Thread: Let's play a game called: Stupid Idioms

Now that we've discussed something important, like vodka; I have a suggestion for learning language. For me, dealing with idioms is the most frustrating part of learning Russian. So, here's a game. I will list Russian idioms that I find to be confusing or just plain stupid. You Russian speakers respond by listing stupid English idioms, and I know that there are a lot of them, but here's the gist. Native speakers never stop to think about how stupid the idioms they are using actually are, because they do not stop to look at them.


Quiz for russians: translate to English

кои то веки
по головке не погладят
очки висят на дужках того и гляди упадут

очки висят на дужках, того и гляди упадут

А что это за идиома, и что она значит?

в кои-то веки

My dictionary says it's "once in a blue moon". It's even more strange. In Russian at least there are reference to time period ("веки").

A blue moon is when there are two full moons in one single month... a very infrequent occurance...

we actually frequently say "raz na ruski rok" (which is more or less "once in a Russian year") for "once in a blue moon" here, but I've got honestly no idea where did it come from

того и гляди - it refers to something imminent, just about to happen.

того и гляди упадут - it's about to fall.

того и гляди взорвётся - it can explode at any moment

from Multitran:
того и гляди разразится гроза - the weather is thundery

Originally Posted by kamka

we actually frequently say "raz na ruski rok" (which is more or less "once in a Russian year") for "once in a blue moon" here, but I've got honestly no idea where did it come from

после дождичка в четверг has the same meaning, and I, too, have no idea why is it so (o:

Originally Posted by Indra

после дождичка в четверг has the same meaning, and I, too, have no idea why is it so (o:

I think "после дождичка в четверг" means more like "когда рак на горе свистнет", i.e. "never". But "в кои то веки" means "at last".

Когда рак на горе свистнет. (When a crayfish whistles on a mount). - means never, while после дождичка в четверг means after some (undefined) time.

And в кои-то веки according to lingvo means "once in a blue moon", after all this time

By the way: I've looked in Lingvo for a crayfish. At first I thought that the word is cancer since there is the same word for a medical disease and a Zodiac constellation - just the same way as in Russian рак (cancer) и рак (crayfish). But I was wrong, as it appeared. Is is possible to refer to a crayfish with the word cancer in English or not?

Originally Posted by Ramil

Когда рак на горе свистнет. (When a crayfish whistles on the mount). - means never, while после дождичка в четверг means after some (undefined) time

But
http://dic.gramota.ru/search.php?ab=x&word=последождичкавчетверг

Может быть, но я слышал, как люди употребляли и в значении "через неопределённое время". Наверное они по этой ссылке не ходили

Потом, в отношении идиом, думаю, грамота.ру - не такой уж и авторитет.

Originally Posted by Ramil

Когда рак на горе свистнет. (When a crayfish whistles on a mount). - means never, while после дождичка в четверг means after some (undefined) time.

By the way: I've looked in Lingvo for a crayfish. At first I thought that the word is cancer since there is the same word for a medical disease and a Zodiac constellation - just the same way as in Russian рак (cancer) и рак (crayfish). But I was wrong, as it appeared. Is is possible to refer a crayfish with the word cancer in English or not?

I can not agree. "После дождичка в четверг" means "never". At least, I never heard this idiom used in other cases.
And about "рак" - I'd been taught at school:
"рак" (the crustacean) - crayfish
"рак" (the sickness) - cancer
I didn't know that the Zodiac constellation is also "Cancer". Are you sure?

З.Ы. Никогда! Пара-бара-бам-парам-пам-пам-па... :P

Я тоже всегда считала, что "после дождичка в четверг" - это никогда

Да я и не спорю, просто сообщаю, что слышал и в другом смысле.
Насчёт того, что зодиакальный рак это Cancer - знаю абсолютно точно, это меня с толку и сбило, думал поэтому и названия совпадают.
А никто не знает, почему рак (болезнь) раком назвали?

Кстати, в лингве написано не clayfish, а crayfish

Originally Posted by Ramil

Кстати, в лингве написано не clayfish, а crayfish

Конечно, crayfish, это я туплю

Originally Posted by Ramil

А никто не знает, почему рак (болезнь) раком назвали?

Потому что опухоль, или что там, по форме похожа на рака, каим его изображают в зодиаке.

Let me see how well the Russians understand and translate these less than preciseogical English phrases into Russian!


the last piece of cake did not last long

make like a tree and leave

I've had about enough of you

Attention: preciseogical is a word I just invented because I have ten thumbs.

the last piece of cake did not last long Перед смертью не надышишься.

make like a tree and leave делать ноги, рвать когти, смываться, сваливать.

I've had about enough of you Ты меня достал, ты у меня в печёнках сидишь, ты мне все уши прожужжал, задолбал, заколебал

Originally Posted by Basil77

I can not agree. "После дождичка в четверг" means "never". At least, I never heard this idiom used in other cases.
And about "рак" - I'd been taught at school:
"рак" (the crustacean) - crayfish
"рак" (the sickness) - cancer
I didn't know that the Zodiac constellation is also "Cancer". Are you sure?

З.Ы. Никогда! Пара-бара-бам-парам-пам-пам-па... :P

the animal is crayfish, the zodiac sign is cancer and so is the sickness.

"one in a bluemoon" is not never, but very very rare...

Originally Posted by Basil77

the last piece of cake did not last long Перед смертью не надышишься.

make like a tree and leave делать ноги, рвать когти, смываться, сваливать.

I've had about enough of you Ты меня достал, ты у меня в печёнках сидишь, ты мне все уши прожужжал, задолбал, заколебал

Not even close!