?§????: weirdo, bum, idiot, jerk (etc.)
?§???? isn't a word I use much. I could never get a handle on its meaning, and I could never figure out how to decline it. But then I discovered two wonderful things: ?‡???? is what linguists call ?°???µ???°???‚???‡?????µ ?€?????°?‚?µ?»?????‚???? — a ?derogatory word for a person that doesn't have a fixed meaning — and it doesn't decline at all.
Of course, Russian being Russian, it's a bit more complicated than that. There are a few more or less standard meanings of ?‡????. One is a person who is shabbily or inappropriately dressed: ?”?µ?????????° ???€???…???????‚ ???° ?€?°?±???‚?? ???°?? ?‡????, ???°?¶?µ ?????»?????‹ ???µ ?€?°???‡?‘???‹???°?µ?‚. (The young woman comes to work looking like a bag lady. She doesn't even comb her hair.)
Another meaning is someone who behaves oddly or looks weird. Some people use ?‡???? kindly in this sense. ???°?€?µ???? — ?‡????, ???? ???‡?µ???? ?‚?°?»?°???‚?»?????‹?? (The kid is a kind of a dork, but he's very talented).
Others use it as a stronger pejorative for a weirdo: ?? ???‚?°???†???? ???µ?‚?€?? ???‚?????‚ ???°?????µ-?‚?? ?‡????, ???°?‚?µ?€???‚????, ?‡?µ????-?‚?? ?…???‡?µ?‚ ???‚ ???µ???? (So there's this wacko standing by the metro station, swearing his head off and asking me for something).
And then ?‡???? can be used to describe someone stupid, naive or easily deceived: ???????µ?? ?…???‚?µ?», ?‡?‚???±?‹ ?? ?????»?°???‹???°?» ???µ???????? ?? ?µ???? ???µ?»??. ?? ?‡?‚??, ?????…???¶ ???° ?‡????? (My neighbor wanted me to invest in his business. Do I look like a total chump?)
Finally, ?‡???? is a nobody, a worthless person, a jerk. Often the word is combined with intensifying adjectives, like ???????»?µ?????µ?µ (worst), ?·?µ?»?‘?????µ (literally green), ?±???»???‚?????µ (literally swampy) or ?‚???????µ (dumb).
So where does this weird word come from?
The theories about its origins are as interesting as the word itself. One scholar, M.T. Dyachok, has done the heavy etymological lifting and thinks it came from the Yiddish shmuck, which means, among other things, a fool. It wended its way via Odessa and criminal groups into camp slang, where it came to mean a prisoner who cooperated with the authorities.
In the armed forces, it garnered the meaning of an untidy or shabbily dressed soldier. Somewhere along the way, ?‡???? got mixed up with the native Russian words ?‡???°?€?? and ?‡???‹?€?? (dirty, grubby person). Today's ?‡???? seems to combine all of these meanings into one multipurpose, insulting noun.
The strangest thing about the word is that it refers to a person but is neuter and doesn't decline. This has led armchair etymologists to speculate that it's actually an abbreviation. Here Russian folk fantasy is at its most creative. ?§????, people say, is an abbreviation of ?‡?µ?»?????µ??, ???°?»?? ???±?€?°?·?????°?????‹?? (poorly educated person); ?‡?µ?»?????µ?? ?????€?°?»?????? ???‚???‚?°?»?‹?? or ?????????‚?????????????? (person of low morality); ?‡?µ?»?????µ?? ???µ???°???‰???? ???±?‰?µ???‚???? (person who disrupts society); or more recently — ?‡?µ?»?????µ?? ???????????????????? ???±?»?°???‚?? (person from Moscow oblast? — that is, a provincial).
Another theory is that ?‡???? came from the Great Patriotic War as an abbreviation of ?‡?°???‚?? ???°?‚?µ?€???°?»?????????? ???±?µ?????µ?‡?µ?????? (field-support unit). These were the soldiers who brought supplies to the front lines and were allegedly reviled by the fighting men for their poor performance and less dangerous positions.
And now some opposition-minded people use ?‡???? to mean ?‡?»?µ?? ?????»?????‘?¶?????? ???€???°?????·?°?†???? (member of a youth organization) with a definite pejorative connotation. In this context, ?‡???? ???????°?????µ would be a filthy little collaborator.
That's definitely not Joe Shmo.
Michele A. Berdy, a Moscow-based translator and interpreter, is author of "The Russian Word's Worth" (Glas), a collection of her columns.
A Message from The Moscow Times:
Dear readers,
We are facing unprecedented challenges. Russia's Prosecutor General's Office has designated The Moscow Times as an "undesirable" organization, criminalizing our work and putting our staff at risk of prosecution. This follows our earlier unjust labeling as a "foreign agent."
These actions are direct attempts to silence independent journalism in Russia. The authorities claim our work "discredits the decisions of the Russian leadership." We see things differently: we strive to provide accurate, unbiased reporting on Russia.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. But to continue our work, we need your help.
Your support, no matter how small, makes a world of difference. If you can, please support us monthly starting from just $2. It's quick to set up, and every contribution makes a significant impact.
By supporting The Moscow Times, you're defending open, independent journalism in the face of repression. Thank you for standing with us.
Remind me later.