
2. Nonsense, rubbish. Vs, cto ty
skazal xern! Everything you said is
just nonsense. Xern e, idiom,
rude. See xujn e under xujn.
XEROVTYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Bad (cf.
xer). Cto-to pirogi kakie-to xero-
vatye polucilish. For some reason
the pastries came out terrible.
XERVINA, -y, f., rude. Cf. xer. 1.
Whatchamacallit, thingamajig. Podaj
mne von tu xerovinu i otvrtku.
Hand me the screwdriver and that
thingamabob over there. 2. An unpleas-
ant occurrence. Kaka-to xerovina
polucaets, nikto nas ne predupre-
dil, cto peregovory otments.
Theres been a screwup no one told
us that the meetings had been postponed.
XEROMNTI, -i, f., joc. Nonsense (by
wordplay from xiromanti, palmistry,
and xer). On na rabote zanimaets
kakoj-to xeromantiej. Hes involved
in some sort of nonsense at work.
XILTH/POXILTH, joc. To go, walk.
Sluaj, drug, xilj otsda. Listen,
buddy get out of here.
XIMCITH/NAXIMCITH, neg. To
do or produce something illegally or
secretly; to adulterate goods (from
ximi, chemistry). Oni davno v
tom banke ximicat s valtoj, xot
u nix net lienzii. Theyve been
speculating in currency at that bank for a
long time even though they arent
licensed.
XIPPRH, -, m., neg. A person who
dresses and acts strangely (from Eng. hip-
pie). Cto tam za xipparh stoit,
vesh v loxmathx. What sort of weirdo
is that over there, all dressed in rags?
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296
XIPPOVTH/ZAXIPPOVTH, joc.
Cf. xipprh. 1. To live an idle life.
Skolhko mono xippovath, pora za
um braths. Enough hanging around
doing nothing; its time to get serious.
2. To wear sloppy clothes and long hair,
to dress like a hippie. Nu i vid u teb,
xippueh, viu, i borodu otpustil.
I see youre all decked out in hippie gear
and youve let your beard grow.
-: -, idiom. Care-
lessly, casually (from , to grab, to
use fast, uncontrolled motions).
-,
. You do
everything half-ass and thats why you
have to deal with accidents one after
another.
XITROVN, -a, m., joc. A sly, tricky per-
son. On dumaet, cto on xitrovan, a
vse ego xitrosti srazu vidno. He
thinks hes a real slyboots, but his tricks
are completely transparent.
XITROPYJ, -a, -oe, rude. Sly,
cunning (lit., sly-assed; cf. pa). Emu
osobenno ne verh, slikom u on xit-
roopyj. Dont trust that guy hes a
real sly-ass.
XLEB: I to xleb, see under i.
XLEBLO, -a, n., rude. A mouth. Ne
lovi xlebalom mux. Pay attention (lit.,
dont catch flies with your mouth).
XLEBLHNIK, -a, m., rude. A mouth.
Cto ty xlebalhnik raskryl, tut
necemu udivlths. What are you gap-
ing at? Theres nothing so strange here!
XLOBYSTTH/XLOBYSTNTH,
neg. To slurp up, drink much or noisily.
Posle solnoj ryby xlobyseh
vodu kak sumasedij. After the salt
fish youll drink like crazy.
XLPATH/XLPNUTH. To drink (liq-
uor) quickly. Xlopni rmku i begi v
magazin. Have a quick one and run over
to the store.
, idiom, army. Reveille
(lit., gloomy morning, after the title of a
popular novel).
,
. In a soldiers world the
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
297
best part of the day is taps, and the worst
is reveille.
XMYRH, -, m., neg. 1. An unpleasant per-
son. Zacem ty priglasil togo
xmyr? What did you invite that sour-
puss for? 2. army. Food sent from home.
Polucil xmyrh, deliths nado.
Divvy up what you got from home.
XBOT: Brath/vzth za xbot, see
brath/vzth za bry under brath.
XODTH/POJT, ZAXODTH, SXO-
DTH: Xodth/pojt do vtru, idiom.
To urinate (lit., to go into the wind.)
Nado sxodith do vetru. I have to
take a leak. Xodth kak pobanyj,
idiom, rude. To be in a bad mood, in low
spirits. Sejcas arko, xodih kak
pobanyj. Its so hot it makes you feel
really low. Xodth/pojt na bldki,
idiom, rude. To have promiscuous sexual
relations with women, to sleep around
with various women (cf. bldh). Tebe
ne nadoelo kadyj denh xodith na
bldki? Arent you sick of constantly
sleeping around? Xodth/pojt nal-
vo, idiom. To be sexually unfaithful,
cheat on someone (lit., to go left). e-
na vs vrem nalevo xodit, a mu
nicego ne zamecaet. His wife is always
cheating on him, but he never notices a
thing. Xodth/pojt - segodn. Were having a real cold snap
, idiom, army. A sailors shore today.
pass (from , to relax, to
take everything easy). -
,
. Youre going to have to go
on shore duty alone, I cant go, Im
broke. Xodth/zaxodth na rlax,
idiom, neg. To be submissive (lit., to walk
on tiptoe). Mu u ne zabityj, xodit
na irlax. Her husband is completely
submissive to her. Xodth/pojt po
bbam, idiom, neg. To have frequent
affairs, be a skirt-chaser. U nego ue
deti vzroslye, a on vs po babam
xodit. Hes got grown children already,
but hes still chasing skirts. Xodth/
sxodth po-bstromu, idiom. To uri-
nate, take a leak. Gde zdesh mono
sxodith po-bystromu? Where can a
person take a leak around here? Pojt
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XORK
po rukm, idiom, neg. To become a pros-
titute. I davno ona pola po rukam?
Has she been a prostitute for long?
XODK, -, m., joc. A lady-killer, Don
Juan (cf. xodth po bbam). On u nas
izvestnyj xodok, u nego kadu nede-
l nova baba. Hes quite the Don Juan
around here, going out with a new girl
every week.
XODCIJ SKELT, neg., joc. A very
skinny person (lit., a walking skeleton).
U nego ne ena, a xodcij skelet.
What hes got isnt a wife, its a walking
skeleton.
, idiom,
army. A drill (lit., a march on torments,
after the title of a popular novel).
,
, . Thank
God theres so much snow to shovel
today, that means we wont have to run
the obstacle course.
,
idiom, army. AWOL (lit., a walk on a
thin ice). See .
!, idiom. Okay (a word play on
, hockey, and Engl. okay).
XOLODRGA, -i, f., neg. Very cold
weather (from xolod, cold, and dro-
ath, to shiver). Nu i xolodryga
XOMT, -, m., youth, neg. A police offi-
cer (lit., horse collar). Xomutov na
uliax segodn mnogo. There are a lot
of cops on the streets today.
XOMUTTH/ZAXOMUTTH, neg.
From xomut, horse collar. 1. To force
someone to do something. Men zaxo-
mutali perevodith stath. They
roped me into translating the article.
2. To try to induce someone to marry one-
self. Ona davno xocet ego zaxomu-
tath, on bogatyj enix. Shes been
trying to collar that rich fellow for a long
time. 3. youth. To arrest. Vcera dvoix
naix zaxomutali. Yesterday two of
our people were collared.
XORK, xorhk, m., neg. A scoundrel, bas-
tard (lit., polecat). Ctoby togo
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
XOROVD
xorhka v dome bolhe ne videl. I dont
ever want to see that bastard in my house
again.
XOROVD: Ustrivath/ustrith xo-
rovd, see under ustrivath.
/ - do, no matter how hard you try to per-
, idiom, army. A punishment for sol-
diers who drop their cigarette butts on the
ground. When even one such butt is
found all soldiers are woken up in the
middle of the night and forced to spend
hours digging deep holes to bury individ-
ual cigarette butts.
XOREGO CELOVKA DOLN
BYTH MNGO, idiom, joc. Lit., there
should be a lot of a good person; used in
affectionate defense of plumpness.
posle rodov silhno popravilash.
Nicego, xoroego celoveka dolno
byth mnogo. I put on a lot of weight
after having the baby. Never mind.
There should be a lot of a good person.
XOROTH/ZAXOROTH kom-l.,
impersonal. To get high, drunk. Tebe
zaxoroelo ue? Are you feeling good
yet?
XORIJ, -a, -oe, joc. Drunk. Vcera
vy byli xoroie. Yesterday you guys
were good and drunk.
XOTTH/ZAXOTTH: Xotth/zaxo-
tth i kku i mku, idiom, joc. To want
too much, to want something impossible
(lit., to want both the shit and the pop-
pies). Ty xoceh i kaku i maku: i
mnogo zarabatyvath i nicego ne de-
lath. Youre asking for the moon,
wanting to earn a lot of money without
doing any work. Xotth/zaxotth na
gork, idiom. To have to go to the
bathroom (lit., to want to go on the potty).
opth zaxotel na gorok, gde
zdesh tualet? I need to go again
wheres the john around here? Xotth
ne vrdno, idiom, joc. Lit., Theres no
harm in wanting; used in the sense of
You cant have what you want.
xocu razbogateth. Xoteth ne vred-
no. I wish I were rich. Well, go ahead
and wish. Crez ne xoc, see under
crez. Xotth/zaxotth i rbku (i
kku) sqesth i n xuj (n xer) sesth,
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298
see under xuj. te xoc, no mma
spit i molc, see under .
XOTH KOL NA GOLOV TE,
idiom. Lit., even if you sharpen a stake on
his/her head, meaning no matter what you
suade soneone. Ne xocet on uciths,
xoth kol na golove tei, ne ubedih
ego. You can beat him black and blue
and he still wont study.
XOTH TOPR VAJ, idiom, neg. Its
stuffy, its smoky (lit., [you could] hang
an ax [from it]). Otkryli by for-
tocku, a to nakurili xoth topor
veaj. Youd better open the window
its so smoky in here, you could hang
an ax from it.
XOXLOBKS, -a, m., joc. Ukrainian
currency used before the last monetary
reform (from xoxl and baks). Xoxlo-
baksov u men ela kuca, a stoit
to nicego. Ive got piles of Ukrainian
money, but its not worth a thing.
XOXLNDI, -i, f., joc. Ukraine (from
xoxl). V xoxlndii sejcas ith ne
sladko, eny rastut kak sumased-
ie. Its no picnic living in Ukraine
these days. Prices there are going up like
crazy.
XXMA, -y, f. A joke, witticism (from
Heb. wisdom, khochma). Xoceh,
xoxmu rasskau? Do you want me to
tell a joke? Otklyvath/otkolth
xxmu, see under otklyvath.
XOXMC, -, m. A jokester (cf. xxma).
On takoj xoxmac, s nim ne sosku-
cihs. Hes such a comedian. Theres
never a dull moment with him.
XOXMTH/POXOXMTH. To play
jokes, be mischievous (cf. xxma). Oni
lbt poxoxmith. They like to play
jokes.
XOXL, xoxl, m.(f. xoxlka, -i). A
Ukrainian (lit., a topknot, referring to the
Cossack hairstyle). Na bazarax polno
xoxlov, oni torgut vsem, cem mo-
no. The open-air markets are full of
Ukrainians trading in every conceivable
kind of goods.
XOXOTLHNIK, -a, m., neg. A mouth
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 299

