Thread: two things

ok, not Zemfira this time but could some1 please tell me what does прокрустовый mean and also could somebody tell me is this сиротинка the diminutive of сирота. Спасибо!

There is a legend from Ancient Greece. One gangster lived in a forest (or in other place). His name was Прокруст. When somebody was going near his house, he catched him and carried there. There was a bed (ложе) in his house on which the gangster put this person. If the person was longer than the bed, he cut its legs. If shorter, then he extended its body. It was like his hobby for fun. Now this term "прокрустово ложе" (bed of Прокруст) is an idiom that means situation when you have to do something very precisely.

About "сиротинка" you are right.

Спасибо Ту, всегда быстрый ответ

What happened if they fit the bed exactly?

Wouldn't that be the end of the whole story?

Well I think Prokrust would be pretty upset.

I'd think he wouldn't care much about the rules, and maybe change the length of this guy's legs again.

And then came Theseus and killed him. So it was the end of the story and noobody knows what would have been if a stranger had fitted precisely in the bed.

how about "Strange bed fellows" hah