Thread: пинать болду

i dont know whether to use this or not. i was told it ment 'to do nothing', like прозебать but not as negative. when i said it to some other russians they had never heard ot before. does anybody else know/use this phrase?

i dont. never heard of it.
btw i think thats not бОлда but бАлда, this way it at least makes some sense.... not much though

пинать балду does mean to do nothing, a low-class slang.

The other word you mentioned, прозябать, has a different meaning.

1) I've heard "гонять балду" more often than "пинать балду"
There is a verb балдеть (to do nothing)

2) ПРОЗЯБАТЬ -аю. -аешь; несов. Вести жалкую, бедную или бессодержательную, бесцельную жизнь. П. в нищете, в невежестве. Не живут, а прозябают. || сущ. прозябание, -я, ср.

(from Ожегов)

There's nothing low class about this expression. Пинать балду, валять дурака, бить баклуши are all colloquialisms for "doing nothing important", not "for doing nothing" literally.

I wouldn't use that phrase. It's not common and sounds trashy.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

I wouldn't use that phrase. It's not common and sounds trashy.

If you are unaware of the fact that
БАКЛУШИ = Деревянные чурки, предназначенные для выделки из них посуды
БАЛДА = Тяжелый молот, применявшийся при горных работах и в кузницах
and
ДУРАК = Ванька-встанька

then all these words are clearly trashy for a modern big-city dweller

Originally Posted by adoc

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

I wouldn't use that phrase. It's not common and sounds trashy.

If you are unaware of the fact that
БАКЛУШИ = Деревянные чурки, предназначенные для выделки из них посуды
БАЛДА = Тяжелый молот, применявшийся при горных работах и в кузницах
and
ДУРАК = Ванька-встанька

then all these words are clearly trashy for a modern big-city dweller

I don't see what these words have to do with what I said. Some people use "пинать балду" talking about masturbating, and no extracts from dictionaries can change it.
Every slang word and every word of russian "мат" once had a decent meaning. It doesn't mean you should use 'em freely.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

I don't see what these words have to do with what I said. Some people use "пинать балду" talking about masturbating, and no extracts from dictionaries can change it.

Huh? I believe it's time to reconsider the group of people you hang out with. I assure you that пинать балду has nothing to do with мат or masturbation regardless of the interests of "some people" that you are referring to.

thanks for the answers guys, i love a debate

Originally Posted by Lt. Columbo

thanks for the answers guys, i love a debate

Hehe, I guess it's like arguing online about what the meanings of the "table-time" or "periscope" are. There's always someone who'd be claiming that these are types of sexual perversions and that no self-respecting person will ever say anything dirty like that.

Originally Posted by adoc

Huh? I believe it's time to reconsider the group of people you hang out with.

Thanks God I don't hang out with them. I'm not deaf, that's all.

Originally Posted by gRomoZeka

Originally Posted by adoc

Huh? I believe it's time to reconsider the group of people you hang out with.

Thanks God I don't hang out with them. I'm not deaf, that's all.

May be not deaf, but quite special. Where did you get it? Never - ever in my entire life I heard that "пинать балду" is something indecent. I am pretty sure it's a local thing. Like in the book I just read: "Маша" и "Аркаша" по-соборски означают дура, набитая соломой и глупый дурак. И всех Маш и Аркаш, если не хочешь схлопотать как следует, надобно называть не иначе как Манями, Марусями, в крайнем случае Марьями Батьковнами и Аркадиями".