Fun animal-based idioms in Russian to send you on a wild goose chase
Until the cows come home
Dear hopeful reader,
As a poet, speaking figuratively is something I love doing, when the opportunity calls for it. Learning new figures of speech from my heritage and other cultures is something I also delight in. Likewise, I adore our animal kingdom that teaches us a lot about life.
The Russian language, my mother tongue, is full of fun animal-base idioms. A lot of them are hilarious and illuminating. Today I share a few colorful ones. I would love to learn idioms from your culture as well, so please teach me some in the comments section!
1: Я тебе покажу, где раки* зимуют.
Literal translation:
I will show you where crayfish spend the winter.
Equivalent in English:
I will have your guts for garters.
Definition:
In times of yore, Russian pomeshchiki, landed gentry considered nobilities due to their wealth, used to send serfs to hunt for crayfish during cold months, when the freshwater crustaceans were the most delectable, as punishment. The peasants had to pull the crayfish out of their water holes in frozen rivers or lakes, making the process long, arduous, and freezing.
When someone tells you they’re going to show you where crayfish spend the winter, you better run far away fast. They’re definitely not threatening you with a reward, but harsh punishment!
2: И ежу понятно.
Literal translation:
Even a hedgehog understands.
Equivalent in English:
Clear as the sky is blue.
Definition:
As critters, hedgehogs aren’t particularly intelligent. But they sure are cute and spiky! When someone responds to you with an “Even a hedgehog understands.” they know what you mean as it’s so simple to anyone—even a hedgehog. Or as Holmes would endearingly say, “Elementary, my dear Watson.”
3: Делать из мухи слона.
Literal translation:
Make an elephant out of a fly.
Equivalent in English:
Make a mountain out of a molehill.
Definition:
This expression originated from ancient Greece around 125 A.D. They say the fly in the idiom may have been a mosquito, supposedly a much smaller insect. (I’m sorry, but I’ve seen humongous mosquitoes, or my fear enlarged them.) The phrase then caught on in other languages, such as Russian, in different variations. Essentially, it means to make a big fuss over nothing.
4: Заморить червячка.
Literal translation:
Kill the worm.
Equivalent in English:
Refresh one’s inner man.
Definition:
In medieval times, when information on biology was sparse as much as food availability, Russian laborers thought hunger didn’t come from their bodies but was caused from parasites—worms—inside them. To stop the hunger, they must feed the worm. Or rather underfeed it because of the lack of aliment then.
To kill the worm means to eat something small, like a snack, light enough for the hunger singal to stop, if only for a little while. Interestingly, there is also the French idiom “tuer le ver.” It arose in the beginning of 19th century, and it meant to have alcohol after waking up. I don’t recommend!
Then, the French would give their children a glass of alcohol before they would go to school because they deemed it had anthelmintic properties. Yikes! Today it means to qualify someone as behaving inappropriately or excessively, e.g.: drinking alcohol to an excess.
5: Любовь зла, полюбишь и козла.
Literal translation:
Love is evil, you could fall in love with a goat.
Equivalent in English:
Love is blind.
Definition:
The intensity of the expression is quite palpable, and it rhymes, so it’s extra extra serious! If you’re unlucky, you could fall in love with an asshole, another word for козел (goat) in Russian. Simply, we don’t choose whom we love, the heart wants whom it wants, and it may be a goat or an ass—figuratively speaking, okay!
6: Без труда не вытащишь и рыбку из пруда.
Literal translation:
Without effort, you would not even pull a fish out of a pond.
Equivalent in English:
No pain, no gain.
Definition:
Plainly, it means that you have to put in the work if you want to achieve something.
7: Конь не валялся.
Literal translation:
The horse did not roll around.
Equivalent in English:
On the back burner.
Definition:
Back in the hayday, Russian peasants let horses wallow on grass to stretch their muscles before being saddled or clamped. That was done so they wouldn’t be as tired for the day’s work ahead.
The delay of starting work led to the expression being used. Even today it’s a popular figure of speech. My own belated granny said it a lot. If your metaphorical horse didn’t roll around, what you should have done by now you haven’t even started yet. Relatable, am I right?
8: Кот наплакал.
Literal translation:
The cat cried.
