On March 17, 2020, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the Law “On amendments to certain legislative acts of Ukraine aimed at preventing the occurrence and spread of coronavirus disease COVID-19.” The adopted changes simplify the procedure for purchasing goods, works and services related to measures to combat coronavirus. Changes in legislation will allow the purchase of 10 thousand exp...
Howmake is a Ukrainian platform that helps people from all over Ukraine learn how to do everything. Each visitor can become an author and teach others how to do something. Howmake mainly consists of writers and editors from different parts of Ukraine. Some Work on Howmake because it's fun, others just want to help people. Everyone has their own Reasons for participating in Our Union. Helping others is our main task. Imagine a world in...
The mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, signed an order to close traffic in the area of the Konny railway crossing. Today, March 20, the city mayor’s order No. 220 dated March 16, 2020 was published on the website of the Odessa City Council. The document states that from 9:00 on March 24 to 18:00 on March 25 in the Suvorovsky district, traffic will be closed within the “Konny” crossing on 7th Peresypskaya Street. Movement closed...
The Ministry of Health of Ukraine and Uber have agreed on free transportation of doctors during quarantine. These agreements will be valid in all cities where the Uber taxi service operates. According to the press service of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, Uber will transport medical workers involved in the prevention and elimination of coronavirus infection in Ukraine free of charge to hospitals. This agreement...
Earlier, the prosecutor's office announced information that they were under control of a criminal investigation into possible misappropriation and embezzlement of budget funds by officials of the Odessa Regional State Administration. To date, suspects have appeared in this case. Let us recall that in January of this year, in the premises of one of the administration departments, SBU officers in the Odessa region...
Coastal marine areas around the world are considered the main attraction of the city and fall under the protection of the authorities in the first place. In developed countries, shore strengthening is carried out at the expense of the city budget; tens of millions of dollars were allocated for such projects in 2020 alone. This is done on the coasts of Turkey, Cyprus, Croatia, Portugal and the USA. However, in coastal cities of Ukraine, such as Odessa, there is usually not enough money to protect coastal zones. That's why...
On March 19, Odessa Mayor Gennady Trukhanov met with representatives of various religious organizations that operate in Odessa. They discussed the coordination of actions in the context of the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus in the world. The meeting participants noted that religion is a stabilizing factor: if a person comes to church, he needs the help of a clergyman. At this time, it is important to do everything possible to...
In Odessa, five armed men wanted to rob a bank, but were detained right before the attack. Two of them were involved in a bloody attempt on collectors, which occurred two years ago. During the chase along Grushevsky Street, law enforcement officers had to use firearms, and at home the robbers found identification cards of FSB officers of the Russian Federation. Criminal investigation officers together with the KORD unit detained the group...
According to the Ministry of Health, the first case of recovery from coronavirus in Ukraine is known. A patient from Chernivtsi infected with coronavirus has recovered. A repeated laboratory test for coronavirus showed a negative result, meaning no infection was detected. Today the patient is discharged from the hospital and can return home. According to WHO standards, a person is considered healthy and safe to...
ANTON in thieves' jargon a long time ago it meant "janitor". In the Odessa language it has a completely different, lower-class meaning. Among the Odessa residents at one time there were people with the names Khuna and Srul, but not Anton. Among my many acquaintances in our city there is only one Anton by passport. When we meet, this seventy-year-old man introduces himself as Tosik.A little boy approaches a very fat man on the street. - Uncle, your pants are unbuttoned. You can already see Anton! - Say hi to him, kid. I haven't seen him for six years.
BABKI (BASHMALA, CABBAGE, LAVE)- money.
The plans of the party are the people's grandmothers!
Back then doctors knew how to treat in the same way as today they can only take lave.
BANDERSHA- the owner of a brothel.
The client turns to the bander: - Madam, I would like to use the services of your establishment in an unusual way. - We just have a girl for this part. Rosette! Accept the client. A minute later, from behind the door of Rosa’s room, her heart-rending scream is heard: “A-ah-ah... Not this!” - and the frightened girl flies out of the room. - Rose, is there really anything impossible for you? - the bander asks in surprise. - Madam, he wanted to... Oh, it’s scary to repeat this... - Be brave, Rosochka, be brave! - He wanted... on... on credit!
