?????€?°??: stink, stench
When I noticed a bad smell in the courtyard on Monday, I thought the local food shop's refrigerators had broken down again. But no — Moscow's Big Stink was citywide. Unfortunately, the authorities had a hard time coordinating their response. They started out on the right foot: ?????€ ???‚???»???†?‹ ?????‚?€?µ?±?????°?» ?‚?‰?°?‚?µ?»?????‹?? ???±?€?°?·???? ???€?????µ???‚?? ?€?°?????»?µ???????°?????µ. (The capital's mayor demanded a careful investigation.) And the problem seemed obvious: ???€?µ???????»?°???°?µ?‚????, ?‡?‚?? ?????‚???‡?????????? ?·?°???°?…?° ???‚?°?» ???µ?„?‚?µ???µ?€?µ?€?°?±?°?‚?‹???°???‰???? ?·?°??????. (An oil refinery is suspected to be the source of the smell.) But it wasn't so simple: ???° ?·?°???????µ ???°?‚?µ?????€???‡?µ?????? ???‚?€???†?°???‚ ?„?°???‚ ?°???°?€????. (At the refinery they categorically deny there was an accident.)
Then there was some disagreement over what was in the air and whether it was bad for you. ?????‚?°???????»?µ?? ?…???????‡?µ???????? ???????‚?°?? ?·?°???€???·???µ?????? — ???µ?€???????????€???? ?? ?????????????? ???µ?€?‹. (The chemical composition of the pollution has been determined: hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide.) Yikes! ?????µ?†???°?»?????‚?‹ ???‚???µ?‚???»?? ???????‹???µ???????µ ???????µ?€?¶?°?????µ ???‚???€???»?° ?? ?„???€???°?»?????µ???????°. (Specialists found high concentrations of styrene and formaldehyde.) Double yikes! But: ???°???°?? ?€?°?·?????°?? ???????†?µ???‚?€?°?†???? ???µ?€???????????€?????° ???µ ?????°?·?‹???°?µ?‚ ???»?????????? ???° ?·?????€???????µ. (A single exposure to that concentration of hydrogen sulfide does not affect health.) Are you sure?
??????»???????‡?µ?????°?? ?????‚???°?†???? ?? ???????????µ ???‚?°?±???»???·???€?????°?»?°????. (The ecological situation in Moscow has stabilized.) But: ???? ?????µ?????? ???µ??????????, ?¶???‚?µ?»???? ???‚???»???†?‹ ?»???‡???µ ?????‚?°???°?‚?????? ???? ???‚???€?????? ???????°. (Doctors advise people to stay home on Tuesday.) Time to review ?????‚?????€???·?????????µ ?????€?°???»?µ?????µ ???»?? ?‡?°???????????? (Crisis Management for Dummies).
Meanwhile, for the rest of us, this is a good time to review stinkiness in Russian. ?—?°???°?… (smell) is a neutral word that can be modified to indicate everything from bad to fetid: ???»???…????, ???‚???€?°?‚???‚?µ?»?????‹?? ?·?°???°?… (bad, repulsive smell). ?????¶?‘?»?‹?? ?·?°???°?… is a strong scent, possibly sweet, possibly not, but in any case overwhelming and unpleasant: ?? ???°???µ???»?° ?????…?? ???° ?€??????, ?????»?????° ???‚ ?????… ?€?°?·?±???»?µ?»?°????. ???»?????????? ?‚???¶?‘?»?‹??. (I dabbed the perfume on my hand, and it gave me a headache. The scent is too heavy.)
Stinkier is ?·?»???????????µ (stench): ???‹ ???????????»?????? ?? ?????‘?€?‚???µ ?·?»???????????µ ???µ?????µ?¶???µ?? ???»?µ?‚????. (We plunged into the stifling stench of the bear's cage.) Very stinky indeed is ?????€?°?? (stink, stench). ?–???‚?µ?»?? ???????????‹ ?¶?°?»?????‚???? ???° ?????»?????‹?? ?????€?°??. (Muscovites are complaining about a strong stench.) Or ????????: ?’???? ?????°?€?‚???€?° ???€???????‚?°?»?°???? ???°?????·?‡????????, ???‚?‡?‘?‚?»???????? ?????????? ― ?·?°???°?…???? ?·?°???‚?°?€?µ?»???? ???‹?€?????‚??, ???€???????€???»?????? ?‚?°?±?°?‡???????? ???‹???°. (The whole apartment reeked of an intrusive, very distinct bad odor — the smell of perpetual damp and rancid tobacco smoke.)
?”???????? is an interesting word, usually used to describe food that has started to go bad: ?‘???‚?µ?€?±?€?????‹ ?? ?€?‹?±???? ???µ ???????µ?‚????. ? ?‹?±???°, ????-?????µ????, ?? ????????????. (I don't recommend the open-faced fish sandwiches — I think the fish has gone off.) But it can also mean to be tainted figuratively: ?‘???»?????µ???????? ?? ???°?†???????°?»?????‚???‡?µ???????? ???????????? ???€?°?????»?? ?±?°?» ?? ???°?‡?°?»?µ 90-?… ??????????. (Slightly nationalistic Bolsheviks ruled the roost in the early 1990s.) If you are casting around for smelly verbs, start with ???°?…?????‚?? (to smell), which means "to smell bad" if not modified. The adjective ?????????‡???? (stinky, fetid) can be used literally or figuratively. ???±?µ?€?? ?????????‡???µ ???°????????. (Move your smelly boots.) ???µ ?????¶???° ?????µ ?‚?????? ?????????‡?°?? ?·?°?€???»?°?‚?°! (I don't need your stinking salary!)
In Russian, smells "stand": ?’ ?????€?????µ ???????? ???‚?????»?° ???µ???? ???µ????! (A smell hung over the city all day.) ?—?°?????? — ?????????‡???°. (The factory is a stinker.) In more ways than one.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.
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