Equivalent in English:
A drop in the bucket.
Definition:
Our feline friends don’t shed tears when they cry emotionally. But they do tear up from their tear ducts if there’s a health issue, but not much. So when someone says “the cat cried,” it refers to an amount of something, which is very little, almost nonexistent.
9: Вернемся к нашим баранам.
Literal translation:
Let us return to our sheep.
Equivalent in English:
Get down to business.
Definition:
The French language and culture had immense influence in Russia, particularly during the later tsarist regime. Some expressions like “Let us return to our sheep.” carried over to the Russian language.
In French, the idiom was “Revenons à nos moutons.” It stemmed from the 15th century play “La Farce de Maître Pathelin.” In the play, the titular protagonist, a defendant, brings two cases in a court hearing, one about a sheep, the other about sheets. Maître Pathelin keeps steering the conversation towards the sheets, when the real issue are the sheep! The confusing hearing becomes farcical when Pathelin’s client keeps bleating constantly. To get back on track, the judge would often say, “Mais revenons à nos moutons.”—“But let us return to our sheep.”
Hence, if you’re talking to someone and you’re off-track from the main topic, stating “Let us return to our sheep.” seems appropriate. Just don’t bleat.
10: Слово не воробей, вылетит—не поймаешь.
Literal translation:
The word is not a sparrow; it will fly out—you will not catch it.
Equivalent in English:
A word spoken is past recalling.
Definition:
This proverb teaches one to think before they speak. If one speaks in anger or foolishly, they can hurt someone with their words. What was said unwisely can never be unsaid but will forever be remembered. Just as a sparrow, or any bird, cannot be caged after being freed. Such a poetic, sage idiom!
11: От волка бежал, да на медведя попал.
Literal translation:
I ran from the wolf but ran into a bear.
Equivalent in English:
Out of the frying pan and into the fire.
Definition:
This expression refers to anyone evading a bad situation ending up in a much worse circumstance. Personally, the learning lesson may be to face a difficulty head on to avoid being inundated with more unpleasant problems.
12: Говорят, что кур доят.
Literal translation:
They say chickens are milked.
Equivalent in English:
“They say so,” is half a lie.
Definition:
Clearly, chickens can’t be milked. (Can they?!) So when someone claims, “They say…” take it with a grain of salt. Unfounded statements are just rumors, half-truths, and opinions without evidence. You can tell them, “They say chickens are milked.” and it will be the wittiest comeback ever!
Bonus: Когда рак* на горе свистнет.
Literal translation:
When the crayfish on the mountain whistles.
Equivalent in English:
When pigs fly.
Definition:
I know this is the second idiom featuring the crayfish, but I just love the poetry in this one! When will the crayfish whistle on the mountain? Well, never. It’s not cray cray! If someone asks you something like “When do you think the Moon will fall to Earth?” and you know it will never happen (I hope), you can answer them with “When the crayfish on the mountain whistles.”
Exercise: create your own animal idiom
Having read the idioms above, do you feel inspired to create your own in your mother tongue? Or in English—whatever feels natural to you! Here’s mine in Russian: “Курица ест, крокодил ждет.” It’s literally translated as “The chicken eats, the crocodile waits.” What does that even mean?
Well, in order for the crocodile to have the most delicious meal, it patiently waits for the chicken to eat all the fruits, vegetables, and grains until it can no longer. Then the crocodile strikes when the chicken is too slow to move. It gets to eat not only the chicken, but the feed full of high nutritional value. In other words, patience and perfect timing lead to plentifulness!
Now share yours with me!
*In some interpretations, the crayfish is translated as lobster, crawfish, even cancer. I decided to stick with crayfish.
PS: giveaway contest poll
In the near future, I plan to host a giveaway contest, which is going to be super fun, I promise! For the first giveaway, I’ll be gifting a phenomenal poetry book. I provided preliminary information in the linked post. In case you wish to participate, please read the post and partake in the poll and/or leave a comment. I’ll provide more details in the giveaway contest post itself real soon. Thank you!
Yours hopefully,
Nadia
Enjoyed
Fascinating, thank you for these! #1 and #12 are my favourite. I quite want to insert "They say chickens are milked" into conversation now.