299 XRKATH/XRKNUTH

(from xoxotath, to guffaw). Zakroj XRENVYJ, -a, -oe, neg. Bad, poor (cf.
xoxotalhnik, ctob teb bolhe ne xren). to delo ocenh xrenovoe.
slyal. Shut your mouth I dont Thats a very bad business.
want to hear another word out of you. XRENOTNH, -i, f., rude. Nonsense (by
XCEH ITH UMJ VERTTH- wordplay on xren and tenh, shadow).
S, idiom. You have to be flexible to Ty opth tu xrenotenh pro pi-
survive (lit., If you want to survive, youd onov citaeh? Are you reading that
better learn to spin around). junk about spies again?
XCEH ITH UMJ RAZDTH- XRNUKI, xrnuek, pl., joc. No,
S, idiom, joc. A sardonic twist on the no way (cf. xren). Xrenuki vam, a ne
foregoing: If you want to survive, youd mso. No, you cant have any meat.
better learn to take your clothes off. XROMTH/POXROMTH, neg. To go,
? walk (lit., to limp). Xromaj otsda,
! Idiom. Shut up! (Lit., if you poka el. Get out of here while you still
want to say something, stand at attention can.
and keep silent). XRONH, -i, f., collect., neg. Drunks,
XO, -a, m. A wish, desire. U teb xo drinkers (from xroniceskij alkogolik,
esth pogulth? Do you feel like going chronic drunkard). Smotri, xronh s
out? utra u magazina stoit, cego-to
dut. Those drunks have been hanging
XREN, -a, m., rude. A penis (lit., horserad- around the store since morning they
ish). Xren mocnyj, idiom, rude. An must be expecting something.
idiot, fool (lit., pickled horseradish). A
ty, xren mocnyj, cto zdesh dela- XRMKATH/POXRMKATH, joc. To
eh? What are you doing here, you eat (esp. cabbage or other common food).
idiot! For the following expressions, see Cto na obed mne poxrumkath? What
under xuj: Xren (xuj) s gor; Xren sort of chow is there for dinner?
(xuj) lyx, nolh destyx; Xren XRUSTLH, -l, m., collect., joc. Empty
(xuj) znet cto; N xren (xuj); Ni bottles (lit., crystal). Gde zdesh xrus-
xren (x) seb; Stryj xren (xuj); talh prinimat? Where do they take
N xren (xuj); Odn xren (xuj); Xoth empties around here?
by xren (xuj); Xren (xuj) eg znet; XRUST, -v, pl., joc. Money (lit., sounds
N xren (xuj) ne ndo; Do xren of rustling). Vse lbt xrusty.
(xu); Kakgo xrna (x) teb ndo? Everyone likes money.
Ni xren (x) seb!; Za kakm xr- XRUWBA, -y, f., neg. Shabby, cheap
nom (xem)? apartment buildings put up under
XRENCITH/ZAXRENCITH. Cf. Khrushchev in an attempt to solve the
xren. 1. To beat up. Za uglom naix infamous Russian housing shortage (by
xrenacat. Theyre beating up our boys wordplay on truwoba, slum, and
over in the corner. 2. To do something Xruwv, Khrushchev). Kvartiry v
quickly. tu rabotu dolen zaxre- xruwobax stot sejcas sravnitelhno
nacith za denh. Ive got to get this nedorogo. Apartments in the Khru-
whole job churned out in one day. shchev tenements are relatively cheap
XRENVINA, -y, f., joc. Cf. xren. these days.
1. Nonsense. Ty verih v tu xreno- XRKATH/XRKNUTH, joc., rude.
vinu po radio? You mean you believe Lit., to grunt. 1. To talk . Teb ne spra-
that rubbish that was on the radio? ivat, ne xrkaj. Shut up, no ones
2. Thingamajig, gadget. Zdesh byla asking you. 2. To drink. Pora nam s
taka xrenovina, karandai tocith. toboj xrknuth kak sleduet. Its
There was a whatchamacallit over here time for you and me to have a proper
you know, for sharpening pencils. drink together.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
XRPATH/SXRPATH
XRPATH/SXRPATH, joc. To eat (lit.,
to crunch, munch). Cto ew esth
poesth, ue vs sxrpal. What else
is there to eat? Ive already wolfed down
everything you gave me.
/. To go, run. ,
, . Lets go, XUJ, -, m., rude. A penis. XUJ (nom.):
step it out, itll take us two hours if we
walk.
XUVNICATH/PROXUVNICATH,
rude. Cf. xuj. 1. To waste time, do noth-
ing. Opth denh proxuvnicali, a
rabota stoit. Again weve wasted
the whole day without doing any work.
2. To be stubborn, capricious. Koncaj
xuvnicath, teb prost pomoch, tak
pomogi. Stop being difficult youre
being asked to help out, so help out.
XUEGLT, -a, m., rude. A worthless per-
son (lit., cock-swallower, cf. xuj).
tot xueglot tolhko i dumaet o
denhgax. All that bastard ever thinks
about is money.
XU-MO, n., indecl., rude. Etcetera,
etcetera, nonsense, chatter (cf. xuj). On
ew rasskazyval o zagranie i vskoe
xu-mo. He kept on telling about his
trip abroad and all that.
XUEPLT, -a, m., rude. A chatterbox
(from plesti, to braid or weave, and
xuj). Nu cto ew narasskazal tot
xueplt? So what else did that chatter-
box say?
XUESS, -a, m., rude. An idiot, worthless
person (lit., cocksucker, cf. xuj).
tot xuesos s nami bolhe ne igra-
et v komande. That bastard isnt going
to play on our team any more.
XUET, -, f., rude. Fuss, bother, useless
bustle (by wordplay from sueta and xuj).
Xvatit zanimaths xuetoj, davaj
delath denhgi! Enough fooling around
with nonsense lets make some
money! Xuet iz-pod nogtj, idiom,
rude. Nonsense, trash, garbage. ta ne
xleb, a xueta iz-pod nogtej. This isnt
bread. Its some kind of garbage. Xuet
xut, idiom, rude. Nonsense (distorted
from sueta suet, vanity of vanities).
Vs, cto oni govort pro teb An unknown person (lit., a prick from the
xueta xuet. Everything they say about
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300
you is nonsense.
XUETNH, -i, f., rude. A mess, foul-up
(cf. xuj). S raspisaniem poezdov
tvorits kaka-to xuetenh. Theres
some screwup with the train schedule.
Stryj xuj, idiom, rude. An old man.
A ty, staryj xuj, cto zdesh dela-
eh? What are you doing here, old fel-
low? Xuj morvyj, idiom, rude. An
idiot (lit., a walruss prick). Ne sporh s
nim, tot xuj morovyj nicego ne
pojmt. Dont argue with that idiot.
Hell never understand. Xuj sobcij,
idiom, rude. A worthless person. Zna-
cit, ty pionih za nami, xuj soba-
cij? So youre spying on us, are you,
you bastard? snyj xuj, idiom, rude.
Its perfectly clear, its obvious. snyj
xuj, on ne pridt. He obviously wont
come. Xuj v pu, idiom, rude. Up
yours; the hell with you. Xuj v opu, a
ne dolg tebe! The hell with you! Im
not paying you back. Xuj v pu
vmsto ukrpu, rhyming phrase, rude.
Rhyming elaboration on the preceding
idiom (ukrop, dill). On prosits
perenocevath, xuj v opu vmesto
ukropu, pusth domoj idt. He wants
to sleep at our place? The hell with him.
Let him go home to sleep. Xuj na ny,
idiom, rude. To bad, nothing doing. Xuj
na ny nam, a ne zarplata v tom
mese. Too bad for us, were not
getting any salary this month. Xuj na
plocke, idiom, rude. A worthless per-
son. Kto on takoj, ctoby ego
sluath, xuj na palocke i vs. Why
do you listen to him? Hes a complete
nobody. Xuj na pstnom msle, idiom,
rude. A bastard, scoundrel, worthless fel-
low. A tomu xu na postnom masle
skai, cto ty ego znath ne xoceh.
Tell that bastard that you dont even
want to know him. Xuj s bugr, idiom,
rude. A nobody, an unknown person.
Nikakoj on ne ministr, prosto xuj
s bugra. Hes no minister hes a com-
plete nobody. Xuj s gor, idiom, neg.
mountains). Kto to? Xuj s gory.
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301
Whos that? Some nobody. Xj
tam, idiom, rude. No; youre wrong; I
refuse. Ty kupih mne pivo? Xuj
tam. Will you buy me a beer? Hell,
no. Xuj lyx, nolh destyx, idiom,
joc. Very little, not much (one prick-
unit, no tens). polucil gonorar xuj
elyx, nolh destyx. The honorarium
I got was pretty small one unit, no
tens. A xuj ne mso? idiom, rude. Of
course not, obviously not (lit., Isnt a
prick a piece of meat?) Ty xoceh
vzth moj magnitofon, a xuj ne
mso? You want to borrow my tape
recorder? Hell, no! Vesh xuj do kop-
ecki, idiom, rude. Thats all, thats
everything down to the last detail.
Neueli vs tak i bylo?
Konecno,, vesh xuj do kopeecki. Is that
really how it happened? Yes, down to
the last detail. Vot-te xj!, idiom, rude.
Incredible! (of unpleasant surprises).
Vot-te xuj, opth denena refor-
ma! Oh, no, not another monetary
reform! Dva drga xuj da ksus,
idiom, rude. Incompatible (lit., a prick
and vinegar). Kakie oni druzh, dva
druga xuj da uksus. What sort of
friends are they? They cant endure
each other. Za take rci xuj (clen)
teb na plci, idiom, rude. Youre talk-
ing nonsense (lit., For such words, a
prick on your shoulder). Ty skazal,
on ne na celovek, za takie reci xuj
tebe na pleci. You dont know what
youre talking about when you say hes
not one of us. Zdrvstvuj, zdrvst-
vuj, xuj mordstyj, rhyming phrase,
rude. Response to the greeting
Zdravstvuj (cf. under mrda). Ili xuj
popolm, ili pizd vdrbezgi, idiom,
rude. An exhortation to risk everything
(lit., either a broken prick or a shattered
cunt). Davaj sygraem na vse denhgi,
ili xuj popolam, ili pizda vdrebezgi.
Lets put all our money on it nothing
ventured, nothing gained. Na kdu
xtru pu esth xuj s vintm,
idiom, rude. He who cheats will be
cheated (lit., for every smart-ass theres a
prick with a bolt). N xuj, idiom, rude.
Dont, one shouldnt (cf. N xuj vyby-
XUJ
vaths under vybyvaths). Ne xuj
tuda xodith. Lets not go there.
Odn xuj, idiom, rude. It doesnt matter,
its all the same. Mne odin xuj, cto
delath, idti v irk ili v kino. I
dont care whether we go to the circus or
to the movies. Xoth by xuj, idiom,
rude. It doesnt matter, it has no effect.
Ego rugat, a on xoth by xuj. They
scold him, but it has no effect on him.
Xuj ego znaet, idiom, rude. I dont
know, no one knows. Xuj ego znaet,
kogda oni priedut. Heaven only
knows when theyll arrive. Xuj i pizd
iz odnog gnezd, rhyming phrase, rude.
It doesnt make any difference, it doesnt
matter. Cto konhk pokupath, cto
vodku. Xuj i pizda iz odnogo gnezda.
Should I buy cognac or vodka? Oh, well,
it really makes no difference.
XUJ (acc. sg. with verbs): KLASTH:
Klasth/poloth xuj, idiom, rude. To
despise, scorn. Na tvoi ugrozy xuj
poloil. I spit on your threats.
MENTH: Xuj n xuj menth, tlh-
ko vrm terth, idiom, rude. Its
pointless (lit., its a waste of time to
exchange one prick for another). Davaj
pomenems casami. Xuj na xuj me-
nth, tolhko vrem terth. Lets
exchange watches. Its pointless.
Theyre both pretty much the same.
SKLEVTH: Ctob mne xuj pty
sklevli, idiom, rude. An expression of
surprise, incredulity (lit., may birds peck
out my pecker). Ctob mne xuj ptiy
sklevali, ona opth ne prila. Well,
Ill be damned again she hasnt shown
up! SOSTH: Sos xuj v proku-
ratre, idiom, rude. Things arent going
well (rhyming answer to the question Vs
v aure? Is everything okay? or Ty
cto, v nature! Are you crazy?; lit.,
suck a cock in the prosecutors office).
Kak tvoi dela, vs v aure? Sosi
xuj v prokurature. Are things going
okay with you? No. SRVNI-
VATH: Srvnivath/sravnth xuj s
plhem, idiom, rude. To compare
incommensurable things (lit., to compare
a prick with a finger). Vspomni, kak
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
XUJ
bylo pri Breneve. ili normalhno.
Sravnil xuj s palhem, zato togda
kadyj sidel i molcal. Remember
how good things were under Brezhnev?
Youre comparing apples and oranges.
In those days everyone kept his mouth
shut. SNUTH: Sunh xuj v caj (i
vynh suxm), idiom, neg., rude. A Chi-
nese (lit., Dip your prick in tea [and take
it out dry], an absurd imitation of the
way Chinese names sound to Russians).
U men v gruppe novyj student
sunh xuj v caj. The new student in my
group is a wonton. TOCTH: Tocth/
natocth xuj, idiom, rude. To get ready
for an erotic encounter (lit., to sharpen
ones prick). Ty, viu, xuj nato-
cil, u teb svidanie? You must have
a date I see youre all sharpened up.
XOTTH: A xuj ne xceh? idiom,
rude. You expect too much. Daj mne
tvoj komphter na nadel. A xuj
