If you hang around kids or dogs in Russia, or happen to have some of your own, very early on you're going to hear the word ?±?????°, which means something that is filthy, gross or yucky. The first time your toddler picks up a dirt-encrusted stick and aims it toward his mouth, you shout: ?¤??! ?‘?????°! (Ew! That's yucky!)
Dictionaries tell you that the word is imitation baby talk, and I suppose it's possible that some kids in the babbling stage of language acquisition spit out ???°-???° (ca-ca) or ?±?????°. But it's a funny word — very expressive yet used almost exclusively by adults when trying to impress the rudiments of hygiene on children or pets.
Of course, it can be used jokingly among adults in various contexts, but it always has that whisper of baby talk. ?•???»?? ???±???°?€???¶???‚???? ???°???°??-?‚?? ?±?????°, ???€?????‘?‚???? ?»?µ?‡???‚?????? ?°???‚???±?????‚?????°???? (If they find some kind of crud, you'll need to take antibiotics). ?”?µ????????, ???? ?????µ ?????°?·?°?», ?±?????° (Money, he told me, is yucky).
?‘?????° is another great Russian word. It is a bogeyman, a scary creature used to frighten children in the days when terrorizing kids was considered a sound child-raising philosophy. ?‘?????° is right up with ?????»???†???????µ?€ — or today ?????»???†?µ?????????? (policeman) — in the category of external threats invoked by parents. ?•???? ???°????, ?° ?‚?? ?±?????° ?‚?µ?±?? ?????·?????‘?‚! (Eat your porridge or the bogeyman will get you!).
?‘?????° can also be any unsociable, gloomy person, a definition that is obvious the first time you say the word. Try it: ?±?????° (stress on the first syllable). Your lower lip sticks out in a dour pout like, well, ?±?????°.
Together ?±?????°-?±?????° (also ?±?????° ?±????, ?±?????° ?? ?±?????°) is a double whammy of yucky. ? ?°?±???‚?° ???????‚?°?????»?° ?????µ ?±???»???????µ ???????????»?????‚?????µ, ?° ?‚?µ???µ?€?? ???‹ ???·???°?»??, ???°?????µ ???‹ ?±?????? ?? ?±?????? (I really enjoyed my work, only now it turns out that we were cruddy sleazebags).
Russian has other marvelously onomatopoetic words to describe all things cruddy. ???°???????‚?? is something either literally or figuratively disgusting, filthy or nasty. ?‘?????‚?? ???°?????? ???? ?????µ ?????»?·?°???‚ — ???°???°?? ???°???????‚??! (It was like spiders crawling all over me — disgusting!) ?????????‘??, ???µ?‡?µ???? ???° ?‚?°?????? ???°???????‚?? ???????‚?€?µ?‚??. ???‹ ?¶?µ ???€?°???????»?°?????‹??. (Let's go. You shouldn't watch that filth. You're an Orthodox Christian.)
???µ?€?·?????‚?? is also something abominable, nasty or immoral. ???±?µ?€?? ???? ???‚???»?° ???‚?? ???µ?€?·?????‚??! (Take that filth off the table!) ?”?? ???°?????? ???µ?€?·?????‚?? ?????????‚ ?????????‚???‚?????? ?»??????! (People can sink to such nastiness!)
You can combine the ???µ?€?·?????‚?? and ???°???????‚?? to get the colloquial ???µ?€?·?????°???????‚??, which is something really and truly disgusting. ???°?????µ ???µ?????????? ?????»???‡?µ???‚???? ???µ?€?·?????°???????‚?µ?? ???‹???»?‘?????????°?µ?‚???? ???· ?‚?µ?»?µ???????µ??????! (The amount of disgusting filth that pours out of the television today is unbelievable!)
When confronted with something revolting, you can go with the more classic ?¤??! ?“?°???????‚??! (Ew! Yuck!), which is pronounced almost as if it were one word: ?„?????°???????‚??. Or you might use the expressive ?‚?????????‚?????€???????‚??, something that creates (?‚?????€???‚??) nausea (?‚?????????‚?°) and its related adjective ?‚?????????‚?????€???‹?? or adverb ?‚?????????‚?????€????. ???‹???»?? ?? ?‚????, ?‡?‚?? ???€?????‘?‚???? ???????????°?‚?????? ?? ???µ?‚?€?? ?? ?‚???»???°?‚?????? ?‚?°??, ?±?‹?»?° ???µ???µ?€?µ???????????°, ?‚?????????‚?????€???° (The thought that I had to go down into the metro and be jostled was unbearable and sick-making). ???‚ ?±?????¶?° ?????…???????»?? ?‚?????????‚?????€?????µ ?·?»???????????µ, ?????‡?µ?‚?°?????µ ???µ?????‹?‚?????? ?????‚?° ?? ?·?°???‚?°?€?µ?»???? ?????‡?? (The bum exuded a stomach-turning stench that was a combination of unwashed sweat and old urine).
Now that's what I call ?±?????°.
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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