???????????‚?‹???°?‚??: to boo, shout catcalls
The political buzz this week in Moscow was: Did they or didn’t they? Boo Vladimir Putin at the boxing match, that is.
But I was buzzing about the verb used to describe the audience reaction: ???????????‚?°?‚??, which comes from the root word ?????????‚ (whistle). So did they whistle or boo?
It turns out that whistling in Russian is a tricky business.
Let’s start with the basics. The imperfective verb ?????????‚?µ?‚?? (to whistle) can refer to any whistling sound, produced either by nature, machine or man. ?—?° ?????????? ?????????‚ ???µ?€?µ??????, ?????????‚???‚ ???µ?‚?µ?€. (Outside the tree branches are rustling and the wind is whistling.) ?’ ?‚?‘???????? ?…?°?‚?µ, ?????µ ?????µ?¶?? ?? ?‚???????? ???°?…?»?? ???µ??????, ???? ?????????‚?µ?» ?‡?????‚?? ?? ?????»??????. (In the dark hut, scented lightly with fresh hay, his whistling was pure and strong.)
In slang, ?????????‚?µ?‚?? means to lie or fib. ???µ ?????????‚?? ?????µ! ???‹ ???µ ???????µ?» ???° ?€?°?±???‚?µ ?????????·?????°! (Don’t fib to me! You didn’t stay late at work!)
?????????‚?????‚??, the perfective verb in the pair, can refer to a single whistle: ???? ?????????‚?????» ???????µ???? ?‚?µ?€???µ?€?? (He gave a short whistle to his terrier.) In slang, it can mean to call (out) to someone: ?›?µ???°, ?µ???»?? ?‚?µ?±?? ???‚???????‚???‚ ?? ?€?°?±???‚?‹ — ???€?°?·?? ?????????‚???? ?????µ ???° ?????±???»?????‹??. (Lena, call me right away on my cell if they let you off work.)
?????????‚?????‚?? in slang can also mean to strike someone or something — perhaps like the sound of a fist whistling through the air: ???? ?????????‚?????» ???µ???? ???? ???…??. (He cuffed me on the ear.) It can also be a slangy way of describing a theft — perhaps like the sound of your property being whisked off: ?? ???µ???? ?????????‚?????»?? ?‡?°???‹. (Somebody snatched my watch.)
And what about the curious case of the whistling crab? The expression ?????????° ?€?°?? ???° ?????€?µ ?????????‚???µ?‚ (literally “when a crab whistles on a mountain”) is the Russian version of “when pigs fly” — something that won’t ever happen.
The tricky bit is that ?????????‚?µ?‚?? and ?????????‚?????‚?? can be used to describe any loud noise produced by people, either jeering (usually) or cheering (less commonly). This sound is not really a whistle. It can be hooting, shouting, roaring, or otherwise making a racket. When the buzz is positive, ?????????‚?µ?‚?? is usually modified: ?—?°?» ?????????‚?µ?» ???‚ ???????‚???€???° (The audience roared with delight.) When it’s negative, the verb usually stands alone: ?????? ?????????‚?µ?»?? ???° ?????‚?????°. (They booed Putin.)
The related verb pair ???????????‚?‹???°?‚??/???????????‚?°?‚?? is not ambiguous. It is used for booing or hissing someone off the stage. One newspaper wrote: ???€?µ?????µ?€-???????????‚?€ ?’?»?°?????????€ ?????‚???? ?????µ?€???‹?µ ?·?° ???????? ?????»???‚???‡?µ???????? ???°?€???µ?€?? ?±?‹?» ???????????‚?°?? ???° ?????±?»?????µ. (For the first time in his political career, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin was booed in public.) This is nothing new for politicians and an old tradition in Russia: ?’ ?”?????µ ?????µ ?±???»?????µ???????? ???????????‚?‹???°?»?? ???µ???????????‹?… ???? ???€?°?‚???€????. (In the Duma, all the Bolsheviks booed the speakers they didn’t like.)
So was Putin booed? It sure sounded like it to me. But so what? All politicians get booed. It wouldn’t have been such a big deal if the TV stations hadn’t cut the sound, and if the spin doctors hadn’t come up with ludicrous explanations, like the story about beer-guzzling fans anxious to use the bathrooms.
When will politicians learn that it’s the cover-up that gets them in trouble? ?????????° ?€?°?? ???° ?????€?µ ?????????‚???µ?‚?
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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