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Idiomatic Expressions
Common Russian idioms for natural speech.
Бить баклуши
To twiddle one's thumbs
Bit baklushi
Lit: to beat baklushi (do nothing)
Водить за нос
To lead someone by the nose
Vodit za nos
To deceive someone
Когда рак на горе свистнет
When pigs fly
Kogda rak na gore svistnet
Lit: when the crayfish whistles on the mountain
Делать из мухи слона
To make a mountain out of a molehill
Delat iz mukhi slona
Lit: to make an elephant out of a fly
Зарубить на носу
To make a mental note
Zarubit na nosu
Lit: to notch it on your nose
Как две капли воды
As alike as two peas in a pod
Kak dve kapli vody
Lit: like two drops of water
Сесть в лужу
To make a fool of oneself
Sest v luzhu
Lit: to sit down in a puddle
Душа в пятки ушла
To be scared stiff
Dusha v pyatki ushla
Lit: the soul went into the heels
Не в своей тарелке
To feel out of place
Ne v svoyey tarelke
Lit: not in one's own plate
Кот наплакал
Very little
Kot naplakal
Lit: the cat cried (a tiny amount)
Тянуть кота за хвост
To drag things out
Tyanut kota za khvost
Lit: to pull the cat by the tail
Держать язык за зубами
To hold one's tongue
Derzhat yazyk za zubami
Lit: to keep the tongue behind the teeth