BINDYUSHNIK a man who was once engaged in cargo transportation on a huge steam-horse cart called a “bindyug.” Currently, B. is synonymous with a rude, uneducated person.
Fedya Trapochka was the last of the binders in Odessa. After the war, he worked part-time and with him this profession died forever.
I beg you, what kind of professor is this? The binder is even better at swearing.
BO- because; otherwise.
Yanka! How many times have I told you: don’t eat shit in the yard, because I won’t give you dinner. Is this your dog or a chocolate factory?
MORE WHOLE- so many.
-Where are you whipping so much? There will be nothing left for the guests. Put down the bottle! - There’s even more left intact. And in general, do they come here to congratulate me or drink?
VALUTCHIK- reseller of currency.
Instead of becoming, like the other boys, a speculator, a bottle collector, a grocery store director, or some other respected person, like a second-hand salesman or even a currency dealer, this disgrace of our yard went to a factory, where he is now striving to receive last year’s salary.
In those years, becoming a foreign exchange trader was as dangerous to health as drinking tap water today.
VASYA- a name that is not in any demand among parents of Odessa babies for several reasons. The first, but far from the main one, is the catchphrase from grandfather Krylov’s fable “And Vaska listens and eats.” The second is based on the now outdated (in connection with a significant change in the ethnic group of the city) oath: May my name be Vasya! There is no need to even remember the tons of jokes about the exploits of the illiterate and limited Vasily Ivanovich, as well as the expression “naked Vasya” (see NAKED VASYA). In addition, the cargo ship “Petr Vasev” was called Petin Vasya even before its collision with the “Admiral Nakhimov”, which resulted in the largest tragedy in the history of navigation on the Black Sea. Despite the fact that the tragedy claimed over four hundred human lives, Odessa remained true to itself, immediately spreading a joke around the country: In connection with the entry of the cargo ship Petin Vasya into the Mediterranean Sea, the Seventh American Fleet hastily left these waters.
Abram brought the cat home. - Sarah! Look what a beautiful cat, he will live with us. - What should we call him? - Moishey. - You, mishigene, is it possible to call an animal by a human name? - OK. Let there be Vasya.
TAKE UNDER PROTECTION An ancient Odessa term that is translated into modern Russian as providing a roof. It can also mean basic extortion.
Monsieur Pavlovsky, terrible doubts are swirling among my brain convolutions. Are there really idiots in Odessa who are tired of living with their heads on their throats in order to do things in your gamazine, when everyone knows who took you under protection?
VUYKO S POLONINY The term was coined by E. Simonenko. Odessa is a synonym for such common expressions as Zapadenets, that is, a resident of Western Ukraine, or even a Banderaite. V.S.P. is the character of many old jokes, and to this day they often strike not the eyebrow, but to the point. The long-standing philosophical views of V.S. P. are reflected in some modern Western Ukrainian publications. Such as “Nationalist”, “Naskorana nation”, etc.
Vuiko descended from the meadow to the city. He returned to the village with the black boy. - Vuiko, what kind of guy is this? - I adopted him. - So he’s a black man. - But there is a guarantee that he is not a Jew or a Muscovite.
Vuiko from the meadow waters the flower garden with oil. - Vuiko, what are you doing, the flowers will disappear. “I do what I want, my flowers,” Vuyko answers, and he himself thinks: “The flowers may disappear, but the machine will not rust.”
In Lviv, nationalists are discussing the project of a monument to Petliura. They had already decided that he should be ten meters long, with a saber in his left hand and a noose in his right. But here opinions are divided. Some say that a Jew should hang in the noose, while others want a Muscovite to take his place. Vuiko from the meadow says: - Guys, why are you arguing? Let a Jew hang for one day, and a Muscovite for one day.
WHERE Where.
Where are you going?
