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It's Not Surprising That It's Not Simple

Being wise, being simple-minded, being obvious, and being easy have a lot in common in Russian.

Plug It, Mute It, or Hear It

The words for things that shut out sound and let you hear it are the same in Russian. Of course they are.

Alexei Navalny and the Secret List of Forbidden Words

It's hard to know where general language ends and criminal slang begins.

And Yet It's Nevertheless All the Same, After All

The joy of particles (not).

A Guide to Giving a Bribe in Russian

What you say when you bribe depends on whether you want something or they want something.

Who is Gulya and Why Do We Care About Her Nose?

The preposition "c" has some weird constructions.

Spitting, Eating Your Teeth and Other Weird Gestures

When a person eats his teeth, is that bad or good? Or even possible?

Take Your Pick: Mutiny, Coup, Uprising or Nothing

Last week's events are still a puzzle, so we looked at what participants had to say. It didn't help.

Wait — What Russian Month is This?

If you thought you knew the names of the months in Russian, think again.

What's in a Name? With Russian Holidays - Everything

This week Russia celebrated Russia Day. If you have no idea what that holiday is, join the population.

A Gathering of Witches, Dues, Herbs and Classmates

Сбор and сборы are unusual words: sometimes the singular and plural forms have unrelated meanings.

Buy a Brilliant and Applaud an Artist

Oh, those false friends... every translator's nightmare.

Why Do Russians Write Music and Paintings?

Spoiler: They don't. The verb писать is terribly misunderstood.

Tricks of the Trade

Using the right verb and the right case to express changing and exchanging is a big headache.

Under the Mighty Oak I Sit, Stupidly

Sitting on stumps, falling out of trees and stepping in rotten logs figure prominently in Russian expressions.

The Cat Cried and Ran By

Cats are popular pets In Russia but unpopular in folk expressions.

Serving and Not Serving in the Military

The confusing terminology of conscripts, reservists and draft dodgers.

Two Words, Three Letters and Ten Meanings

Oh, the joy of little Russian words.

How a Saint Becomes a Sinner

How some Russian words change meaning in and out of church.

Of Courtyards, Grifters and Days Off

All about things and people that pass by, pass through, and ought to pass off forever.

Of Ear Noodles and Maniacal Printers

How you can spend a day translating three words.

Please Don't Hit On Me, Bug Me, or Harass Me

How everyone, from gangsters to presidents, keeps people calm and in their place.

A Pocketful of Somethings

How can I say something? Let me count the ways.

A Year of the Language of War

The Russian language has been transformed in strange and contradictory ways.

The Ears Have It

За ухо: (to put something) behind your ear A couple decades ago I wrote a short column about some of the odd and entertaining Russian expressions...

Travels, Trips and Tours

Trips with goals, aimless travels, and all-inclusive tourist packages.

Starting Anew or Again or Freshly Baked

A few thoughts on new being old or next or just the same old thing over and over again.

Mark My Words: How to Remember and Forget

How to remember and how to forget are good skills to have whatever your language.

The Hopeless Quest for Language Purity

Общеупотребимые слова: commonly used words Every year or so some state organization at some level in Russia demands or proposes or...

Words of the Year 2022

The annual Words of the Year compendium is dark, bleak and brutal.

Angry? Welcome to the Zoo!

Fierce, furious and furry - that's you when you're mad.

Get Ready for Seasons Greetings

Take two little words - хлеб (bread) and соль (salt) - put them together and get something grand.

Russian Pandemonium Pop Quiz

How do you say chaos in Russian? Let me count the ways.

The New Russian Revolutionary Language

NewSpeak, new letters and a new level of crude language used by the Russian elite.

To Err is Human in Every Language

Don't err on the side of ignoring your errors in Russian.

Why is There a Dog in Your Email?

And what do you call those funny quotation marks in Russian?

Гойда! They Shouted. Say What?

A call for action that is not a cute ye olde russky way of saying "let's go."

Newspeak for the Russian New Economic Policy

Everything is fine, just fine, in the Russian economy (so they say).

Newspeak in the New Russia

What they say and what they mean are two very different things.

Good King... Who?

Why did King Charles III get a different name in Russian?

What's In a (Dog's) Name?

If you had a Russian dog or a dog in Russia, what would you name it?

Take That, You Confusing Preposition!

The preposition "на" is the super glue of Russian sentences.

Annoying Russian Questions

Russians get tired of answering "how are you?" So they get creative. And sometimes snarky.

All the World in One Russian Word

When the first step is the hardest — also evil, clever, daring, wild, turbulent, smart, artistic, and jaunty.

Warning: Do Not Say This in Russian

When language changes, we don't like it. But language doesn't care.

Chowing Down the Russian Way

Judging by the language, eating the Russian way means really digging in.

The Russian Sedentary Diet

Losing weight the Russian way involves sitting - what could be better?

The Art of Russian Mumbling, Grumbling, and Babbling

Everyone needs to know how to grumble, lisp, burble, gurgle, growl and bellyache.

Stop In, Go Behind and Lose Your Mind

How you can go around the corner, go crazy, pop in and like something with just one Russian verb.

Getting Stronger Every Day in Every Way

Here's a little something to keep your strength up in dark times.

Thinking Outside the Box the Russian Way

How to shell a nut without a nutcracker and other acts of national ingenuity.

Russian Gaffes, Goofs, and Assorted Blunders

Do Russians have a word for when you mess up, misstep, blunder or put your foot in it? Of course!

