???°́???° ???? ?€?‚??: to mumble
I'm still stuck on mouth expressions, mostly because it gives everyone practice in pronouncing ?€???‚ when it's declined. There is nothing more fun for foreigners than a mass of Russian consonants with nary a vowel in sight. Makes you think you have ???°???° ???? ?€?‚?? (to mumble unintelligibly, literally to have "a mouthful of porridge"). The first time I heard that phrase I went crazy trying to find the word "???°?€?‚??" in the dictionary.
There are plenty of other mouth expressions that involve eating more than porridge. You can have a mouth full of troubles — the rhyming ?…?»???????‚ (or ?·?°?±???‚) ?????»???? ?€???‚.
In English it's a handful, not a mouthful: ?? ???µ?‘ ?±?‹?» ?…?»???????‚ ?????»???? ?€???‚ ?? ?????¶?µ??, ?????‚???€?‹?? ?±?‹?» ???µ???€?µ?€?‹?????? ????????. (She really had her hands full with her husband, who was constantly drunk.)
?’ ?€???‚ ???µ ?»?µ?·?µ?‚ (literally, "it can't crawl into my mouth") is what you say when you are either too full to eat or too upset or excited to even think about food. ?’???µ ?????????€???»??, ?‡?‚?? ?µ???° ?? ?€???‚ ???µ ?»?µ?·?µ?‚ ???? ???€?µ???? ?????°?????±?‹, ???? ???‹ ?? ?¶?µ?????? ?±?‹?»?? ?‚?°???????? ?????»???????‹????, ?‡?‚?? ?????µ?»?? ?????‘. (Everyone told us that we wouldn't be able to eat a thing at the wedding, but my wife and I were starving and ate everything.)
You say ???µ ?±?€?°?‚?? ?? ?€???‚ (don't put [it] in your mouth) when you are consciously abstaining. ???? ???????€?‚???????? ?? ?€???‚ ???µ ?±?µ?€?‘?‚. (He doesn't drink alcohol.) But a twist on this — ?? ?€???‚ ???µ ?????·?????‘???? (you won't put it in your mouth) — means you shouldn't touch the stuff because it's spoiled or otherwise unappetizing. ?‘?»?????? ?±?‹?»?? ???‡?µ???? ?????‚?€?‹??, ?? ?€???‚ ???µ ?????·?????‘????. (The dish was so spicy that it was inedible.)
It's never a good idea to stick your finger in someone's mouth, but in Russian it's especially dangerous. It indicates someone who has an explosive temper. ???°?? ?‚???»?????? ???‹ ???°?‡?°?»?? ?¶???‚?? ?????µ???‚?µ, ?µ???? ?€???????‚?µ?»?? ???‹?‚?°?»?????? ?»?µ?·?‚??, ???? ?????µ ???°?»?µ?† ?? ?€???‚ ???µ ???»?°????. (As soon as we started living together his parents started butting in, but I'd bite their heads off.)
Someone with a bad temper might speak ?? ???µ?????? ?? ?€?‚?° (foaming at the mouth): ?? ???µ?????? ?? ?€?‚?° ?°???‚???€ ???????°?·?‹???°?» ?€?µ?¶???????‘?€??, ?‡?‚?? ?‚???‚ ???????µ?€???µ?????? ???µ ???€?°??. (Foaming at the mouth, the writer tried to prove to the director that he was wrong.)
Then there is the unappetizing ?€?°?·?¶?µ???°?‚?? ?? ?? ?€???‚ ?????»???¶???‚?? (to chew it up and put it in his mouth) — what you say when you have to spell something out for someone. ???‡?????? ???…, ???‡?????? ???µ???????€?°?‚????, ?€?°?·?¶???‘???? ????, ?? ?€???‚ ?????»???¶?????? — ???µ ?±?µ?€???‚! (You teach them, you teach them democracy, you cut it up in little pieces for them — but they won't take it!)
Sometimes something slips by your mouth — ???????? ?€?‚?° ???€?????µ???‘?‚. This might be literal, but it is usually figurative and means that some opportunity or good fortune has passed you by. Or not: ? ?‹?¶???? ???€?????»???????€???‹?? ?????¶????, ???· ?‚?µ?…, ?‡?‚?? ???????? ?€?‚?° ?»???¶???? ???µ ???€?????µ?????‚. (He was a red-headed, round-faced guy, the kind who never misses a trick.)
If this guy wants to give you some advice, you might ???????‚?€?µ?‚?? ?µ???? ?? ?€???‚ (literally "to look him in the mouth"), which sounds rather rude but means to hang on someone's every word.
While you're looking, check for foam and porridge.
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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