GOLD STAR a world-famous corporation in whose fate Odessa played a fatal role. - What did you conjure up for the Kristall company two days before the ruin? Could it be advisable to make a deal with these businessmen from Gold Star? They deliberately attached the name to a well-known company and are fooling the fraters. Are you cutting off friars, not our clients, Madam White Witch? It was necessary to warn Kristall: this distributor is not so much Golden Star as old Goldman with his habits. - What is it? - the white witch raised her voice. - Golden Star was also my client. And he asked for some vital energy to conclude a deal with Crystal. - By the way, “Crystal” paid us grandmas. “Yes,” the white witch answered calmly. - But Golden Star paid more. And then “Crystal” is just as much a swindler as Goldman. There can be no complaints against us. It all came down to timing: which of them would fool the other first. As it should be in business. Is it our fault that Golden Star is a more powerful corporation than Kristall?? ■ For reference. A year after the events described, the non-Odessa company “Gold Star” was forced to change its name and is now called “LG”.
GOP STOP robbery in the street. Not a single self-respecting criminal before 1917 humiliated himself to undress people. Only gopniks once did this, hence the name. Nowadays, this type of robbery, as a rule, is also carried out not by people who deliberately became “under the law”, but by young lovers of easy money, who do not at all dream of turning into professionals, judging by their further sincere confessions, caused by deep remorse in the investigators’ offices.
Three people stop a lone passerby late at night. - Life or wallet? - Give me your wallet, to hell with your lives. For reference. After this dialogue, which took place on one of the Odessa streets, the once catchphrase “Life or wallet” disappeared forever from the vocabulary of robbers
GOD GRANT...AND DON’T DENY YOURSELF ANYTHING!
The most polite form of one of the many Odessa good wishes. May God grant our Prime Minister to live on my pension and not deny himself anything.
MAKE MONEY- an innate skill of most Odessa residents, absorbed with the milk of Odessa-mother.
This thickhead didn't know how to do anything, not even money. No, can you imagine this? If his dad knew what kind of shit it would be, he would cum on the wall, and his mother would still run for an abortion just in case.
TO THE FUCK BROWN EYES An expression of absolute indifference. Corresponds to the phrase “Neither warm nor cold” in Russian.
- I don’t care, who will remove the trash from the premises? - Shura asked curiously. - And I have brown eyes until my ass! I came to work here as a clerk, not as a sweeper.
"WILL I LIVE UNTIL THE MORNING?" name of a group of homemade food products. Advertised by the sellers themselves, in accordance with the consumer protection law.
Pies, meat pies! Pies “Will I Live Until Morning?”
BE FRIENDLY WITH HOMES (FAMILY) Such a seemingly harmless phrase is actually one of the most powerful curses not only addressed to the interlocutor, but also to all his relatives and friends. D. D. is just part of a sentence: - Let's be friends at home. You will come to us for name days, and we will come to your funeral.
INSANE a person whose soul hurts for his work; experiencing anxiety, suffering, worries about the fate of all progressive humanity.
My heart bleeds and my soul ache so much for our brothers from Mozambique that I have no time to go to the doctor.
ZAMKOMPOMORDE Now an obsolete term. This is how the position of deputy commander for maritime affairs was once officially called in the USSR. Z. is just one term from the Newspeak of the twenties of the last century, which aroused great admiration among all Odessa linguists.
“Let's see how you will command after the deputy commander,” is the most harmless of all paraphrases using the expression Z.
BORROW The direct opposite of the interpretation of this word in Russian. Borrow something from someone, but mostly money.
- Rabinovich, borrow a hundred rubles. - Fine. And from whom?
HELLO! the weakest degree of disturbance.
On Privoz. - Young man, why was it necessary to slaughter such a small rabbit, there is almost no meat in it. - Did I hit him? Hello! He himself died.
GOLD (GOLD) The term is derived from the now obsolete expressions “golden company”, “golden miners”, which were often used in a figurative sense already at the beginning of the twentieth century. They, in turn, originated from the word “golden man” - a sewer man. So, if in Odessa they start calling you a “golden man”, “a master of golden hands”, or they give a compliment to your offspring, like: “Gold, not a child”, don’t be too happy.
Go to your mother, my darling, because you’ve already taken the illness.
No, my mother-in-law is not gold for me, but real gold. Just like a cousin... And the safest way to store gold is deep underground.
ZUSMAN cold; a surname that was once common in Odessa.
It's five degrees outside as said by Zusman.
AND a connecting conjunction, which in the Odessa language is often placed at the beginning of a sentence.
And when will you stop peeing in the water?
And in order to go crazy, you could come up with something cheaper than getting married.