ne xoceh? Let me borrow your com-
puter for a week. Youre asking for the
moon.
XUJ (acc. sg. with prepositions): ZA: Ne
scitth z xuj, idiom, rude. To consider
worthless, not to respect. Ego na rabo-
te za xuj ne scitat. They dont
respect him at work. NA: N xuj (ne
ndo), idiom, rude. No one needs it, to
hell with it, its beside the point, its irrel-
evant, it doesnt matter. V takoe vrem
tvoi knigi i na xuj ne nado. The hell
with your books at a time like this.
Posylth/poslth n xuj, idiom, rude.
To refuse, reject. Poli ego na xuj s
ego podarkami. The hell with him and
his presents. Xotth/zaxotth i rb-
ku (i kku) sqesth i n xuj (n xer)
sesth, rude. To eat ones cake and have it
too; to have the impossible (lit., to eat fish
and sit on a prick; an absurd rhyming
phrase). Ty xoceh i rybku sqesth i
na xer sesth i rabotath i otdy-
xath odnovremenno, tak ne byvaet.
You cant be at work and on vacation at
the same time! You want to eat your cake
and have it too. POD: Rki pod xuj
zatceny, idiom, rude. Clumsy (lit.,
hands shaped like a prick). U teb
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302
ruki pod xuj zatoceny, dae gvozdh
zabith ne moeh. Youre all thumbs
you cant even hammer in a nail. S:
S glhkin xuj, idiom, rude. Very little,
just a tiny bit (lit., about the size of a
pigeons prick). Vody ostalosh s
gulhkin xuj, a pith xocets. Im
thirsty, but we have very little water left.
Dva tajmn, odn s xuj, drugj
pomnee, rhyming phrase, rude. I didnt
catch any fish, the fishing was bad (lit., I
caught two, one about the size of a prick,
and the other a little smaller; tajmenh,
the name of a Siberian fish).
XU (acc. pl.): Navivath/navath
xu, idiom, rude. To abuse, swear at (lit.,
to hang pricks on). Pododi navei-
vath xui, ne vinovat. Dont be so
quick to swear at me! I didnt do it. Raz-
davth/razdth xu, idiom, rude. To
scold, verbally abuse. Ne xodi k nemu,
on vsem razdat xui. Dont go near
him he curses everyone out.
X (gen. sg.): Do xu, idiom, rude.
Lots, a great deal. Tam piva do xu.
Theres lots of beer there. Ldej na
ostanovke do xu i bolhe, ne sdeh
v avtobus. There are so many people at
the bus stop you wont get a seat on the
bus. Kakgo x teb ndo?, idiom,
rude. What more do you want? tebe
vs skazal, cto zna, kakogo xu tebe
ew nado? Ive told you everything I
know; what more do you want? Na xu
koz ban (pop garmnh)?, idiom,
rude. Its useless, irrelevant, beside the
point (lit., What does a goat [a priest]
need an accordion for?). Ty predla-
gaeh mne tu rabotu, a na xu koze
ban? I need that job youre offering me
like a hole in the head. Ni xu osben-
nogo, idiom, rude. Nothing special (dis-
torted from nicego osobennogo). Nu
kak balet? Ni xu osobennogo. So,
how was the ballet? Nothing special.
Ni xu seb! idiom, rude. Incredible!
What next! Ni xu sebe! Gde-to
strelt. What the hell is going on!
Theres shooting somewhere. Ot x
ki, idiom, rude. No, nothing doing,
like hell I will (lit., ears from a prick).
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
303
Ot xu uki tebe, a ne komphter.
Theres no way youre going to get a
computer. Sryvths/sorvths s
x, idiom, rude. Lit., to slip off a prick.
1. To be stunned, shocked. Ty cto, s
xu sorvals, ne slyal, cto Soza
bolhe net? Whats wrong with you?
Havent you heard theres no more Soviet
Union? 2. To make a quick or unex-
pected movement. Vy cto, s xu sor-
valish, kuda vy nestesh? Where are
you rushing off to?
XUV (gen. pl.): Xuv tcku, idiom,
rude. Nothing doing, theres no chance
(lit., a wheelbarrow full of pricks). Xuv
tebe tacku, a ne novu mainu.
Theres no way youre going to get a
new car.
X (dat. sg.): ne xa, mne vs p Never mind, it doesnt matter (lit. the
xu, rhyming phrase, rude. I dont care,
it doesnt bother me. iznh, konecno,
neprosta sejcas, no ne oxa, mne
vs po xu. Life is a little complicated
right now, of course, but it doesnt bother
me.
XUM (dat. pl.): Id k xum, idiom,
rude. Go to hell! Idi k xum so svoimi
proshbami! The hell with you and your
demands! Ne godths ni k xum,
idiom, rude. To be useless, good for noth-
ing. ta lampa ne godits ni k
xum. This lamp is completely useless.
XEM (instr. sg.): Za kakm xem?
idiom, rude. Why? What for? Za kakim
xuem tuda pojdu? What should I go
there for? Okolcivath xem gri,
idiom, rude. To be at leisure, take it easy
(lit., to shake pears out of the trees with
ones prick). Poka vy na ge xuem gru-
i okolacivali, my zdesh dom po-
stroili. While you were taking it easy
down south, we built a house here.
XUMI (instr. pl.): Obvivath/obv-
ath xumi, idiom, rude. To abuse,
cover with abuse. tolhko k nemu
vol, a on srazu men obveal
xumi. The minute I walked into his
room, he started heaping abuses on me.
XU (loc. sg.): Vdeth/uvdeth na
xu, idiom, rude. To despise, reject.
videl vse tvoi obewani na xu. I
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XU-X NE XO-X
spit on your promises. i tak na xu,
tlhko lpki svsil, idiom, rude. Used
in reply to the expression Idi na xuj!,
Go to hell! (lit., Im already there,
hanging my legs over the side).
XUJL, -, n., rude. Idiot, bastard (cf.
xuj). to xujlo nikogda ne pomo-
et. That bastard will never help out.
XUJNTH, perf. only, rude. Cf. xuj. 1. To
hit, beat. Xujni ego nogoj, pora vsta-
vath. Hit him in the foot to wake him
up. 2. To sell. Moet byth, xuj-
nuth emu rubaku? Maybe you can
sell him a shirt.
XUJN, -, f., rude. Nonsense (lit.,
semen; cf. xuj). Tvoi plany xujn.
Your plans are nonsense. Xujn
vojn, glvnoe manvry, idiom, rude.
war is nonsense; all that matters is the
maneuvers). Xujn e, idiom, rude.
Youre wrong, thats not true (lit., semen
is more watery; used in protesting reply
to xujn). Vs, cto ty govorih
xujn. Xujn ie. What youre
saying is a lot of nonsense. No, its
not. to vs xujn po sravnni s
mirovj revoliej, idiom, rude.
Never mind, it doesnt matter (lit., its
all nonsense in comparison with world
revolution).
XUJN-MUJN, xujn-mujn, f.,
rude. Nonsense (cf. xujn). Cto ci-
taeh? Vsku xujn-mujn, de-
tektiv. What are you reading?
Some nonsense or other, a detective
story.
XLI, adv., rude. What for? (cf. xuj). A
xuli ty sda priprs? How come
you came crashing in here?
XTOR: Na xtor bbocek lovth, see
under na.
XUXR-MUXR, idiom, joc. Nonsense.
to delo serhznoe, ne xuxry-
muxry. Dont joke around; this is seri-
ous business.
XU-X NE XO-X? idiom, rude. Youre
expecting too much, you cant have what
you want (cf. A xuj ne xceh?). Ty
xoceh eniths na ego doceri, a xu-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
XKI
xu ne xo-xo? You want to marry his
daughter? Youre asking for the moon!
XKI! pl., rude. Nothing doing, no
way (cf. xuj). Xuki emu, a ne
zarplata! Nothing doing! Im not pay-
ing him any salary.
XUK, -, m., rude. A quick motion or
sound (cf. xuj). On ego xuk po morde.
He smacked him one in the face.
Xuk, xuk, gon trok, idiom, rude.
Words of protest against a sudden change
of plans (lit., bang-bang, give me back
three rubles). Sobirajs, edem v
Krym. Xuk, xuk, goni trok.Get
ready. Were going to the Crimea.
Huh? Out of the blue like that?
XUKATH/XUKNUTH, rude. To hit,
smash, shatter (cf. xuj). On xuknul
caku. He smashed the teacup.
XUKNUTHS, perf. only, rude. Cf. xuj.
1. To fall. Zdesh xuknuths mono,
net stupenek. Watch out you dont fall
here. Theres a step missing. 2. To go
crazy. Vy ew ne xuknulish zdesh
ot bezdelh? Havent you gone crazy
from boredom out here?
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304
XURITH/OTXURITH, rude. Cf. xuj.
1. To work. xuril vs nedel,
ustal. Im exhausted, Ive been work-
ing all week. 2. To go. Kuda my
xurim? Where are we going? 3. To
hit. Ego xurili elyj cas. They
beat on him for a whole hour. 4. To
drink. On xurit vodku vs iznh.
Hes been drinking vodka all his life.
Vter v xr, a my xurim, idiom,
rude. Were not discouraged by difficul-
ties (lit., the winds in our face, but we
carry on). Kak vy poedete na oxotu?
Tam e moroz gradusov 40. A, veter
v ar, a my xurim. How can you go
hunting? Its 40 below zero! That
wont prevent us.
XJR, -a, m., youth. Hair (from Eng.
hair). U men dlinnyj xjr, nado
sxodith v parikmaxersku. My hair is
too long. Id better go to the hair-
dressers.
XND, -v, pl., youth. Hands, arms
(from Eng. hand). U nego vse xndy
v nakolkax. His arms are all covered
with tattoos.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
PATH/PNUTH, neg. To touch, take
(lit., to snatch). Ne apaj, ne tvo
rubaka. Dont touch that shirt! Its not
yours.
PATHS/POPATHS, neg. To
quarrel, argue. Oni opth poapalish
iz-za deneg. Theyve had another quar-
rel about money.
PL, -i, f., neg. An unattractive,
skinny woman (lit., a heron). Von,
smotri, apl idt, kto to? Whos
that scarecrow over there? Ngi kak u
pli, see under ngi.
RSKOE SEL, idiom, joc. A
luxurious residential area for New
Russians and high officials (from the
name of the summer residence of the
tsars).
ARH: Bez ar v golov, idiom, neg.
Thoughtless, foolish (lit., with no czar in
ones head). Ty ne dumaj, cto on bez
ar v golove, xoth i odevaets kak
pank. Dont imagine that hes a fool just
because he dresses like a punk.
KA, -i, f. 1. A toy. Brosaj svoi
aki, idm gulth. Put away your
toys and lets go for a walk. 2. A bauble,
trinket. Posmotri, kakie aki
tebe kupil. Look at the trinkets Ive
bought you.
KATHS/POKATHS, neg.
To spoil, fuss over, overindulge. S nim
nado perestath akaths, kto on
takoj, pusth rabotaet kak vse.
Youve got to stop indulging him. Who
the hell is he, that he shouldnt work like
everyone else?
VETK ASFLHTA, idiom, joc. Lit.,
pavement flower. 1. A prostitute. Ne
pristavaj k muikam, kak vetok
asfalhta. Dont run after the guys like
a prostitute. 2. A pale, weak girl or
woman. Ne beri sebe v ny tot
vetok asfalhta, ona vs vrem bole-
et. Dont marry that pavement flower
shes sick all the time.
VETK V PLI, idiom, joc., army A
sweeper (lit, flower in the dust, the title of
Page 305
a popular movie). Nu ty, vetok v
pyli, meti pobystree, skoro otboj.
Hurry up with the sweeping, itll soon be
time for taps.
E, pred. use, rude. A virgin (abbr. of
lka). Ona ew e? Is she still a vir-
gin?
LKA, -i, f., rude. Lit., intact hymen.
1. A virgin. Razve ona elka? You
mean shes really a virgin? 2. A prude,
hypocrite. Ty cto, elka, cto li,
dae vina ne phh. What sort of
prude are you, making as if you dont
even drink wine? Kak lka psle
sem abrtov, idiom, neg. Acting prud-
ishly, posing as an innocent (lit., like a
virgin after seven abortions). Cto ty
kak elka posle semi abortov, ne zna-
eh, cto v tix slucax dat vzt-
ku? How can you act so naive? Even
you must know that in cases like this a
bribe is called for. Strith iz seb
lku, see under strith.
LKIJ, -a, -oe, joc. Deft, adroit, crafty
(playing on lka and elh, goal or
purpose). Ty parenh elkij, ne
propadh. Youre a smart fellow.
Youll do all right.
ELOVTHS/POELOVTHS s
dvrh, idiom, joc. To find no one at
home (lit., to exchange kisses with the
door). k tebe pril, kak dogovo-
rilish, poelovals s dverh i ul.
I went to your place as we agreed, but
you werent there, so I left.
EMENTOVZ, -a, m., joc. A police car
(by wordplay on ement, cement, and
ment).
ENTR, pred. use, crim., pos. Good, excel-
lent. ti sapogi entr! Pokupaj.
These boots are super! Buy them.
ENTROVJ, -go, youth. A chief, head
(as of a gang). Kto na vaej ulie
entrovoj? Whos the leader on your
street?
ENTRK, -, m., youth. 1. A major vein.
U teb entrk ne viden, ne popadu.
Your central isnt visible; I cant find it
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EPANTH 306

