???€???¶?????????‚?‹??: tight-fisted, stingy
In the Russian pantheon of virtues, ?‰?µ???€?????‚?? (generosity) must be near the top of the highest column.
For Russians, the epitome of an admirable person is a generous friend, someone who is ready to spend time listening, helping and doling out advice as well as clothing, jewelry and loans.
Or someone who is a generous host, with an open door and a heavy hand for serving food and pouring drinks.
Or being generous in spirit, giving people the benefit of the doubt. This is even true in the Moscow-that-is-not-Russia, although you might need to ask for help before you see Russians at their generous best.
It follows, then, that ?????????????‚?? (stinginess) is at the bottom of the basement of Russian vices. Being cheap is a more than an unattractive character trait. It's a moral failing. And a lot of the words to describe a cheapskate evoke unpleasant images or are produced with grimaces and pursed lips. Ew.
???????????? (stingy) is probably the most neutral of the Russian cheap adjectives, and even that is defined as ?±?µ?€?µ?¶?»?????‹?? ???? ?¶?°?????????‚?? (thrifty to the point of avarice). Since it's hard to figure out where thrift crosses the line into greed, it's better to spend lavishly than save avariciously.
???????????? can also be used to describe anything that is scant, like ???????????? ???µ???·?°?¶ (desolate landscape) or ???????????µ ???????±?‰?µ?????µ (terse message). You can also use it with the preposition ???° to specify in what way someone is cheap. ???€???„?µ???????€ ?…???€????????, ???? ???€?°?????µ ???????????? ???° ?????…???°?»?? (The professor is very good, but he's short on praise).
Slightly worse in the cheapskate parade is ???€???¶?????????‚?‹?? (tight-fisted), which comes from the verb ???€???¶?????°?‚?? (to clasp). You'll often find that in Russia, some rich people and many foreigners are often thought to be tightwads. ???°?? ???????????? ?±?????°?‡, ???? ?±?‹?» ???€???¶?????????‚ (Like all rich folk, he was tight-fisted). ???????»???‡?°???µ ???????‚?°?‚???‡???? ???€???¶?????????‚?‹?µ, ???»??, ?µ???»?? ???¶ ?±?‹?‚?? ?????€?€?µ???‚??????, ???????????????‹?µ (English people are quite tight with money, or, to be polite, they're thrifty).
You see how tricky it is to find that line where admirable thriftiness crosses over to become despicable penny-pinching?
The grimace-making word ?????€?????° (skinflint) is used to describe a very cheap person. ?? ???°?? ???° ?‡?µ?»?????µ???°, ?????‚???€?‹?? ?¶?????‘?‚ ?‚???»?????? ???° ???????? ?????…?????‹, ???????‚?€???‚ ???°?? ???° ?‡???????????‰???????? ?????€?????? (Here people regard someone who lives on his income alone as a monstrous miser).
?–?????‚, which is probably from the verb ?¶?°?‚?? (to squeeze), pinches pennies. ???€???…???±???€ is so cheap he gathers up (?????±???€?°?‚??) crumbs (???€???…??) after dinner. ?? ???????µ???????? ?? ???°?? ?…???€???????µ ???‚???????µ??????, ?…???‚?? ?????? ?¶?????‚?‹ ?? ???€???…???±???€?‹ (We're on good terms with our neighbors, even though they pinch pennies and sweep up the bread crumbs).
These stingy folks ???€???¶?°?‚ ???°?? ???°?¶?????? ???????µ???????? (literally, quake over every kopek). ?•???»?? ?±?‹ ???? ???µ ???€???¶?°?» ???°?? ???°?¶?????? ???????µ????????, ???? ?????? ?±?‹ ???‚?°?‚?? ?…???€???????? ???€???????? (If he didn't count every penny, he could have become a good friend).
Sometimes people are choked by toads — ?µ???? ?¶?°?±?° ?????????‚ (literally, the toad chokes him). According to some, perhaps not fully authoritative sources, this phrase originated as ???€???????°?? ?¶?°?±?° (literally, a chest toad) to describe the feeling of clammy pressure on the chest that precedes a heart attack. In cheapskates, the same feeling of intense stress could be brought on by the need to lay out a good chunk of cash. ???? ???µ ?????µ???µ?‚ ?????????? ???° ?‚?°?????? — ?¶?°?±?° ?????????‚! (He won't take a cab home — he's too chintzy!)
I'm not quite sure of that derivation, but ?·?° ?‡?‚?? ?????????»?°, ?·?° ?‚?? ?? ???€?????°?? (for what it's worth). Skinflint etymology.
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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