And these are my children?! Then what are fascists?
GO THROW YOUR HEAD INTO THE DURING!
One of the most powerful insults. Translated into Russian it means: “It’s time for you to return to where you come from, because people like you have nothing to do in this city.” In recent decades, the phrase has become outdated, as life itself has convincingly proven: long ago, Odessa residents themselves had nothing to do in their hometown. –
Are you talking about sirniki matches, you thieves? And to splurge for life with all its hospital consequences? Go throw your head into the manure before I pull my hands out of my pockets!
FUCK YOU Hello (mockingly).
Shred you through the window. Where do you dry your clothes? On the rope, near the oven, so that the thieves don’t smear?
HAVE the most common term in the Odessa language. In colloquial speech it should be used very carefully, since the word I. often serves as a synonym for the overly specific concept of “live.” If you say: “I have a woman from Kaluga itself!”, then everything is clear with your sexual-geographical orientation, but by saying the phrase: “I have a dog,” you can put yourself in an awkward position, unless of course you are a bestiality.
■ Young man! Why are you bothering me with these kopecks? Have shame! I'm not asking for bread, but for vodka..
KEEP IN MIND don't bet on anything.
I had you in mind and close-up!
HOW TO DRINK GIVE certainly. The expression was filled with new meaning in 1941, when the defenders of the besieged city, experiencing a shortage of drinking water, divided it into sips.
Sure enough, he'll be late.
CANTOR In the Catholic Church - a choirmaster, in the Protestant Church - a teacher; choir conductor; organist, in the synagogue - the main singer. Since in Odessa there were not only Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and other churches, but also mosques, kenas, synagogues and other charitable institutions, in order to eliminate misunderstandings of the term K., citizens and atheists belonging to different religious denominations began to call the cantor the scales.
My Rosochka had such a good cantor. Until she stood on him.
- Zyama, you look like something straight out of an office. Why did you eat such a face? It's hard to get through doors with her. - I'm blowing on you. I'm on a diet now. Every day I go to the doctor, I sit down with the cantor and he says that everything is going well. - So why are you so upset? - Because of the diet. I almost died of hunger. Then I gave the doctor a couple of kopecks and he allowed me to eat as much as I wanted.
KARLA MARKS The creator of the Ghost of Communism, which wandered slightly throughout Europe and quickly moved to Russia for permanent residence. K.M. highly valued Odessa; he wrote that without St. Petersburg and Odessa, Russia would turn into a giant with its legs cut off. Odessa responded to K.M. in return.
- Dad, who is Karla Marx? - Economist. - How is Aunt Tsilya? - Mishigene, Aunt Tsilya, senior economist!
I SWEAR a word used in only one single phrase.
I swear on the health of my neighbors' children!
BY THE WAY, ABOUT BIRDS By the way, about anything except birds.
By the way, about the birds. When we lived in the Soviet Union, Eisenstein’s film “Battleship Potemkin” was one of the ten best films of world cinema. And now the place of “Battleship” in it is taken by “Earth” by Dovzhenko. By the way, about the birds. Do you have any idea what will happen tomorrow regarding the main masterpieces of cinema?
BUY YOURSELF A ROOSTER! don't fool me! Part of the popular Odessa phrase “Buy yourself a rooster and twist his balls.”
A visitor asks an Odessa resident: - Tell me how to get to Sadovaya Street? - So, go a block forward, there is a bookstall, Tanya with a fat ass is working on it, I fucked her last year. You turn right, walk two blocks, you will see Rozochka, who sells pasties, I fucked her too, and you go further and take any tram. When you get to Privoz, you’ll buy yourself a rooster there. - Why do I need a rooster? - So you will fuck his brains and twist his balls, not me. We are standing on Sadovaya Street. This is of course a joke. Because on the houses of Sadovaya Street there are signs with its names. Like on other streets, but only in the very center of the city. As soon as you move a little away from Deribasovskaya, you will find yourself on streets where old signs were removed from houses in the last century, but new ones have not yet been hung. It is clear to Kose that someone wanted to rise up in the production of new, beautiful, metal signs (see RISE), but for some political-economic reasons they could not. For which ones, either guess for yourself, or buy yourself a rooster.
