Lexicon

A Russian Lexicon for ‘Good Medicine’

Please note that, generally speaking, diacritical marks in Russian only appear in dictionaries and children’s books (‘й’ is actually an individual letter), and the letters ‘Е’ and ‘Ё’, while they are individual letters, are usually not distinguished in writing.

You will, if you are a native Russian speaker, notice anomalies in how the characters use Russian and in how they address each other. This is somewhat intentional, as the oldest characters emigrated from Russia around the time of the Russian Revolution, some via Paris, some via Alaska, and some others directly. You’ll see archaic word usage and flat-out ‘wrong’ usages because they have been living in an American context for sixty years, or more.

Also, please note, as with all cursing in any language, context is everything, and there are regional and other variations. Be VERY careful if you try to use these, especially some of the coarser ones. Said at the wrong time to the wrong person, they could put your life in danger!

Words

«аппаратчики» – (apparatchiki) – “low-level bureaucrats”
«бабушка» – (babushka) – [an] older lady (Lit ‘Grandmother’)
«бабушки» – (babushki) – [the] older ladies (Lit. ‘Grandmothers’)
«балалайка» – (balalaika) – A three-stringed musical instrument
«Беспредел» – (bespredel) – “Outrageous!”
«блядь» – (blyad) – “fuck” or “damn” (as an epithet)
«Большое спасибо» – (bolshoye spasibo) – “many thanks”
«вервица» – (vervytsa) – “Prayer rope” (Lit. horsetail)
«Гадкий» – (gadkiy) – despicable
«глупец» – (glupys) – “blockhead”
«глупый» – (glupyy) – “stupid”
«Говно» – (gavno) – “shit”
«говнюк» – (govnyuk) – “shithead”
«Горько» – (Gorko) – “Bitter!”
«Да» – (Da) – “Yes”
«Дедушка» – (dedushka) – “Grandfather” or “Grandpa”
«Дерьмо» – (dermo) – “damn!” (also ‘shit’, but not as emphatic as «Говно»; also ‘BS’)
«Домострой» – (Domostroi) – “A set of household rules, instructions and advice pertaining to various religious, social, domestic, and family matters of the Russian society.” (Lit. ‘Domestic Order’)
«дурня» – (durnya) – “goofball”
«ерунда» – (yerunda) – “nonsense” (as in ‘BS’)
«зайка» – (zajka) – “bunny” or “honey bunny”
«зайчик» – (zajchik) – “bunny” or “honey bunny”
«комиссары» – (komissary) – “Commissars”
«Котёнок» – (katyonak) – “kitten” or “pussy cat”
«котик» – (kotik) – “kitten”
«культурный» – (kulturny) – “couth” or “civilized” (lit. ‘cultured’)
«мир» – (mir) – peace (though meaning the absence of opposition, not the absence of conflict).
«мудак» – (mudak) – “asshole”
«мудаки» – (mudaki) – “assholes”
«набедренникъ» – (nabedrennik) – Nabedrennik – A square or rectangular cloth worn at the right hip, suspended from a strap attached to the two upper corners of the vestment and drawn over the left shoulder
«навоз» – (navoz) – “manure”
«Наполеон» – (Napoleon) – The emperor’s name, as well as a type of cake.
«напуганная кошка» – (napugannaya koshka) – “scaredy cat”
«некультурный» – (nekulturny) – “rude” or “uncouth” (Lit. ‘uncultured’)
«омофоръ» – (omofor) – “omophorion – a band of brocade decorated with four crosses and an eight-pointed star and is worn about the neck and shoulders. Originally made of wool, it symbolizes the lost sheep that is found and carried on the Good Shepherd’s shoulders, it signifies the bishop’s pastoral role as the icon of Christ.”
«палица» – (palitza) – palitza, or epigonation, a stiff diamond shaped cloth that hangs on the right side of the body below the waist, suspended by one corner from a strap drawn over the left shoulder. In the Russian tradition it is an award for service; in the Greek tradition it is usually a sign that the priest has an advanced academic degree and a blessing to hear confessions.
«панихида» – (panikhída) – a memorial service for the departed
«пасочница» – (pasochnitsa) – the mold used to make «пасха»
«пастила» – (Pastila) – small squares of pressed fruit paste; sour apples; honey; egg whites
«пасха» – (paskha) – a Russian confection made during Holy Week to be consumed on Pascha (Easter)
«пельмени» – (Pelmeni) – dumplings w/ beef, lamb, and pork
«пидораси» – (pidarasi) – “faggots”
«пизда» – (pizda) – “pussy”
«Плащаница» – (plashchanitsa) – Epitaphion, which is a cloth icon depicting Christ’s burial in the tomb
«подрясник» – (podryasnik) – the inner cassock worn by Russian clergy, usually simply called a ‘cassock’
«пожалуйста» – (pozhaluysta) – “you’re welcome” or “please”, depending on context
«политбюро» – (politbyuro) – “Politburo” (the de facto governing body of the USSR)
«половой член» – (polovoj chlen) – “male sexual organ” (can be polite or rude)
«придурок» – (pridurok) – “moron”
«Проклятье» – (proklyatye) – “darn” (as in the polite version of ‘damn’)
«свидетелей» – (svideteley) – “witnesses”
«спасибо» – (spasibo) – “thank you”
«стáрец» – (staretz) – “elder”
«старцы» – (startzy) – “elders”
«стукач» – (stukach) – “stool pigeon” or “snitch”
«сука» – (suka) – “bitch” (but could also mean ‘slut’)
«ублюдок» – (ublyudok) – “bastard”
«Удивлены» – (Udivleny) – “Surprised”
«ѹставъ» – (ustav) – book of directives and rubrics that establishes in the Orthodox Christian Church the order of divine services for each day of the year.
«фелонь» – (phelon) – (also: phelonion) – The outer cape like vestment worn by a priest over the sticharion or cassock and epitrachelion during the Divine Liturgy and several other services. It is the Byzantine equivalent to the Western Chasuble.
«херня» – (khernya) – “nonsense”
«Храм Божий» – (Khram Bozhiy) – Temple of God (i.e. a church building)
«церковь» – (tserkov) – church (building)
«Часocлoв» – (Chas Clov) – “Horologion” (Lit. ‘Book of the Hours’)
«шлюха» – (shlyukha) – “harlot” (as in a loose woman, not necessarily a prostitute)
«щи» – (Shchi) – cabbage soup
«яйца» – (yaytsa) – “balls” (as in testicles; Lit. eggs)

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