How to Fail Spectacularly in Russian

How to flop, bomb, fail, go down the tubes, go belly up and fall flat on your face. In Russian, of course.

On Wars, Ducks, Fakes and Anniversaries

Happy 20th anniversary to The Word's Worth, now in exile.

A Russian Sleeping Beauty

When the Russian media goes a bit wild after a presidential press conference, I begin investigating.

The Looming But Not Inevitable (Translation) Disaster

Talking about future possibilities and inevitabilities in Russian is a mouthful.

Getting a Bright Idea in Russian

Welcome to another chapter of "Weird Russian Words." This one will inspire you!

A Russian Fig is Not a Fig

A short, expression-filled column about a little word that packs a big punch.

How Don't I Care? Let Me Count The Ways

It turns out you can say you don't care in dozens of ways in Russian - some even in polite company.

Words of the Year 2021

The Words of the Year and Decade are not cheerful in 2021. Такой год - такие слова...

How to Add On, Try On, Pretend and Drive Everyone Crazy in Russian

There is a newish filler word going around that driving the older generation crazy.

I Love Moscow in the Winter

Some of the less-than-magical qualities of winter in Moscow.

When Pigs Fly in Russian

How to say "yes" that really means "no" in Russian. No way. Forget it. In your dreams, man.

Let's Talk Turkey

Would you rather be called a turkey in Russian or English? Not an easy decision...

The Russian Approach to Coming Closer

This week I look at two pairs of verbs of motion and get a bit overexcited.

This is How We Roll in Russian

What stocking up, throwing a fit, and rolling up your sleeves have in common.

Who Is To Blame For Everything in Russian?

Apologizing seems easy in Russian, but there are some tricky bits.

Neither Russian Fish nor Russian Fowl

When do you use ни and when do you use не? I made up some (silly sounding) rules to help you out.

Two Minuses Make a Plus in Russian

Today I focus on one of my favorite things about Russian - the double negative.

Drunk as a Skunk in Russia? Never!

Why you really must learn a new vocabulary of similes in Russian.

In Russian, Too Much is Better Than Too Little

Here are some serious and hilarious ways to take care and be on the very safe side in Russian.

When Your Heart Speaks in Russian

What's up with verbs like подсказать, подбросить, подслушать and подскочить?

The Road to Recovery in Russian

As Covid rages on but treatment improves, it's time to hone our vocabulary of getting better.

Stuck-Up, High Maintenance and Oh So Demanding

I'm stuck on being stuck-up. So many ways to be very annoying.

Of Snobs, Show-Offs, and Arrogant Jerks

Curiosity about the origins of the word "snob" sent me down a rabbit hole - or make that rat hole.

Hazard a Guess on the Meaning of Азарт

What do you do with untranslatable words? Well, you translate them as best you can.

Good and Bad Manners the Frenchified and Russian Way

Is моветон having a moment? Why yes, it is. It's on everyone's lips. So what the heck is it?

Getting Married and/or Rejected in Russian

Marriage can be confusing, but wait until you hear about Russian marital confusion!

Clean Up Your Act the Russian Way

How to wash that bum right out of your hair and other tricks of the Russian launderer's trade.

How to Survive a Russian Heat Wave

Don't drink hot coffee. Don't work (brain fog). Wear nighties to the store. And moan about the heat.

How to Interpret a President

Everyone's an interpreter! Or at least, everyone loves to criticize interpreters...

The Many Faces of Живопырка

A magical word that seems to acquire new meanings wherever it goes.

On, Near, About and Round About in Russian

Another in my series of Mastering Russian Prepositions, this one is all about being near.

Maybe I May Be But Probably I'm Not

Maybe seems like such an easy concept. Может быть I'm wrong? Or is that быть может?

No Way, No How, No Matter What

What do courts and approaches and truth have to do with no one, nothing and no?

The Nos Have It in Russian

How many ways can you say "no" in Russian? You have no idea...

Cleaning House the Russian Way

All you need are four verbs to satisfy all your cleaning, washing, polishing and murderous needs.

My Sweet Little Buggie-Wuggie

When you see someone small and cute, start piling on the sibilants.

The Monster Under the Bed

How to talk about human monsters in Russian - or how to avoid hearing about them.

Singin' in the Rain the Russian Way

Prepositions. I know, I know. They're miserable. I try to make them a little bit more palatable.

Procrastinating the Russian Way

Russians have so many delightful ways to dawdle, dilly-dally and delay, you may never work again.

Watch What You Call That Old Woman

Why are there are more names in Russian for nasty old women than for nasty old men?

Of Men, Galoshes and Horseradish

There are lots of Russian words, nice and not, to describe the older gentlemen in our lives.

All That Glitters is Russian Gold

Lots of things glitter and glimmer with sparkles of gold and silver in Russian. For example - air.

The Language of UnFreedom from the Gulag

An exhibition at the Gulag History Museum and a new dictionary reveal the other reality of the USSR.

Two Hundred More Ways to Get Russian Wrong

Lock or castle, cotton or clapping - it's all a matter of where the stress falls. Russian is very stressful.

Insurrection and Sedition in Russian Translation

Rebellions can be good or bad. Depends on who's rebelling and who or what they are rebelling against.

How to Protest, From A to Zip Tie Cuffs

The weather might be cool, but people are hot to protest. Here's how to talk about it.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas, Moscow 2020

A special column for a special day.

2020 Words of the Year

This is the Year That Was in words and phrases.