with the needle. 2. A chief, boss. V ix U teb esth ivilh pereodeths?

kompanii entrk to Volod. Have you got a set of civvies to change
Volodya is the leader of their group. into?
EPANTH, perf. only. To pick up (a IVLHNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos.
girl), make a girls acquaintance (lit., to Good, rich, luxurious. Zakai ivilh-
hook). epani tu, von tam stoit, nyj obed, esth xocets. Order a good
vrode nicego. Try to pick up that one meal. Im hungry.
over there shes awfully good-look- IKL, -a, m. 1. neg. An obsession, fixed
ing. idea. U nego na cuvixax ikl. Hes
, idiom. 1. To get dysen- obsessed with girls. 2. Menstrual period.
tery (lit., to catch dysentery). U men ikl, otstanh ot men.
- Leave me alone. Ive got my period. 3.
. In the East, getting dysentery is as youth. A drug, a narcotic. Ty moj ikl
easy as one, two, three. 2. To receive ne bral? Did you take my cyclo?
false information. !, idiom. Very good, nice, tasty
, (from Yid. tzimmes).
. That data must be ana- ,
lyzed another hundred times, it could , ! When you get liberty
very well be misinformation. you should try the local food, its really
EPLTH/ZAEPTH. To be intoxicat- good.
ing, give a high. A pivo to xoroee, INK, -a, m., army. A coffin, a death (lit.,
eplet. This is good beer; it gives you zinc). Posle tix bov budet mnogo
a real buzz. inka. There are going to be a lot of
EPLTHS, imperf. only. To insist on, casualties from these battles.
keep harping on. Ne epljs k slo- , -, f., army. A box with car-
vam, moet byth, i ne tak skazal. tridges (from , zinc, meaning the
Dont keep harping on what I said. metal that boxes were made of).
Maybe I was wrong. , ,
EPRA, -y, f., youth. Decorative chain, . If you take more
necklace. Skolhko ty epur naepi- than three boxes of cartridges your load
la, ne telo? Look at all those would be too heavy for the mountain ter-
chains youre wearing! Arent they rain.
heavy? , idiom, army.
ERNIK, -a, m. A CIA agent A coffin (lit., a zinc parade uniform).
(RU, entralhnoe razvedyvatelhnoe ,
upravlenie). On, naverno, eru- . There is one parade uni-
nik. Apparently hes a CIA agent. form I dont ever want to try on and thats
EXOVK, -, m., obs. Someone working the zinc one!
in illegal production of merchandise , -, m., army. A serviceman in a
(from ex, workshop). On izvest- zinc coffin (lit., a zinc man). See
nyj exovik, podpolhno delal en- .
skie koftocki. Hes known to be an RLY: Xodth na rlax, see under
underground producer hes been man- xodth.
ufacturing womens blouses illegally. ISTRNA, -y, f., joc. Someone who
IVL, -a, m. youth, neg. A square, a drinks a lot (lit., a cistern). Teb ne na-
conformist, a conventional person (from poih, ty nastowa isterna. No
Eng. civilian). On iz ivilov, s one can get you drunk youre such a
nami ne poedet. He wont come with bottomless pit.
us, hes a square. IFERBLT, -a, m., joc. A face (lit.,
IVLH, -, m., army. Civilian clothes. clock face). Poverni iferblat, ka-
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
307
ets, tebe nado umyths. Show me
your face it looks like you need a
wash.
IK, -a, m. A puppy. Gde ty vzl
togo uika? Where did you get that
puppy? Mrznuth/zamrznuth kak
ik, see under mrznuth.
YGNITH/NAYGNITH, neg. To
Page 307
PKA
beg, to mooch (from ygan, gypsy).
Pojdu na uliu yganith sigarety,
vse koncilish. Im going out to mooch
some cigarettes I havent got any left.
PKA, -i, f. A pretty, attractive girl (lit.,
a chick). Von stoit neploxa ypka.
Theres a nice-looking chick over
there.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
, -, f. A mouth (from , to Hes one of our guys. You can rely on
eat noisily). him.
, ? CPATH/POCPATH, joc. To walk
You dont ever shut your trap, do you?
Do you ever know how to keep quiet?
CAJKVSKIJ: Pith/vpith caj-
kvskogo, see under pith.
CAJLD, -a, m., youth. A child (from Eng.
child). Cej to cajld ew ne spit?
Whose child is that whos still awake?
CJNIK, -a, m. Lit., a teapot. 1. neg. A
fool, a stupid person. Ne prikidyvaj-
s cajnikom. Dont act like an idiot. 2.
neg. A driver who stores his car in the
winter; an inexperienced driver (cf. pod-
snnik). Ostorono, vperedi
edet cajnik. Watch out! Theres an
out-of-practice driver ahead of us.
3. crim. Gonorrhea. Esli u teb caj-
nik, to nado pith peniillin. If
youve got the clap, you should take peni-
cillin. Navarth cjnik, see under
navarth.
CLITH/POCLITH, crim. & youth.
To have sexual relations with a woman.
Ty znaeh, kto e calit? Do you
know whos sleeping with her?
CLITHS/NACLITHS, crim. 1.
To serve time in prison. Oni calts
ue dva goda. Theyve served two years
already. 2. To be convicted of a crime.
Oni calilish po vosemhdest vosh-
moj. They were convicted on Article
88 (a well-known political article of the
criminal code).
CLYJ, -ogo, crim. A recidivist. On
svoj, calyj. Hes one of us; this isnt
the first time hes been in prison.
CAN, -a, m., neg. A head (lit., vat, tub). U
teb can sovsem ne varit, pojdi
otdoxni. Your mind isnt working
go take a rest.
CO-KAKO. See co s kakvoj!
CO S KAKVOJ! idiom, joc. So long!
See you later! Nu, cao s kakavoj! Ne
zabyvaj! So long! Dont forget!
CAP, -a, m., youth. Fellow, guy (from Eng.
chap). On na cap, ne podvedt.
Page 308
slowly, unhurriedly. Nu, pocapali po-
tixonhku. Well, lets amble along.
, , m. 1. A tea house. 2. Any
shop or store. ,
, ,
? The store has already closed for
the night and were out of beer and
smokes. Got any ideas?
CRNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Good,
good-looking. U teb carna pod-
ruga. Your girlfriend is really good-
looking.
CEBURXATHS/CEBURXNUTH-
S, joc. To fall. Na ulie skolhzko,
mono ceburaxnuths. The streets are
so slippery it would be easy to fall.
CEBURKA, -i, f. A small bottle for
juice, water, and so on (from the name of
a popular cartoon character of diminutive
size). Vy prinimaete ceburaki?
Can I return bottles here?
CEG-TO X`CETS, a kog ne
zneh, idiom, joc. I feel horny (lit., I
want something, but I dont know who).
CEJND, -a, m., youth. An exchange, a
swap (from Eng. change). Davaj
cejnd sdelaem na kurtki. Lets
swap jackets.
CEJNDANTHS, perf., youth. To
exchange, swap. My ue cejnda-
nulish truzerami. Weve exchanged
slacks.
CEKANKA, -i, m. & f., youth, neg. A
crazy person (from ceka, linchpin).
Ty u nas cekanaka. Youre a nut.
CEKANTYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Crazy. Neueli ty, cekanutyj, e-
nils? You mean you actually got mar-
ried, you maniac?!
CEKANTHS, perf. only. To go crazy.
On sovsem cekanuls, vs mebelh
porubil. He went out of his mind and
hacked up all the furniture.
CEKKA, -i, f. A quarter of a liter of
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309 CREZ NE MOG

