?????‚?? ?±?µ?»?‹???? ?????‚???°????: obviously false, poorly disguised, trumped up
The other day I realized that I’d crossed the line from being a person with old fogey-ish tendencies to being a charter member of the Old Fogey Club. I’ve started saying things like, “Young people these days!” and lamenting that our ???±?‰?µ?µ ?????»???‚???€?????µ ???°???»?µ?????‚???? (common cultural heritage) is being lost. I mean, who knows the ancient Greek myths or the Bible anymore?
My rant was occasioned by the phrase ?????‚?? ???€???°?????‹ (Ariadne’s thread), which several otherwise well-educated young people could vaguely define but not identify beyond a dim recollection of some Greek myth. Argh. Remember Ariadne giving Theseus a ball of string when he went into the Minotaur’s labyrinth? In Russian, the phrase means a key to understanding something complex — something that offers a way out of a dilemma. I’ve come across the phrase in newspaper headlines that promise to deliver readers from the darkness of their ignorance, such as: “?????‚?? ???€???°?????‹ ???· ?»?°?±???€?????‚?° ???‚?°?‚?????‚??????” (“Following Ariadne’s Thread out of the Statistical Labyrinth”).
Actually, ?????‚?? (thread) is definitely a neat word. (Sorry, I just can’t resist those bilingual puns.) For example, when you go on a rant and get so caught up in your righteous indignation that you forget what you and your friend were discussing, you can say: ???€?????‚???‚?µ! ?????‚?µ?€???» ?????‚?? ?€?°?·?????????€?° (Sorry! I lost the thread of our conversation.) Or when you finally haul the last of your ex-boyfriend’s junk out to the trash container, you can sigh melodramatically: ?????€???°?»?° ???????»?µ???????? ?????‚?? (I cut the last tie).
If someone robs you of everything, you might say: ???±?????€?°?»?? ???µ???? ???? ?????‚????! (They robbed me blind; literally, “they stripped me down to the [last] thread”). ?”?? ?????‚???? (to the [last] thread) can also be used when you get drenched by rain: ?? ???€???????? ???? ?????‚???? (I was soaked to the skin).
I’m also fond of the expression ?? ?????€?? ???? ?????‚???µ — ?????»?????? ?€???±?°?…?° (literally, if you take a thread from everyone in the village, a poor man will get a shirt). In English, we’d probably say, “Every little bit adds up.”
Another useful phrase is ???° ?¶???????? ?????‚????, said of something executed quickly and poorly. Here ?¶???????? (living, live) has the sense of something unstable or temporary, and the image is of a garment tacked together in haste. ?? ???°?? ???°???°??-?‚?? ???‚?°?±???»?????????‚?? ???‹???‚?€?????»?°????, ???? ?????° ?…???»?°?? ?? ???µ?????‚?????‡?????°??, ???????‚?°?? ???° ?¶???????? ?????‚???? (We have some kind of stability, but it’s weak and unstable, just basted together).
With Russian thread expressions, color matters. ?????‚?? ?±?µ?»?‹???? ?????‚???°???? (literally, sewn with white thread) refers to the white thread used for basting. The expression is a calque from the French and refers to something that is supposedly hidden, but obvious nonetheless. It is frequently used to describe trumped up legal charges. ???±???????µ?????µ ?±?µ?·???????°?·?°?‚?µ?»???????µ ?? ?????‚?? ?±?µ?»?‹???? ?????‚???°???? (The accusation is without evidence and obviously false).
But the expression ???€???…???????‚?? ???€?°???????? ?????‚???? (to go through something like a red thread) refers to a common thread running through something. ?’ ?????????µ ???€?°???????? ?????‚???? ???€???…???????‚ ?‚?µ???° ?±???????‰?µ???? ? ?????????? (Russia’s future is the leitmotif of the book). Some etymologists think this expression came to Russian via a translation of Goethe. Others cite the red thread woven in British navy ropes to keep them from being stolen. Sill others cite Biblical passages.
I don’t know who is right, but I know it’s not a reference to an album by Cher.
Michele A. Berdy is a Moscow-based translator and interpreter.
… we have a small favor to ask. As you may have heard, The Moscow Times, an independent news source for over 30 years, has been unjustly branded as a "foreign agent" by the Russian government. This blatant attempt to silence our voice is a direct assault on the integrity of journalism and the values we hold dear.
We, the journalists of The Moscow Times, refuse to be silenced. Our commitment to providing accurate and unbiased reporting on Russia remains unshaken. But we need your help to continue our critical mission.
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 you can be confident that you're making a significant impact every month by supporting open, independent journalism. Thank you.
Remind me later.