Thread: Russian slang and expressions

The live in Russia has its own specific features that other countries don't have. These features affected on Russian language. Some Russian words and expressions are very popular but have they got a proper translation? Could you translate these expressions?

Халява,халявщик (? freebie)
Халтура,халтурщик
Пофигист
Жить с фигой в кармане

May be others remind more.

Well.. the last expression is not popular in Russia

Халява,халявщик---for free/someone who gets stuff for free or without trying
Халтура,халтурщик---bad job(as in craftsmanship)/someone who makes things that are not of good quality
Пофигист---someone who doesn't give a damn

But "халтура" means also "from time to time job" or may be it is something like "moonlight job", am I right? Please correct me.

I think the words you are searching for is "part time job".

Moonlighting's not the same as part-time. When you moonlight, I'm not sure what word we give to the job .. 'second job'? that's no good either..

In russian "халтура" means something like not a primary job but something that happened from time to time like you make some money on the side, it's an additional job. Does it mean "moonlight"?

I think what you meant by «from time to time job» is «шабашка». But I know «халтура» only in the sense of «awfully-made working».
Anyway, the first post's questions are still active. NYgirl3 gave definitions, perhaps somebody can give English analogues.

In the Middle Ural words халтура and шабашка have the same meaning.

Originally Posted by JJ

In the Middle Ural words халтура and шабашка have the same meaning.

It is the same in Moscow. I think most Russians use it in this sense.
There is even a verb "подхалтурить" (make some money "on the side").

Originally Posted by Katerina

Well.. the last expression is not popular in Russia

Did you mean the expression "May be others remind more"?

Actually, I know the meanings of that words but I don't know the English twins.

I think this way. May be it helps to native English speakers.
Халява - It is something free or easy to get. (I think = freebie, warez)
Халявщик – It is somebody who made халява.
Халтура - It is moonlight work or bad quality work.
Халтурщик – It is somebody who made халтура.
Пофигист – It is somebody who doesn't care.
Фига в кармане - I think so. It is something like inaction protest. The man does something, he has to do, but keep "фига в кармане".

does халявщик have a negative connotation? If so, the American English equivalent would be "freeloader", someone who tries to get others to pay for things, or tries to get things for free).

If it doesn't have a negative connotation, I don't think there's a single English word for it. We'd probably say the person "is always on the look-out for bargains" or something like that.

in a literary context, doesn't халтура mean low quality stuff produced by a hack writer, like pot boilers or cheap romances?

you're right JJ, moonlighting is the best English translation for халтура in the other sense.

I seem to remember from way back when asking about some book I was reading that the word "халявщик" was used during Soviet times to mean a guy who smuggled blue jeans, ABBA records, and that sort of thing, heh.

Originally Posted by Pravit

I seem to remember from way back when asking about some book I was reading that the word "халявщик" was used during Soviet times to mean a guy who smuggled blue jeans, ABBA records, and that sort of thing, heh.

Actually it was "фарцовщик".
http://masterrussian.net/mforum/viewtopic.php?t=1056

Gah, whoops! Well, I knew it had "-schik" in there somewhere, heh.

It seems I found a twin-word for халтурщик = sloven. What do you thing?