vodka. Vozhmi cekuku, nam xvatit. CEM DLHE VLEZ, TEM BLHE
Just get a quarter-liter; thatll be enough INTERS, rhyming phrase, joc. The
for us. deeper you penetrate, the more interest-
CELNK, -, m. A merchant who buys ing it gets. An off-color parody of the
goods abroad and sells them in Russia proverb Cem dalhe v les, tem bolhe
(lit., a shuttle). Kou nado pokupath u drov, The further you go into the woods,
celnokov, u nix deevle. Leather coats the more firewood there is. Ty
are cheaper when you buy from a shut- znaeh, mne nravits ta rabota.
tle. Cem dalhe vlez, tem bolhe
-, idiom, army. A interes. You know, Im getting to like
soldier on dish-washing duty (lit., an this work. Sure, the more you get into
amphibian man, after the title of a popular it, the more interesting it is.
SF novel, meaning that theres plenty of CENC, -a, m., An exchange, a swap (from
water around him). Eng. change; cf. cejnd). Davaj
- , sdelaem cenc, ty mne casy, a tebe
. You sumku. Lets make a swap you take
dont want to get stuck with dishwashing my bag, and Ill take your watch.
duty on the ship, the skin on your hands , , m. Emergency situation
will start to peel off after a week. (from , extreme, and
CELOVK IZ OBJMY. An influen- , accident).
tial person, party boss, and the like (lit., ?, ,
someone belonging to a cartridge clip, . How was your watch? Normal,
i.e., a member of a set). Vidno srazu, no incidents, no accidents.
on celovek iz obojmy, daca, maina, CEPUX: Cepux na pstnom msle,
vlasth vs u nego esth. Its obvious idiom. Nonsense, rubbish. to cepuxa
hes one of the big wheels with his dacha, na postnom masle. Thats completely
his car, and all his power hes got absurd. Nest cepux, see under
everything. Kak blyj celovk, see nest.
under kak. , -, m. A ten-ruble bill.
-, idiom, CERVNCIK, -a, m. From cervone.
army, joc. A lazy soldier (lit., an invisible 1. A ten-ruble bill. 2. pl., money. Vy
man). - mne vernye druzh, s vami i syt i
, , phn, milye cervonciki moi! Darling
. Hes a slacker, he gets out of chervonchiki, youre my true friends;
everything because he disappears when- with you Ive got plenty to eat and drink
ever theres work to be done. (from a popular song).
CEM BY DIT NI TILOSH,
CERDK, -, m. Lit., attic. 1. joc. The
LIH BY NE FKALOSH, idiom,
head, brain. U men sovsem cerdak ne
rude. A distortion of the common saying
rabotaet. My brain has completely
Cem by dit ni teilosh, lih by ne
shut down. 2. crim. An outer breast
plakalo, Let the kid amuse himself any
pocket. Ne kladi denhgi v cerdak,
way he wants, just so he doesnt cry.
mono ix legko vytnuth. Dont put
The distorted version, referring to
your money in your outer pocket it
teenagers, replaces the ending with just
could easily be stolen.
so he or she doesnt have sex (cf. f-
kaths). Mo doch bez uma ot te- , idiom,
logo roka. Da, nu i ladno. Cem by army. A rhyming phrase describing con-
dit ni teilosh, lih by ne faka- tempt for duties without a break (lit., to
losh. My daughter is crazy about hard have a rifle belt in a day).
rock. Well, let the kid have her fun, as CREZ NE MOG, idiom. In spite of
long as she doesnt get laid. ones weakness; by way of overcoming
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
CREZ NE XOC
oneself (lit., in spite of I cant). Ty
dolna sdelath to cerez ne mogu.
Youve got to outdo yourself and bring
this off.
CREZ NE XOC, idiom. In spite of dis-
inclination (lit., in spite of I dont want
to). Davaj, delaj to cerez ne xocu.
Come on do it even if you dont want
to.
CEREPK, cerepk, m., joc. Skull, head
(lit., shard, crock; by wordplay on cerep,
skull). Tam idi ostorono, a to
sverxu kirpicom po cerepku popadt.
Be careful over there a brick could
fall on your head. Cerepk (cerep-
ka) ne vrit u kog-l., idiom, joc.
Someones brain isnt working; someone
isnt thinking clearly. U teb cto,
cerepok ne varit, zacem ty ix privl
sda? Have you got a screw loose or
something? What did you bring them
here for?
CRNA BBOCKA, idiom, business. A
dummy company (lit., black butterfly).
Firmu svo on okruil ew cr-
nymi babockami, ctoby denhgi pr-
tath. Hes surrounded his company
with dummy firms to hide his income.
CRNA SUBBTA, neg., obs. Lit.,
black Saturday. A Soviet arrangement
whereby one Saturday a month was a
compulsory workday. Segodn rabo-
ta do pti, u nas crna subbota.
Ill be at work until five today its our
black Saturday.
CERNLA, cernl, pl., joc. Red wine of
poor quality (lit., ink). Ty, viu,
bolha lbitelhnia cernil. I see CRNYJ4, -ogo, m., neg. A person from
you really go for that red rotgut.
CERNOPYJ, -ogo, m., neg., rude. A
person from the Caucasus (lit., a black-
assed fellow). V Moskve cernoopye
obnagleli, delat vs, cto xott,
ubivat, spekulirut. The black-
asses have gotten very uppity in Moscow
lately they speculate, murder, what-
ever they feel like.
CERNOZM: Pod nogtmi cernozm,
to zncit agronm, see under pod.
CERNOMZYJ, -ogo, neg., rude. A
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310
black person (lit., smeared black; cf. cr-
nyj3). Zacem tebe nuen tot cer-
nomazyj? Why do you associate with
that black guy?
CERNORTYJ, -ogo, neg. Foul-
mouthed, obscene, nasty (lit., black-
mouthed). Cernorotyj ty, ot teb
slova dobrogo ne dodhs. You
have a nasty tongue you never have a
kind word to say.
CERNOT, -, f., coll., neg. Caucasians
and/or Asians (lit., blackness). Otkuda
stolhko cernoty v Moskve? How
come all these black people are in
Moscow?
CERNXA, -i, f., neg. Art or literature
showing the negative side of life. Sej-
cas v kino odnu cernuxu pokazyvat,
smotreth ne xocets. The movies
nowadays are only showing the dark side
of things; I dont feel like watching that
stuff.
CERNKA, -i, f. A black-humor joke
(wordplay on castuka, a popular
rhyme, and crnyj mor, black
humor; cf. cernxa).
CRNYJ1: po-crnomu, neg. Exces-
sively, uncontrolledly. On davno pht
po-crnomu. His drinking has been out
of control for a long time.
CRNYJ2, -ogo, m., youth. 1. Opium, an
opium preparation. U men crnyj
davno koncils. My blackie is all
gone. 2. Crystalline iodine. Razvedi
crnogo nemnogo. Dissolve some
blackie for me.
CRNYJ3, -ogo, m., rude. A black person.
the Caucasus. Crnye ue torgut
vinogradom? Are the blackies selling
grapes yet?
CRNYJ TLHPN, idiom, army. A
transport aircraft for soldiers killed in
action (lit., black tulip). Ne xotelosh
by, ctoby za nami crnyj tlhpan
priletel. Id hate to see a black tulip
coming for us.
CERNKA, -i, f. 1. Black bread. U
nas k obedu cernka esth? Do
we have any black bread for dinner?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
311
2. crim. Opium. Pocm cernka?
How much is opium selling for?
CERPK, -, m., army. A soldier in his
second year of service (lit., a ladle). On
ue cerpak, vs znaet, cto nado i ne
nado delath. Hes in his second year
already he knows which are the good
jobs and which arent.
CRT, -a, m. Lit., devil. 1. Used as a term
of abuse or disgust. Crt, skolhko
mono povtorth, otstanh ot men.
Damn it, how many times do I have to
tell you to leave me alone! 2. crim., neg.
Someone who does not belong to the
criminal world. On zdesh linij, on
e crt. Hes straight he doesnt idiom, neg. Youre expecting too much,
belong here. CRT (nom. sg.): Crt
lsyj, idiom, rude. A bald fellow.
Na direktor, crt lysyj, tak i
ne sdelal, cto obewal. Our director
didnt do what he promised, that bald
devil. Crt znet cto, idiom, neg. Lit.,
the devil knows what; used to express
disapproval or dislike. to crt
znaet cto! Vezde bespordok, grzh.
What the hell is this! Filth and confusion
everywhere! Crt eg znet, idiom,
neg. Lit., the devil knows; used to express
complete ignorance of something.
Crt ego znaet, kogda budet por-
dok. The devil knows when well have
law and order. Crt mtnoj vod,
crim., neg. A crook, cheat (lit., a devil of
muddy water). Ty vs e s nim budh
poostoronej, on crt mutnoj vody.
Be a little more cautious with him. Hes
a crook. Crt cstoj vod, crim., neg.
A naive person, a fool (lit., a devil of
clean water). Tolhko durak moet ego
printh za vora v zakone, on e crt
cistoj vody. How could you take him
for a real criminal? Hes just a dupe.
Crt-te cto, idiom. No one can under-
stand, the devil only knows. Sejcas v
konomike crt-te cto tvorits.
The devil only knows whats going on in
the economy these days. Koj crt dr-
nul kog-l., idiom, neg. What got into
someone? What possessed someone? (lit.,
What devil grabbed someone?). Koj
crt teb drnul skazath emu ob
Page 311
CESTH2/CESANTH
tom? to e sekret. What pos-
sessed you to tell him about it? Its a
secret! CRTI (nom. pl.): Gde teb
crti nosli? idiom. Where have you
been? (lit., where did the devils take
you?). My teb iwem elyj denh.
Gde teb certi nosili? Weve been
looking for you all day. Where the hell
have you been? CRTA (gen. sg.):
Crta lsogo, idiom. Its impossible;
nothing will come of it (lit., of a bald
devil). Ty xoceh otdyxath na ge?
Crta lysogo, tuda net biletov.
You want to take a vacation in the
south? Nothing doing there arent any
tickets. (A crta) lsogo ne xceh?,
youre indulging in wishful thinking (lit.,
Do you want a bald devil?). Za to vy
vse budete uvoleny! A crta lyso-
go ne xoceh? Youll all be fired for
that! Dont get your hopes up! Crta
s dva, idiom. No, not, never. Crta s
dva emu dam mainu. No way Im
going to let him have the car. Kakgo
crta?, idiom. Why? Kakogo crta
ty priprs tak pozdno? Why did
you come so late? Na crta?, idiom.
Why? What for? Na crta mne nuen
tot rebnok? What do I need that kid
for? CRTOM (instr. sg.): Za kakm
crtom?, idiom. Why? What for? Za
kakim crtom vy tuda poexali? Tam
necego delath. What did you go there
for? Theres nothing to do there.
CRTOVA KKLA, idiom, neg. A female
idiot, fool. Esli ta crtova kukla
ew raz takoe skaet, ej pokau.
Ill teach that ninny a lesson if she ever
says such a thing again.
CESTH1/POCESTH zyk(), idiom,
joc. To gossip, chatter (lit., to scratch
ones tongue). Vy lbite cesath
zyki. You guys are too fond of gossip-
ing. Cesth rpu, idiom, joc. To delib-
erate, think over carefully (lit., to scratch
ones head; cf. rpa). Bystree cei
repu, idh s nami ili net. Make up
your mind already! Are you coming with
us or not?
CESTH2/CESANTH, joc. 1. To run, go
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
CESTHS
quickly. Cto ty tak cesanul, ty
cto, speih? Why did you run off
like that? Are you in a hurry? 2. To
speak a foreign language fluently. Ona
ceet po-russki kak russka! She
speaks Russian like a real Russian.
CESTHS: Rki cuts, see under well have to smoke butts.
rki.
CESNK, -, m., crim. A thief, a criminal
(lit., garlic). to na celovek, ces-
nok. Hes one of ours a criminal like
us.
CESNK, -, m., crim. A thief, criminal.
Esli ty cesnk, to ne dolen vy-
xodith na rabotu v trhme, to pro-
tiv vorovskix zakonov. If youre a
criminal you mustnt work in prison
its against the criminal code.
CETVERTK, -, m. Twenty-five rubles
(lit., a quarter).
CETVERTNKA, -i, f. A bottle of vodka
containing 250 grams (cf. cetvertk).
Sejcas ue ne prodat cetverti-
nok. These days theyre not selling those
quarter-liters any more.
CTKO, adv., youth. Well, very well.
Poka vs idt ctko. So far every- -able). A to citabelhna kniga?
things going fine.
CEXL, cexl, m., joc. A condom (lit., a
cover, slipcover). U kogo esth cexol?
Idu k tlke, esth podozrenie, cto k
nej bez cexla nelhz. Whos got a con-
dom? Im afraid the girl Im going out
with may have a disease.
CEU, -, f., neg. Nonsense, rubbish
(lit., fish scale; by wordplay on cepux).
Vs to ceu, ne obrawaj vnima- CIFNITH/POCIFNITH, youth.
ni na spletni. Thats rubbish
dont pay any attention to such gossip.
CKI-BRKI, pl., joc. 1. Commotion,
fuss. Sejcas idut vskie ciki-briki
nasct privatizaii. Theres a lot of
commotion going on about privatization
these days. 2. An affair, a sexual connec-
tion. I davno u nix ti ciki-briki?
Have they been sleeping together for
long?
CIK-FR, -a, m., youth. A cigarette
lighter (from cik, the sound of lighting a
match, and Eng. fire). U kogo moj
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312
cik-far? Whos got my lighter?
CIN: Zacm mne cin, kogd net
vetcin, see under zacm.
CINRIK, -a, m. A cigarette butt.
Sigaret bolhe net, budem kurith
cinariki. There are no cigarettes left;
CIPK, cipk, m., joc. A discount store,
a store that sells inexpensive goods (esp.
abroad; from Eng. cheap). Pivo
pocm v cipke? How much does beer
cost at the cut-rate store?
CRIK, -a, m., obs. Ten rubles (from cer-
vone).
CIRKATH/ZACIRKATH, neg. To
chatter, babble. Teb ne spraivat,
ne cirikaj. Cut out your chattering; no
one asked your opinion.
CSTITH/NACSTITH fejs, idiom,
youth, neg. To hit, beat (lit., to clean
someones face). Tebe davno pora na-
cistith fejs za tvoi dela. Youve
had a beating coming to you for a long
time for the things youve been up to.
CITBELHNYJ, -a, -oe. Worth read-
ing (from citath, to read, and Eng.
Vpolne. Is this book worth reading?
Oh, very much so.
CIF, -a, m. A boss, chief (from Eng.
chief). Cif ue na rabote? Is the
boss in yet?
, -, m. Food.
, .
The food sucks here, but other than that
lifes OK.
To eat, have something to eat. Po-
bystromu pocifanili i poli.
Lets have a quick bite and get going.
CIFIRTH/POCIFIRTH. To drink
strong tea (cf. cifrh). Davaj poci-
firim. Lets have some good strong
tea.
CIFRH, -, m. Strong tea. Sdelaj-ka
cifirh, a to spath xocets. Make
some strong tea or Ill fall asleep.
, -, f., neg. A Chechen fighter (abbr.
of ). ,
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
313
. These /, army. 1. To
Chechens are like animals, the way they
maneuver, fight, and survive in the moun-
tains is unreal.
CLEN, -a, m. A penis (lit., member). U
nego clen do kolen. Hes got a prick
down to his knees.
CLENOVZ, -a, m., neg. An official gov-
ernment car (lit., member-transporter or
prick-transporter, compounded from
clen, member [of the government or the
Party], but also penis, and vozith, to
convey. These cars are usually large
black Volgas or ZILs, which give their
occupants privileged treatment in city
traffic). Perekryli dvienie, sejcas
poedut clenovozy. Theyve stopped
traffic to let some prick-conveyers go
by.
CMO, n., indecl., youth, neg. A worthless
or unpleasant person (from acronym of
celovek moskovskoj oblasti, a person
of the Moscow district). s tim cmo
dela ne budu delath. I wouldnt have
any dealings with that creep.
CMOK, -a, m., youth, neg. A worthless or
unpleasant person. Otojdi otsda,
cmok, videth teb ne xocu. Get out of
here, you schmuck! I dont want to see
your face.
CMRITH/ZACMRITH, youth. To
frighten, terrify. Rketiry ego sovsem
zacmorili, trebut denhgi, grozts
izbith. Those racketeers have got him
completely terrorized with their demands
for money and their threats of violence.
CMNIK, -a, m., youth, neg. An
unpleasant, dirty person. tot cmo-
nik zagadil vs kvartiru. That slob
has messed up the whole apartment.
CMNYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg. Un-
pleasant, dirty. Tam u vas cmona
kompaka, tuda ne pojdu. Those
friends of yours are such slobs, I wouldnt
want to go to their place.
CMUR, -, m., neg. A person who acts
strangely, an eccentric or crazy person.
tot cmur vs delaet ne tak, kak
ldi. That weirdo doesnt do anything
in the normal way.
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CTO VROSLO TO VROSLO
drill too much.
, , .
That jackass drills us to death because
he thinks its gonna get him promoted.
2. To insult, tease recruits.
,
. Dont harass them too
much, weve already taught them how to
fire their weapons.
, -, m., army. A recruit. See
. ,
: , -
, . We have very
simple rules around here, the new recruits
polish our shoes, iron our uniforms, and
make our racks, understand?
CKATHS/CKNUTHS, joc. To go
crazy (lit., to clink glasses in a toast).
Ty sovsem u nas coknuls? Have
you gone completely out of your mind?
CKNUTYJ, -a, -oe, joc. Crazy. Cego
ty kricih, coknutyj, cto li?
What are you shouting for? Are you
crazy?
CPKATH/CPKNUTH, joc. To have
sex with someone (from the sound of
opening bottles). Tak ty e vs e
cpoknul ili net? Well, did you go to
bed with her or not?
CPKNUTYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Strange, crazy, abnormal. Ne obrawaj
na nego vnimanie, on davno cpoknu-
tyj. Dont pay any attention to him;
hes completely crazy.
CTVO, -a, n., joc. Easy reading, some-
thing to read for entertainment (from cte-
nie). kupil paru detektivov, u
men teperh xoroee ctivo na vos-
kresenhe. I bought myself a couple of
detective stories, so Ive got some easy
reading for Sunday.
CTO VROSLO TO VROSLO,
idiom. Dont complain! (lit., Whats
grown has grown). Govorih, cto
pravitelhstvo slaboe? Cemu zdesh
udivlths, cto vyroslo to vy-
roslo. You say the government is
powerless. What is there to be surprised
at? We have what we have.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
CTO ZA UM, A DRKI N`ETU
CTO ZA UM, A DRKI N`ETU,
idiom. Whats the argument about? (lit.,
How come all the noise, and no fight?)
CTO MNE, STRELTHS/ZASTRE-
LTHS? idiom. Lit., What should I
do, shoot myself? Used in response to an
accusation, in the sense Yes, I did it, but
its not the end of the world. Ty
opth razbil mainu. Nu i cto
mne, strelths? Youve gone and
wrecked the car again! Well, yeah.
What should I do, shoot myself?
CTO NDO, idiom, pos. Very good. On
parenh cto nado. Hes a terrific guy.
CTO POSMEH, TO I POMH,
idiom, joc. Lit., Whatever you dare,
thats what youll squeeze; distorted
from the proverb Cto poseeh, to i
ponh, As you sow, so shall you
reap. U nego opth nova enwina.
Cto posmeeh, to i pomh. CDO V PRHX, idiom, joc. A strange,
Hes got another new girlfriend.
Well, as you dare, so shall you squeeze.
CTOB KOM-L. POVYLZILO!,
idiom, neg. Used as a threat or a curse
(lit., May s.o.s eyes pop out!) Ctob im
povylazilo za vse ix reformy! May
they fry in hell for all their reforms!
CTOB MNE LPNUTH, idiom. Ill be
damned (if Im not telling the truth) (lit.,
may I explode). sam videl, kak on
vzl denhgi, ctob mne lopnuth. On
my word, I saw him take the money
may I burn in hell if its not true!
CT-TO STLI NKI ZBNUTH,
NE POR LI NAM DERBNUTH,
idiom, joc. An invitation or suggestion to
have a drink. Lit., My feet are freezing
isnt it time for a little nip?
CT-TO STLO XOLODTH, NE
POR LI NAM PODDTH?,
rhyming phrase, joc. An invitation or
suggestion to have a drink. Lit., It seems
to be getting a little chilly shouldnt
we have a drink?
CUVK, -, m., youth, obs. A fellow, guy.
Cuvaka togo znaeh? Do you know
that guy?
CUVXA, -i, f., youth, obs. A girlfriend,
female friend. to tvo cuvixa? Is
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314
she your friend?
CUVSTVTELHNYJ, -a, -oe, youth,
joc. Good, tasty (lit., sensitive, sentimen-
tal). Da, to cuvstvitelhnyj a-
lyk! Wow, thats delicious shashlik!
, idiom, army.
Intuition (a feeling for a summer light-
ning, from , sudden insight).
,
?
Whats your gut telling you? Are they
going to ambush us before dawn or not?
CUVRLA, -y, f., neg. An unattractive
woman. Gde on tu cuvyrlu
otkopal? Where did he dig up that
dog?
CUDK NA BKVU M, idiom, joc.
An idiot (playing on cudak and mudk).
Cto xocet tot cudak na bukvu
m? What does that idiot want?
eccentric person. Nu ty, cudo v perh-
x, kto tak arit mso? Hey, you
weirdo, what kind of way is that of cook-
ing meat?
CKCA, -i, m., neg. An idiot, fool (lit., a
Chukcha [Eskimo]). Pocemu ty ta-
koj cukca, dae svoj telefon ne mo-
eh zapomnith. Why are you such
an idiot! You cant even remember your
own phone number!
CUM, -, m. & f., youth. An entertaining
person (lit., a plague). Ty prosto
cuma, s toboj obxoxocehs. What a
comedian you are! You make people split
their sides with laughter.
CUMCKA, -i, f., neg. A slovenly
woman. Ne xodi kak cumicka, nadenh
novoe plathe. Dont go around like a
slut. Put on some nice clothes.
CUMNJ, -, -e. Slowed down, stu-
porous. Segodn vse xodt kak cum-
nye, arko. Everyones going around
like zombies in this heat today.
CURBN, -a, m., neg. A stupid, dull person
(lit., a log). to curban, kak emu ne
obqsnj, nicego ne ponimaet. Hes a
blockhead no matter how many times
you explain it to him, he doesnt get it.
CRKA, -i, m. & f., rude. Lit., a piece of
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315 C-CU ZAMANDRCU

wood. 1. A non-Russian, mainly from the to work. 2. To scratch oneself. Cto

eastern part of the former Soviet Union. ty vs vrem cuxaehs, bloxi zave-
tot curka ne govorit po-russki. lish? Why do you keep scratching
That eastern guy doesnt speak Rus- yourself? Have you got fleas?
sian. 2. An idiot. toj curke nicego CUXL, -, n., youth, neg. A face. Umoj
ne obqsnih. Its impossible to svo cuxlo. Wash your face.
explain anything to that idiot. CCELO GORXOVOE, idiom, neg. An
CTKIJ, -a, -oe, youth, pos. Good, awkward, ugly, unattractive person (lit., a
tasty. Cutkoe moroenoe, na, popro- rag doll, stuffed animal). Vot cucelo
buj. This is good ice cream have a goroxovoe, opth vs sdelal ne tak,
taste! cuth ne ustroil poar. That scare-
CUX, -a, m., youth, neg. An insignificant or crow did everything wrong again and
unknown person. Cto xocet tot practically started a fire in the process.
cux? What does that fellow want? CUCMK, -a, m., rude. See crka.
, -, m., army. A recruit (from C-CU ZAMANDRCU, rhyming
, to act slowly). See . phrase, joc. Ill give it to you, Ill beat
CXATHS/POCXATHS, neg. 1. To you up. A xoceh, cu-cu zamandrcu
tarry, dawdle. Ne cuxajtesh, pora na za takie slova. Im going to give it to
rabotu. Stop dawdling. Its time to get you for what you said.
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A! Hush! Order! a, rebta, zakan- promiscuous woman. ta alava

