Quote Originally Posted by Throbert McGee View Post
Note that "to take the piss out of someone" is different from "to take the piss"

This isn't the case, at least for UK English. The phrases can mean the same. "Stop taking the piss" and "Stop taking the piss out of him" have the same basic meaning, if you want someone to stop mocking someone. A (UK) alternative is to "take the mickey". (Wikipedia is wrong about this.)

Quote Originally Posted by Throbert McGee View Post
"To take the piss" is somewhat similar to the Internet usage of "fake trolling", sometimes called "frolling" -- when you sarcastically pretend to believe things that you don't, for instance, in order to provoke a reaction from another person:
Yes, it can also mean this - but I wanted the Russian for the first use.


NB It can also be used (in UK, not colonial, English (joke, Robert)) when someone is going too far. You agree to babysit for some friends and they say they'll be back at ten but turn up at 2 am - you can quite reasonably say "You're both taking the piss!"

Thanks for the Russian suggestions!