???????»?‹??: loathsome, despicable, contemptible
Once upon a time, everyone living in what is now Russia had to pay a bunch of taxes, first to the grand prince and later to the state. These taxes were collectively called ???????°?‚?? (tax, assessment; stress on the first syllable). Then Peter the Great assumed the throne and decided to give a tax break to the rich and noble. Over time, the only folks still burdened with ???????°?‚?? were the lowest merchant class in towns and the peasants in the countryside. They were called ???????°?‚???‹?µ ???????»???????? (the tax-paying classes) — you know, poor working stiffs who always seem to bear the largest tax burden.
???????»?‹?? was originally used to describe these folks and was a neutral word meaning lower-class or poor. But then, as so often happens in society, lower-class began to be associated with low-down behavior, and poor people began to be associated with poor manners and morals.
???????»?‹?? morphed into the meaning it has today: someone or something that is base, despicable or immoral. ???????»?µ?† is a scoundrel, villain or snake. ???????»?????‚?? is baseness or wickedness.
While these are not curse words, they are certainly fighting words. Use them with caution and protective covering. For example, when the guy in the Hummer not only cuts you off but also gives you the finger, you might shout: ? ?µ?????????‚???‹?? ???????»?µ?†! (what a piece of crap; literally "uncommon lout"). But make sure the windows are tightly closed.
???????»?°?? ?????‚???° might be a mean joke, and ???????»?‹?? ???????‚???????? is a low-down, dirty trick. ???????° ???µ?????????° ?????????‚?°?????»?° ???µ???? ?‚?°??, ?‡?‚?? ???????»???»?? ?? ?€?°?±???‚?‹. ???°???????? ???????»?????? ???????‚???????° ?? ???‚ ???µ?‘ ???µ ???¶?????°?» (A woman at work made me look so bad that I got fired. I didn't think she was capable of such a dirty trick). ???±???‚?? ???µ???????€???¶?‘?????????? ?‡?µ?»?????µ???° ?€” ???µ?»???‡?°?????°?? ???????»?????‚?? (Killing an unarmed man is the lowest act imaginable).
Another word for nastiness is ???µ?€?·?????? (disgusting), which is someone or something that makes your blood run cold or gives you the creeps. In fact, it's related to the word ?????€???· (freezing cold). You might use this word when a driver cheerfully waves at you and then zips into the parking place you were waiting for. You could also use the related nouns ???µ?€?·?°???µ?† or ???µ?€?·?°?????°: (What a slimeball!)
???µ?€?·?????‚?? might be vile behavior, or it might be some food left in the back of your fridge that has turned into a multicolored science project. ???°???°?? ???µ?€?·?????‚??! (How revolting!)
?“?°???????? (ugly, naughty, vile) is a bit lower down the scale of despicable behavior and varies in meaning and strength depending on the context. ?“?°?????°?? ???????????° is foul weather. ?“?°???????? ???‚?‘?????? is the proverbial ugly duckling. ?“?°???????? ?°???µ?€?????°???µ?† is the proverbial ugly American. ?“?°???????? ?€?µ?±?‘?????? is a naughty or misbehaving child. But ???°???????? ?‡?µ?»?????µ?? is someone thoroughly untrustworthy or unsavory. ???°?????? ?¶?µ ???? ???°????????! (What a sleazebag!)
Similar to ???°???????? is ???????????‹??, which is someone or something that is foul, rotten or mean. ?“?????????°?? ?»???¶?? is what English speakers call a dirty, rotten lie. ?“?????????°?? ?€?°?±???‚?° is work that is miserable or disgusting ?€” like cleaning the fridge of science projects. Someone with ???????????‹?? ?…?°?€?°???‚?µ?€ has a foul temper.
To sum it all up, the guy who institutes tax cuts for the rich is ???????»?µ?†. The guy who spins it is ???µ?€?·?°???µ?†. The whole process is ???°????????. And the work of balancing the budget afterwards is ???????????‹??.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.