civaem bazar. Quiet down, children! tebe ew navredit. That whore is
Stop the hullaballoo! going to get you into trouble. Zalt-
ABTH/ZAABTH. To smoke. Da- na alava, see under zaltna.
vaj zaabim tvoi sigarety. Lets ALNDATHS/PROALNDATH-
smoke those cigarettes of yours. S, joc. To wander around, be in motion
VKA, -i, f., neg. Lit., a type of dog. (from alanda, a flat-bottomed boat).
1. A quarrelsome woman. Opth ta Gde ty alandals vs noch?
avka rugaths budet. That scold is Where have you been gallivanting
about to let loose with another tongue- around all night?
lashing. 2. An unattractive woman. ALAVKA, -i, f., crim. A prostitute
Ona avka po sravneni s toboj. (from ala, a rude forest shelter).
Shes a dog compared to you. Davno ona v alaovki pola?
, -, f., army. A drill (from Has she been a prostitute for long?
, a square-bashing). - ALMN, -a, m., neg. A rude eating
, place, caf. V tom almane vodku
. Everyone is getting fed up dat? Do they serve vodka in this
with daily parade drill. dive?
JBA, -y, f. A small washbasin in a ALUPNH, -i, f., neg. 1. Nonsense,
steam bath (lit., a hockey puck). Beri rubbish. I ty verih v tu alu-
ajbu, pojdm spolosnms. Take the penh? Do you mean to say you believe
basin and lets go get rinsed. that nonsense? 2. Worthless people, bad
JKA-LJKA, -i, f., joc. A group, company. Brosh ty vodiths s raz-
company, set (by wordplay on ajka, noj alupenh. Stop going around
gang or pail, and lejka, bucket). with that trashy crowd.
Zdesh byla ix ajka-lejka s gita- MATH/POMATH. To eat. Dav-
roj? Was that group with the guitar no nicego ne amal, pojdm v stolo-
here? vu. I havent had a thing to eat in ages
AJTN-ARB, -y, f., joc. (From aj- lets go over to the cafeteria.
tan, devil, and arba, cart). 1. A new, AMPNH, -, f., joc. Sparkling wine,
unknown, uncomprehensible device. champagne (lit., shampoo; by wordplay
Ty znaeh, kak rabotaet tot on ampanskoe, champagne). Na
mikroskop? Net, to dl men Novyj god nado dostath paru buty-
ajtan-arba. Do you know how this lok ampun. We have to get a couple
microscope works? No, its a mystery of bottles of champagne for New Years.
to me. 2. A vehicle. NE, na, m., joc. A chance,
AKL, -a, m., neg. A sneaky, cowardly opportunity. to xoroij ane
person (lit., a jackal). tot akal podzarabotath. This is a good chance
teb podvedt, vot posmotrih. to earn a little extra.
Youll see that jackal will let you ANTRAP, -, f., collect., neg. Hood-
down. lums, hooligans. V podqezde u nas
AKLITH/NAAKLITH, neg. To odna antrapa sobiraets po vece-
ask someone for something, esp. drink or ram: pht, kurt, materts. Hoo-
tobacco; to mooch, sponge. Na tebe ligans hang around our building in the
sigaretu i xvatit akalith. Okay, evenings, drinking, smoking, and swear-
heres a cigarette; now stop mooching off ing.
me. ANXJ, -, m., joc. A poor neighbor-
ALVA, -y, f., neg. A prostitute; a hood, slum (lit., Shanghai). Kak oni
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317 AXN

v tom anxae ivut, ne pred- kinyx kontorax. Hes been working in

stavl: ni vody, ni gaza net. I fly-by-night businesses all his life.
cant imagine how people can live in this RIKI ZA RLIKI ZAXDT,
slum without water or fuel. idiom, joc. To be unable to think straight
PKA: Davth/dath po pke, see (lit., ones ball bearings are behind ones
under davth. rollers). U men ariki za roliki
AP, f., indecl., youth. A girl or woman zaxodt ot ustalosti. Im so tired I
accepted as one of the boys in male cant think straight. Krutth ri-
company. Pri nej vs mono govo- ki, see under krutth.
rith, ona ap. You can say any- RITH, imperf. only, pos. To have a
thing in front of her shes a regular good grasp of something, understand
guy. something well (lit., to feel, grope). On
RA: Na ru, idiom, joc. 1. Without v matematike arit ew kak. He
paying; on someone elses account. My really knows his way around in mathe-
na aru doexali do Moskvy. We got matics.
as far as Moscow without paying. , -, m. An informer. See
2. Without preparation, off the cuff. .
pol kzamen sdavath na aru. I , -, m., army. A lazybones (from
went to take the exam without studying. , at someones expense).
Proxaths na ru, see under pro-
xaths. ,
ARABN, -a, m., joc. A head (lit., char- . Even the deadbeats work
iot). Na tvoj araban ta apka ne like good little boys in our company, our
nalezet. This hat will never fit your captain rules with an iron fist.
head. AR, -v, pl. Lit., balls. 1. Eyes.
ARGA, -i, f., neg. A small factory, Uberi ary. Get your eyes off me.
workshop. Skolhko ty polucaeh na 2. Brain, mind (alluding to ariki, ball
svoej arage? How much do you make bearings). ary ne rabotat.
at your workshop? My brains arent working. Davth/
ARP, -a, m., neg. Noise, confusion, dath po arm, see under davth.
tumult. v tom arape nicego ne -, idiom, joc. Brake
slyal, kto kuda idt i kogda. In fluid used for drinks (lit., landing-gear
that hubbub I couldnt make out who was cognac). -
going where and when. Podnimth/ . They drink the liquid like
podnth arp, see under podnimth. water here.
ARPWIK, -a, m., neg. A loud person. -, idiom. Lit., landing
Ne privodi togo arapwika bolh- gear liqueur. See -.
e, ot nego odin um, a tolku malo. STATH po dvkam, idiom, neg. To run
Dont bring that loudmouth here any after girls, chase girls. Tebe ne nadoelo
more he just makes a lot of noise with- astath po devkam? Arent you tired
out any sense. of running after girls?
ARITH/NAARITH, joc. To XER-MXER, idiom, neg. Shady deal-
do something quickly. Nu ty i ara- ings, machinations. Oni na sklade s
ih, skoro tak i zakoncih re- produktami davno axer-maxer dela-
mont. Youre really chugging along t, puskat tovar nalevo. Theyve
at that rate youll have the repairs fin- been up to some shady business at the
ished very soon. warehouse for a long time, siphoning off
ARKINA KONTRA, idiom, neg. goods on the side.
A disreputable business, shady concern. AXN, -, f., rude. Female genitals;
On vs iznh rabotaet v ara- women. Ty bez axny ith ne
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ALK 318

moeh. You cant live without getting ing). elestuxi ne podkineh, ne

laid. dotnu do polucki. Can you loan me
ALK, -, m., joc. A person from the some money? Im not going to make it to
Caucasus (lit., shashlik, shish-kebab). payday.
alyki ocenh lbt alyki. ELUPNH, -i, f., neg. Nonsense, rub-
Shashliks really like shashlik. bish. On vsegda rasskazyvaet vs-
VBRA, -y, f., neg. A skinny, unattrac- ku eluponh. Hes always telling all
tive woman (lit., a mop). Cto toj sorts of ridiculous stories.
vabre nado? What does that scare- EPTTH: Pogda pcet, see under
crow want? pogda.
VRKATH/VRKNUTH, neg. 1. To EPTN: Puskth/pustth eptna,
throw, smash. On vse tarelki vark- see under puskth.
nul na pol. He threw all the dishes onto ROCKA S MAROCKOJ, idiom,
the floor. 2. To hit, beat. On ego kak joc. An inseparable pair (from Fr. cher,
varknet v zuby! He up and punched ma chre). Opth ti erocka s
him in the mouth. 3. To drink. Vcera maerockoj idut. Here come those
varknuli litr i ne zametili. Yes- lovebirds again.
terday we drank a whole liter without ERSTTH/POERSTTH, joc. To
even noticing it. win from, defeat (lit., to ruffle, rub).
VRITH/POVRITH, rude. To My ix vcera xoroo poerstili v
have sex with a woman. E vort karty. We gave them quite a drubbing
vse komu ne lenh. Everyone who wants at cards last night.
to can screw her. ERUDTH/POERUDTH. 1. To
EBUTNJ, -, -e, neg. Noisy, rustle about, make a rustling noise.
bustling, restless. Ty u nas kakoj-to Xvatit erudith bumagami, ty
ebutnoj, vs tebe ne sidits na mne meaeh citath. Stop rustling
meste. Youre so restless you cant sit around like that. Im trying to read. 2. To
still in your seat. search, look around. Poerudi v
EVELTH/POEVELTH: eve- wike, tam dolny byth klci.
lth/poevelth mozgmi, idiom, joc. Look in the drawer. I think the keys
To think, consider (lit., to move ones must be there. erudth/poeru-
brains). Nad tim delom nado dth mozgmi, idiom. To think over,
poevelith mozgami. Ill have to think consider (lit., to move ones brains).
this matter over. evelth/poeve- Nado xoroo poerudith mozgami,
lth pomidrami, idiom, joc. To move ctoby ne ostaths v durakax. I have
quickly (lit., to move ones tomatoes). to think this over very carefully to make
eveli pomidorami, ue nedolgo sure I dont get cheated.
idti. Shake a leg. We dont have far to ERVYJ, -ogo, rude. A penis (lit.,
go. evelth/poevelth - rough, horny). Ty slikom mnogo
, idiom. To run, move fast (lit., to guleh, ne otsoxnet eravyj?
move someones pistons). Wont your dick shrivel up if you play
, , around so much? Zagonth/zagnth
. I dont care how ervogo pod ku, see under
tired you are, youd better beat feet. zagonth.
EKALDKNUTH, perf. only, joc. To ESTERTH/ZAESTERTH, neg.
drink a little, have a little something to To serve, be subordinate, run errands.
drink. Nu cto, pora i nam ekaldyk- Emu ue nadoelo dl nix este-
nuth nemnogo. What do you say, shall rith. Hes tired of being their errand
we have a little something to drink? boy.
ELESTXA, -i, f. Money (lit., rustl- ESTRKA, -i, m., neg. A subordinate, a
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
319
gofer (cf. esterth). vam ne es- IPTH/ZAIPTH, neg. To scold,
trka begath v magazin. Im not your
gofer, to do your shopping for you.
ESTIDESTNIK, -a, m. A member
of the generation of the 1960s, who had
democratic, pro-Western ideas. es-
tidestnikov sejcas v politike net.
There are no 60s people in politics these
days.
: Gnath v (v tri i), see revo). Daj drnuth irki. Lets
under gnath1.
IBANTH, perf. To hit. Kto teb
tak ibanul? Vesh glaz zaplyl. Who
hit you? Your whole eye is swollen.
BZDIK, -a, m., neg. A small, imma-
ture man (cf. bzdeth). Cto to za
ibzdik k tebe xodit? Whos that lit-
tle fart who visits you?
IZ, -a, m., neg. A crazy or bizarre person
(from izofrenik, schizophrenic).
On nastowij iz. Hes a real men-
tal case.
IZ: iz idt (ksit) u kog-l., strides, hell rip his pants). Smotri,
idiom, neg. (Someone) is crazy (cf. iz).
Cego on ort? U nego iza pola,
ne obrawaj vnimani. Whats he
yelling about? Hes gone crazy, dont
pay any attention.
IZANTYJ, -a, -oe, youth, neg.
Insane (cf. iz). U teb vse druzh
izanutye. All your friends are
crazy.
IZANTHS, perf., youth, neg. To go
crazy (cf. iz). On davno izanul-
s? How long ago did he go schizo?
IZ, n., indecl., crim., obs. A mental
ward, insane asylum, esp. as used for con-
finement of political dissidents (cf. iz).
Popadh v izo, togda uznaeh,
cto to takoe. Only if you land in a
mental ward yourself will you realize
what its really like.
IZID, -a, m., neg. See iz.
, -, n. Spirits (lit., an awl, referring
to the severe and sharp taste of liquor).
, got a penny in my pockets. i s ms-
. If you dont drink that lom, idiom, neg. No way, certainly not.
on the inhale (while you inhale) and then
afterwards slowly exhale youre going to
burn your throat.
Page 319
I
yell. Ne ipi, vs ravno tebe ne
slua. Stop yelling! Im not listening
to you anyhow.
REVO, -a, n., youth. Narcotics for use
by injection (from irth, to inject;
cf. irths). Vs irevo u teb
ostalosh. Youve got all the dope.
RKA, -i, f., youth. Drugs, narcotics (cf.
smoke some dope.
RMA, -y, f., crim. A pocket. Pro-
verh u nego irmu. Check out his
pocket.
IRMACK: Na irmack, idiom,
neg. For free, without paying. S nimi
na irmacka vypith ne vyjdet.
You wont get away with drinking on
their account.
IROK AGET, TAN POR-
VT, idiom, neg. Someone will get his
come-uppance (lit., if he takes broad
kak on bystro idt vverx. Nicego,
iroko agaet, tany porvt.
Look how quickly hes progressing in
his career. Dont worry. Hell get his
come-uppance.
IRTHS/NAIRTHS. To take
drugs by injection. On davno ir-
ets? Has he been shooting up for
long?
TO-KRTO, idiom. Secretly. Vs
nado sdelath tixo, ito-kryto.
This has to be kept hush-hush.
ITH dlo, idiom, crim. To accuse
falsely, frame, pin someone elses crime
on a person (lit., to sew a case, a phrase
used originally of putting together a crim-
inal file on someone). Ne ejte mne
to delo! Dont pin that crime on me!
I, -, m., neg. An obscene gesture (cf.
fig, fga). Ni i, idiom, neg.
Nothing. Esth xocets, a v karmane
ni ia. Id like to eat, but I havent
i tebe s maslom, a ne denhgi. I
certainly wont give you any money. Na
kake i? idiom. By what means?
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320

With what resources? Na kakie ii , , .

ty sobiraehs idti v restoran? Ive got a little bit of home-made liquor,
How do you intend to pay for a meal in a lets grab a few smokes and have a
restaurant? drink.
, a rhyming phrase. KET, -a, m. A short boy. j, ket,
Nothing, few. ty moeh pomyth mne stkla v
, - . We maine? Hey, shortie, can you wash
are having nothing for lunch, our field my windshield?
kitchen is lost someplace. KRKA: Brath/vzth za krku, see
KA, -i. 1. f., rude. A penis (lit., a under brath.
bump, lump). Voda xolodna, dae KDNIK, -a, m., neg. A mischief
ika zamrzla. The waters too cold maker, a naughty boy. Kakoj kodnik
its frozen my prick. 2. m., joc. A razbil vse lampocki v podqezde?
boss, an important or influential person. Wheres the troublemaker who broke all
Na takix mainax tolhko iki the lightbulbs in the entrance hall?
ezdt. Thats the kind of car that only
KRNIK, -a, m., neg. A greedy, selfish
VIPs drive.
person (from kura, skin). Kakoj
IKATRA, -y, f., neg. The nomen- ty kurnik, nikomu pomoch ne
klatura, the bosses (cf. ka). i- xoceh. How can you be so selfish!
katura o narode nikogda i ne dumala. You wont help anybody.
The political bosses have never cared
about the people. LANG, -a, m. A penis (lit., hose). Nu u
teb i lang! What a prick youve
IKOVZ, -a, m., neg. A limousine got! lngi gort, idiom, joc. To
for VIPS. See clenovz. feel the need of a drink as a remedy for a
KANDYBTH/POKANDYBTH, hangover (lit., ones tubes are burning).
joc. To limp. Noga bolit, ele kan- Nado piva kupith, langi gort. I
dyba. My foot is so sore I can barely need to get some beer my throat is
hobble around. burning. Prikdyvaths/priknuth-
KRY, -ov, pl. Slacks, pants. ti s lngom, see under prikdy-
kary mne v samyj raz. These slacks vaths.
fit me just right. LANGOVTH/ZALANGOVTH,
KAF, -a, m. A tall, strong man (lit., a neg. To play truant, dodge work. Tebe
wardrobe). A cto to za kaf s nej ne nadoelo langovath? Arent you
pril? Who is the big guy who came tired of playing truant?
with her? LNDRA, -y, m., neg. A playboy,
KVRKI, kvrok, pl. 1. Leftovers, debauchee, party-goer. Kuda ty
remains of food. Ot gus ostalish opth sobrals, lndra? Where are
odni kvarki. There are just a few left- you off to now, playboy?
overs from the goose. 2. Nonsense, rub- LNDRATH, imperf. only, neg. To
bish. Vs to kvarki, neserhzno. party, devote oneself to pleasure and
Thats all nonsense, beside the point. entertainment (cf. lndra). Ty vs
KVORCTH/ZAKVORCTH, joc. lndraeh, a ena cto skaet?
1. To sizzle. Cto u teb na skovo- What will your wife say about all your
rodke kvorcit? Whats that sizzling partying?
in your frying pan? 2. To scold. Cego LPNUTH, perf. only. Lit., to slap.
tak na teb math kvorcit? How 1. To kill, shoot. Tam mogut i lp-
come your mother keeps scolding you nuth, smotri v oba. Watch out. They
like that? could kill you. 2. To drink quickly.
, -, f. A secretive place to hide lpni stakan vodki, srazu sogre-
things. , ehs. Toss down a glass of vodka. Itll
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321 MPOL

warm you up. NBELH, -, m., neg. A large, ugly nose

LIFOVTH/POLIFOVTH, (from Ger. Schnabel). nobelh e
youth, joc. To go, leave (lit., to grind, pol- silhno portit. That schnozzle of hers
ish). Kuda on polifoval? Wheres ruins her looks.
he gone to? NURK, -v, pl., youth. Parents (lit.,
MALTH/ZAMALTH, neg. To shoe laces). Gde rabotat tvoi
smoke. Xvatit malith, dyath nurki? Where do your parents work?
necem! Stop smoking I cant even nurk v stakne, idiom, youth.
breathe in here. (Someones) parents are at home. U
MALH, -i, f. Drugs for smoking. U men nurki v stakane, ko mne nelh-
kogo malh esth? Does anyone have z. My folks are at home, so we cant go
any dope? to my place. Gldith/pogldith
MELH, -, m., youth. A wallet (lit., bum- nurk, see under gldith.
blebee). Gde moj melh? Wheres my NURKOVTHS, imperf. In driving, to
wallet? change lanes frequently and unreasonably
MOKODVKA, -i, m. & f., neg. A (lit., to lace boots). Idiota vidno na
small, weak, unimpressive person. doroge srazu, smotri, kak nurku-
Komu ty grozih, mokodvka? ets. You can see hes an idiot. Look
Who do you think youre threatening, how hes weaving in and out of traffic.
you shrimp? NUROVTH/ZANUROVTH
/. To gryzlhnik (grzlo), idiom. To be
shoot. , silent, to stop talking (lit., to lace up ones
, - mouth). Molod ew vystupath, nu-
. You are standing sen- ruj gryzolhnik. Youre too young to
try watch tonight. Do me a favor and speak up, shut your mouth.
dont shoot any of our guys because its , , m., army. A recruit
dark and you get spooked. (lit., a shoelace, meaning something
MON, -a, m. A search of premises, insignificant). See , .
investigation. U nego vcera na kvar- - ,
tire byl mon. They searched his . As a pri-
apartment yesterday. Navodth/na- vate you have one option when you have
vest mon, see under navodth. something you want to say, you can stand
MTKI, mtok, pl., neg. Clothes. at attention and shut your mouth.
Ty tolhko o motkax dumaeh. All NYRH, -, m., neg. A nosy person. Ot
you ever think about is clothes. togo nyr nekuda deths, vs ue
MOTH, -, n., joc. See mtki. razuznal obo vsex. Theres no getting
MGATH/MGNUTH. To go (lit., away from that busybody he knows
to whisk, to flip). Ty ne zametil, v everything about everybody.
kaku dverh on mygnul? Did you NYRTH/ZANYRTH, neg. To
notice which door he went out? bustle around, meddle. Smotri, kto
MKATH/MKNUTH, joc. To drink tam nyret v zale, ne na li
(lit., to thud, plop). Davaj mknem obwij znakomyj. Look whos bustling
rmocku drugu vodki. Lets knock aroung the room over there. Isnt that our
off a vodka or two. mutual acquaintance?
NIFT, -, m., crim. 1. A window. BLA, -y, f., neg. A group, set, com-
Otkroj nift, duno stalo. pany. Ix obla vs kurit. Their
Open the window; its stuffy in here. whole group smokes.
2. An eye. Otverni svoi nifty, MPOL, -a, m., army. A corporal (lit.,
cto ustavils? What are you staring ramrod). Davaj, ompol, loish
at? Get your eyes off me! spath. Okay, corporal, time for bed.
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OP 322

OP, -a, m., youth. A store, shop (from
Eng. shop). Ty v op pojdh?
Are you going to the store?
RKATHS/RKNUTHS. (To
go, to move (lit., to shuffle). Ty ne
znaeh, v kakoj restoran luce
orknuths? Do you know which
restaurant we should go to?
ROX, -a, m. Noise, confusion, disorder
(lit., rustling). Cto tam za orox?
Whats the hubbub over there? Bez
roxa, idiom. Quietly. Tolhko
delath to nado s umom, bez oroxa.
This has to be done carefully and dis-
creetly.
, -, f. Spirits that have previously
been used for technical purposes (lit., a
rapier, referring to a sharp taste).
, , tired of your carping.
. Filter those , -, f., army. Pearl barley or
spirits before you drink them, God only
knows what the tech guys have already
washed in them.
PAKLEVTHS/NAPAKLE-
VTHS. To put on makeup (lit., to
caulk). Sejcas napaklsh i poj-
dm. Ill just put on my makeup and then
well go.
PAKLVKA, -i, f., neg. Makeup, cos-
metics. Na tebe paklvki kilo-
gramm. You must be wearing a pound of
makeup.
PLA, -y, m. & f., neg. A tall, thin per-
son (lit., a railroad tie). U teb podruga
pala. Your girlfriends quite a
beanpole.
PAN, -, f., collect, neg. Thugs,
hoodlums.
PRITH/ZAPRITH. To talk fast
(from parith, to scald). Ty pa-
rih po-anglijski, kak i po-russki.
You babble away in English as fluently
as in Russian.
PLITH/POPLITH, rude. To
have sex with a woman (from pilhka,
hairpin). On e davno pilit?
Has he been sleeping with her for long?
PINGALT, -a, m., joc. A teenager,
young person (lit., a door latch). V ka-
kom klasse ucits tvoj pingalet?
What grade is your boy in?
PKATH/PKNUTH, joc. 1. To
break, shatter. Kto tu vazu pok-
nul? Who broke this vase? 2. To have
sex with a woman. On pokaet vsex
devok podrd. He sleeps with all the
girls one after another.
, -, m. A reprimand (lit., a
syringe, referring to an unpleasant proce-
dure like an injection). ,
, .
Chill out, youre sure to feel like a new
man after the commander chews you
out.
PYNTH/ZAPINTH. To tease, to
bait, to nag (from pynh [obs.], thorn).
Xvatit men pynth, ustal ot
tvoix pridirok. Stop nagging me, Im
oatmeal or porridge (lit., shrapnel, refer-
ring to the rough texture and bad taste).
. There is no way I can
down that shrapnel or porridge without a
load of butter in it.
TAN: Naloth v tan, see under
naloth. Snth tan i bgath, see
under snimth.
TTNIK, -a, m. An American.
tatniki bez mainy ith ne
mogut. Americans just cant live with-
out their cars.
TPATH/ZATPATH, joc. 1. To
repair surgically, perform an operation on
someone (lit., to darn). Posle avarii
ego bystro zatopali, sejcas vyzdo-
ravlivaet. They sewed him up right
after the accident, and now hes recover-
ing. 2. To apprehend, catch. Ix za-
topali na meste, vorovali mai-
ny. They were caught red-handed
stealing cars.
TPOR: V tpore, idiom, neg. Lit.,
in a spin. 1. On a drinking spree. On v
topore ue nedel. Hes been on a
binge for a week already. 2. Intensely
occupied with something, very busy.
vs nedel byl v topore, ne mog
dae pozvonith. Ive been so busy all
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323 RY-MRY

week I didnt even have time to phone. Na uliax noch ugalovo, luce
TRVKATH/POTRVKATH. To doma sideth. Its too scary on the
eat. Potrvkath by sejcas bylo v streets at night, better stay home.
samyj raz. A bite to eat would really UGTH/UGANTH. To drive away,
hit the spot right now. to scare away. Nu-ka ugani sobak s
TKA, -i, f. A thousand rubles, a thou- naego dvora! Get these dogs away
sand-ruble bill. Sejcas divan stoit from our yard!
300 tuk. A sofa costs 300,000 these , -, m. Nagging, harassing. See
days. Vot tak tka! idiom. Incredi- .
ble! I can hardly believe it! Znacit, on UM: Izobrath/izobrazth um
ne pridt, vot tak tuka! You morskgo prib, see under izobra-
mean hes not coming? How can that th.
be? UMXA, -i, f. A brouhaha, a sensation
TUKATRKA, -i, f., joc. Makeup, cos- (from um, noise). Vokrug bolezni
metics (lit., plaster). Ne mnogo na mne prezidenta kak vsegda umixa v gaze-
tukaturki? Have I got too much tax. As usual, the papers are making a -
makeup on? sensation about the presidents illness.
, idiom, army. The MNYJ KAK VOD V UNITZE,
mass rush for the head or toilet in the idiom, rude. Lit., noisy as a toilet flush-
morning (lit., the storming of the Winter ing; used to describe a noisy, energetic
Palace). 5 person. ot nego ustal, on umnyj
, kak voda v unitaze. Im sick of him
, , he kicks up too much dust.
, UMK: Pod umk, idiom, neg.
. If you get up 5 minutes early Secretly, unnoticed, under cover of con-
youll miss the mass dash to the head, if fusion. Vo vrem perestrojki, pod
you dont, youre gonna have to wait in umok, oni sdelali bolhie denhgi.
line just to take a piss. During the perestroika years they made
TER: bolhj ter, idiom. a lot of money without anyone noticing.
(From tuer, connecting pipe). 1. A UROVTH/POUROVTH, joc. To
specialit, an expert. On bolhoj look, look for something, search (lit., to
tuer v motorax. Hes an expert dig). Pouruj v wikax, tam dol-
with motors. 2. A boss. Ne znal, cto ny byth sigarety. Dig around in the
on u vas takoj tuer. I didnt realize drawers. The cigarettes must be in there
hes such a big wheel among you. somewhere.
TCKI-DRCKI, pl., joc. Tricks, URPITH/ZAURPITH. To under-
mischief, annoying behavior. Cto za stand (from urup, screw). Ty
tucki-drcki? Pocemu vse loki urupih, v cm tut delo? Do you
leat v xolodilhnike? What sort of get the point?
stupid trick is this? How come all the URTH/ZAURTH, neg. Lit., to
spoons are in the refrigerator? rustle. 1. To babble, to speak out of turn.
, -, m. Fear (from , fur Sidi tixo, ne uri! Sit quietly
coat, referring to how people shiver from and stop chattering! 2. To bustle, med-
cold or fear). , dle, make unnecessary fuss. On vs
, , urit v parlamente. Hes always
, . He needs to go making some to-do in Parliament.
see the shrink, he wakes up every night RY-MRY, pl., indecl., joc. Flirting,
screaming and shaking with fear. love games, endearments. Oni ne ra-
UGLOVO, -a, n., youth. Fear, horror botat kak nado, u nix na ume ury-
(from ugath, to scare, to frighten). mury. Those two arent doing their
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USTRTH/PODUSTRTH 324

work properly; all they can think of is UTKOVTH/POUTKOVTH, joc.

billing and cooing. To joke, play tricks, be mischievous
USTRTH/PODUSTRTH, joc. To (from Ukr.). Poutkovali i budet.
make a fuss, bustle around. Zr ty Youve had your little joke. Enough
tak ustrih, vs ravno tebe ne now.
dadut kvartiru. Its no use making all XER, a, m., crim. Danger, alarm (from
that fuss; youre still not going to get the uxath, to frighten). Sejcas uxer
apartment. budet, nado uxodith. Now theyre
USTRK, -, m., neg. An energetically going to raise the alarm wed better
self-promoting person. to takoj get out of here.
ustrk, on vs dl seb sdelaet. UXERTH/ZAUXERTH. 1. To
Hes a real go-getter always looking behave badly. to vy uxerili i vse
out for Number One. fonari pobili na ulie? Was it you
TKI TKAMI, rhyming phase. that acted up like that, knocking out all
Joking aside, seriously. utki the street lights. 2. To arrest. Kogo ew
utkami, no kto vs e budet otve- zauxerili vcera? Who else was
cath za tu rabotu? Seriously, arrested yesterday? 3. To betray, to let
though, whos going to be accountable down, to report. Kto e nas zau-
for this job? tki tkami, a xeril? Who told on us?
polx v eldke, idiom, rude. Joking , -, f., neg. Worthless people
aside; its no joke any more (lit., joking is (lit., old clothes, rags).
one thing, but half a prick in the belly; cf. UKATHS/ZAUKATHS.
xuj). utki utkami, a polxu v To whisper, to exchange whispered
eludke, ego vs e zaderala secrets. Cto vy tam uukaetesh?
milii. This is no joke any more What are you whispering about over
hes been picked up by the police. there?
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
WA! Contracted from sejcas. 1. Right
away, right now. Wa pridu! Im com-
ing right away! 2. No; no, I wont. Tak
tebe i dal, wa! I certainly wont give
it to you.
WAS. See WA.
WEGL, wegl, m., neg. A young, inex-
perienced person (lit., a goldfinch). A
tot wegol sumeet sdelath vs, kak
nado? But will that puppy be able to do
it right?
WEK: Davth/dath z weku, see under
davth.
WKI VIDTH IZ-ZA SPIN,
idiom, neg. Lit., your cheeks can be seen
from behind your back; used to reproach
someone for being overweight. Menh-
e nado esth, ue wki iz-za spiny
vidath. You shouldnt eat so much
your cheeks can be seen from behind
your back.
WEKLDA, -y, f., joc. A big jaw (lit., a
latch). Nu i wekolda u ne! What a
big jaw shes got!
WEKOTN, -, m., rude. A small penis
(lit., tickler). Tvoim wekotunom s nej
delath necego. With that little thing of
yours you wont get anywhere with her.
WEKOTNCIK, -a, m., business. A
device for detecting electronic bugs (from
wekotath, to tickle). Dostavaj svoj
wekotuncik, proverim nomer. Get
your tickler and lets check out the
room.
Page 325
WELTH/POWELTH, army. To sleep
(lit., to make a chink). Cto ew de-
lath ostats, tolhko welith do
utra. Theres nothing for it but to catch
some zs before morning.
WLKATH1/WLKNUTH. To photo-
graph (lit., to click, snap). Wlkni
men na fone Kreml. Take a snap of
me with the Kremlin in the background.
/ ,
idiom. To miss, fail to see (from , a
face, and , to snap, click). See
.
WLKATH2/PROWLKATH wekldoj
(clsth), idiom, joc. To miss out on
something (lit., to crack ones latch
[jaw]). Vy ue vs sqeli, a ? Ne
nado wlkath celsth. You guys
already ate it all?! What about me?
Well, you shouldnt have missed the
moment.
, a
rhyming phrase. A watery, thin soup (lit.,
this soup would make a good footbath).
WIPTH/POWIPTH, joc. Lit., to
pluck, pinch. 1. To win money at a game.
My ix xoroo powipali v poker.
We really cleaned them out in the poker
game. 2. To borrow money. Ty vs
roditelej wipal, a kogda sam zara-
batyvath budeh? Youve been con-
stantly borrowing money from your par-
ents, but when are you going to earn some
of your own?
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GOSTIK, -a, m., youth. A personal native rockets, illum (lit., an electric
tape player with headphones. nadenu welding machine).
v metro goistik, siu, slua , , -
muzyku, xoroo! I take my Walkman , -
on the subway and listen to music while . Were too visible in this
Im traveling. light, only when it subsides can we dash
J, ZOVT LOADJ, rhyming to the forest.
phrase, joc. Hey is what they call LEMNT: V lemnte, idiom. Easily,
horses (used in protesting response to simply. to v lemente mono sde-
being rudely hailed). j, kuda ty lath za pth minut. Itll be a cinch to
idh? j, zovut loadej. do that in five minutes.
Hey! Where are you going? Hay is NTOT, pronoun, joc. This, that. Kto
for horses. ntot celovek? Whos that fellow?
KZEMPLR, -a, m., neg. A scoundrel, a REKTORT, -a, m., joc. Voters (by
bad person. to takoj kzemplr, wordplay on reki, erection, and
poiskath nado! That bastard is in a lektorat, electorate). U nego rek-
class by himself. torat odni komsomolhskie babu-
KSTRA, -y, f. A brand of vodka. U ki. His whole constituency is made up
men esth butylka kstry. Ive got of Komsomol grandmothers.
a bottle of Extra. TAKA, RAZTAKA MATH, idiom,
KSTRA-KLASS, idiom, pos. First-class, euph. Damn it! On, taka, razta-
outstanding. On peve kstra- ka math, ne verit mne i vs. Damn
klass! Hes a terrific singer. it, he just doesnt believe me!
KTIV, -a, m., youth, neg. A homosexual TO KOG-L. NE KOLET, idiom.
who plays the active role. Po vsemu It doesnt bother (someone) (lit., it
vidno, to ktiv. Apparently hes an doesnt shake someone in the wind).
active. to men ne kolyet. That doesnt
, -, f., army. Illumi- bother me.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
BOCNIK, -a, m., neg. A womanizer
(from bka, skirt). On izvestnyj
bocnik. Everyone knows hes a skirt-
chaser.
G, -a, m., youth. A Yugoslavian. Kogda
gi uezat? When are the Yugosla-
vians leaving?
GVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Yugoslavian.
to ch obuvh, gova? Are those inventing things (from the name of a
shoes from Yugoslavia?
DA, -y, m., neg. A Jew. On nosit
russku famili, no men ne obma-
neh, on cistyj da. He has a Rus-
sian surname but that doesnt fool me a
bit; I can see hes an out-and-out Jew.
ZATH, imperf., youth. To use (a com-
puter) (from Eng. use). Kto zal
moj komphter? Whos been using
my computer?
ZER, -a, m., youth. A computer user
(from Eng. user). ne program-
mist, prostoj zer. Im no program-
mer, Im just a user.
Page 327
LTH/ZALTH, neg. 1. To fawn,
flatter. On pered vsemi lit. He
kowtows to everyone. 2. To be evasive,
avoid answering. Ne li, govori, cto
slucilosh. Dont be evasive. Tell me
what happened.
NYJ TXNIK, idiom, joc. Someone
who is always tinkering, constructing,
Soviet youth organization that encour-
aged technically gifted children). A
tot televizor mne moj nyj tex-
nik, mu, postroil. My technical
genius of a husband built me this televi-
sion himself.
S, -a, m. & f., youth. An American (from
U.S.). U nas prepodavatelhnia
s. Our teacher is an American.
KA, -i, f. Blood (from Ukr.; lit., a type
of soup). Smotri, tebe ku pus-
tt, esli budeh tak seb vesti.
Watch out, theyll bloody you up if you
act like that.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 328

, , idiom, lit., robust, vigorous louse (stick). Ty

army. Taps. From the title of a popular budeh, drna voh, rabotath ili
song (lit., Im in love with life, meaning net! Goddamit are you going to
that for a soldier its the best time because work or not?
its time to hit the rack). ZVA, -y, f., neg. An unpleasant or mali-
NE TAK, DU TRAMV, cious person (lit., an ulcer). Nu ty,
rhyming phrase, joc. Lit., Im not that zva, xvatit rugaths. Cut out the
sort of a girl; Im just waiting for the abuse, you ulcer.
tram. Used in mocking mimicry of a ZK: Boltth (cesth, trepth) zy-
womans refusal to accept casual km, see under boltth.
advances. Devuka, kak vas zovut? NIA: Sdlath niu, see
na ulie ne znakomlsh. Podu- under dlath.
maeh, ne taka, du tramva. J, -, n. A testicle (lit., egg). J
Hey, whats your name? Excuse me, (distorted acc. sg.): Kak mxa e-
I dont talk to strangers on the street. ukusla za j? idiom, joc. Whats got
Oh, really! Not that sort, just waiting for into you? (lit., What tsetse fly bit you in
the tram? the balls?). JA (nom. pl.): ja
PDA, idiom. Im fainting, falling sede, idiom, rude. Experience, seniority
(from delight, amazement, laughter, etc.). (lit., gray balls). U men ue ja
Nu i anekdot, pada! That joke sedye, a vs bega na pobegukax. Im
has me in stitches! already an old hand but they keep using
POSLDN BKVA ALFA- me as a gofer. Krce teb byvt
VTA, idiom, joc. Lit., Ya (I) is the tlhko ja! idiom. Only eggs could
last letter of the alphabet; used to dispar- be more hard-boiled than you! Krce
age egoism or boasting. A vsegda to teb tlhko ja, ve teb tlhko
znal. posledn bukva alfa- zvzdy, idiom, youth, joc. Lit., Only
vita. I knew it all along. Oh, sure! eggs (balls) are harder than you; only the
Ya is the last letter of the alphabet. stars are higher than you. Used in dispar-
TE! Im going to give it to you! Ill teach agement of boasting. JA (acc. pl.):
you a lesson! (short for tebe zadam). Vorobh po ja, idiom, rude. Shallow
Ty budeh materiths, te! Im (lit., up to a sparrows balls). Plyvi,
going to give it to you if you keep swear- ne bojs, zdesh vorobh po ja.
ing like that! Dont be afraid to swim here. Its very
shallow. Zasivath/zasadth po s-
TE XOC, NO MMA SPIT I
mye ja, see vqebth po smye ja
MOLC, rhyming phrase, joc. You
under vqebth. Krutth ja, idiom,
cant have what you want; your wish is
rude. To irritate, bore, nag (lit., to twist
impossible (lit., I want it too, but
someones balls). Cto ty emu ja
mamas asleep and Im keeping quiet).
krutih, ne pojdt on s nami. Why
xocu tort. toe xocu, no
do you keep nagging him? Hes not going
mama spit i molcu. I want some
to come with us. Morcith/zamor-
cake. Me too, but its out of the ques-
cith ja, idiom, rude. To bore, wear
tion.
out. Ne moroch mne ja svoej ry-
VLISH, NE ZAPYLLISH, idiom, balkoj. Dont bore me with your fish-
joc. Lit., theyve shown up without even ing stories. Otryvth/otorvth ja
getting dusty; used of the quick or unex- kom-l., idiom, rude. To punish severely
pected arrival of guests. (lit., to tear off someones balls). Emu
DRNA VOH (PLKA), idiom, rude. za ti slova malo ja otorvath.
Used as a general expletive damn it!; Torture is too good for him after what he
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM
329
said. Xvatth/sxvatth za ja,
idiom, rude. To catch in the act, catch
red-handed (lit., by the balls). Nakone
togo ulika sxvatili za ja. They
finally caught that thief in the act.
JAM (dat. pl.): Kak serpm po
jam, idiom, rude. Very unpleasant,
painful (lit., like a sickle through ones
balls). ta novosth ob obmene deneg
vsem kak serpom po jam. This news
about the exchange rates is going to hit
everyone hard. JAMI (instr. pl.):
On let i le det, tlhko ja- the cleverest people in the world.
mi kolet, rhyming phrase, rude.
Hes exhausted, he can hardly move (lit.,
Hes lying there are barely breathing;
only his balls are stirring). jami po
vod psano, idiom, rude, joc. Unclear,
uncertain (lit., written on water with
ones balls). Ne zna, priedet on
ili ne priedet. Vs to jami po
vode pisano. I dont know whether hell
come or not, its entirely up in the air.
NGVYJ, -a, -oe, youth. Young (from
Eng. young). On ne ocenh ngovyj
cuvak. Hes not such a young fellow.
PNA MATH! rude, Damn it! (euph. for
b tvo math). pona math, ty mo-
Page 329
WIK
eh ne tolkaths? Damn it. Cant
you stop nudging me?
PNSKIJ BOG! idiom, euph. Damn it!
(lit., Japanese God). ponskij bog,
ruku obvaril! Damn it, Ive burned my
hand!
PNSKIJ GORODOVJ! idiom,
euph. Damn it! (lit., Japanese police offi-
cer).
PKA, -i, m., neg. A Japanese.
poki dumat, cto oni samye
umnye. The Japs consider themselves
SNE SNOGO, idiom. Entirely clear
(lit., clearer than clear). Delo nae
snee snogo, a nikak ne reits.
Our problem is as clear as could be, but
theres no solution.
SNO I E, idiom. Simple, easy to
understand (lit., clear even to a hedge-
hog). Kak to delath, sno i eu.
Any fool could see how to do that.
WIK, -a, m. A secret, unauthorized fac-
tory. On rabotaet v wike, rakety
delaet. Hes running quite a racket,
operating an unauthorized factory.
Sygrth v wik, see under igrth.
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 330

NOTES
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 331

NOTES
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 332

NOTES
Russ Slang 3d.ed.ptII 1/23/06 10:34 AM Page 333

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