A is the first letter of the alphabet, which in Odessa often becomes the last.
Bora, come out of the pestilence! (meaning, from the sea)
In addition, the letter “A” often begins phrases with a negative connotation.
Ah, the weather! (bad)
IS IT NOT HOHO? - "You do not want anything else?"
AND THAT IS the most convincing argument in the dispute.
ADIYOT - idiot, short form - ADYA.
And ITSIN TRACTOR - I imagined.
ANTON (aka APPARATUS) is the male reproductive organ.
ARTEL "WASTE WORK" - work performed by the Sisyphus team.
BANANA (same as Anton, see)
BANANA FOR YOU - a delicate form of the expression “Banana in your mouth”
PREGNANT HEAD - swollen from unnecessary conversations.
FOLLOW ME as an example - instruction.
BLADKI - not what you thought, but 1) a dance evening; 2) date.
YOU WASN'T STANDING HERE - a polite warning about a possible conflict.
VIEW TO THE SEA AND BACK - depends on the intonation: either bad or good.
VITAMIN DE - money
VITAMIN CE - products: salce, beer, vince, myasce, etc.
TAKE YOUR EYES IN YOUR HANDS - look more carefully.
GIVE IT TO EVERYONE - THE BED WILL BROKE - a saying like “not enough for yourself.”
TEARED YEARS are troubles.
GAVRIK - subordinate.
GAS HURRICANE - severe intoxication.
GELEMTER-MOLODETS is an incompetent whose hands grow from the wrong place.
GESHEFT - deal, business. GESHEFTMAKHER is a businessman.
NAKED VASSER (VASYA) - useless.
GEC is a hot-tempered person.
YES - with Odessa intonation, probably not.
TWO ASSHOLES IN THREE ROWS - a pair of idiots whose idiocy cannot be matched.
TWO RUBLES? YOU WANT IT WELL! - dispute at the market.
TO MAKE SOMEONE FUN is to cause trouble.
DOLPHIN - a corpse found in the sea.
UNTIL THE FUCKING BROWN EYES - complete indifference.
JEWISH HAPPINESS is the opposite of happiness.
HEDGEHOG, SAME F - same.
GOING is the traditional readiness of Odessa residents.
FOR YOUR COFFIN FROM A HUNDRED YEAR OLD OAK THAT WE WILL PLANT TOMORROW - for your health.
ZAY A MENSH - “be a man” (Spanish - “be kind”, “I ask you”)
SHUT YOUR MOUTH - stop talking.
BORROW - borrow.
IZ - “from”, but can be “with”.
OR - otherwise!
HAD TO HAVE - a delicate form of mat.
YOKALAMENE - among cultured people it is used when you want to say specific words, but have to be content with only individual letters.
KABYZDOKH is a popular pet name.
EVERYONE - anyone.
HOW DO YOU LIKE IT - what do you say to that?
JUST THAT CASE - you will wait a long time.
HOW BEAUTIFUL YOU ARE IN YOUR FACE - a compliment.
SAUSAGE CUTTINGS - a reproach of professional unsuitability.
RUNNING AROUND - in the end.
TWISTING BUTTONS - being self-willed.
BUY YOURSELF A ROOSTER AND GIVE HIM EGGS - leave me alone!
LEMON FACE - sour face.
CATCH WOOF - yawn.
PEOPLE! - a cry from the heart, intended for everyone.
MOM BENIN is a hospitable woman, capable of receiving and warming everyone who is sent to her.
DEAD BJOLI DO NOT HONK - equiv. “heavy alcohol intoxication of the 3rd degree”
MY ENEMIES HAVE SUCH LIFE WITH THAT MELIHA - life is “good” in our state.
YOUNG MAN - an appeal to a man aged 18 to 70 years.
ON MEDICATIONS is a threat.
FOR A MINUTE - “wow!”
OUR MAN is a Jew.
DON'T THROW YOUR EYEBROWS ON YOUR FOREHEAD! - do not be surprised.
I DON'T SEE TICKETS! - pay for travel.
DON'T PISE IN THE COMPOTE - THE TOMATOES WILL SOUR - don't dig a hole for someone else, you'll fail yourself.
WELL! - “And you’re still telling me about this?”
ABOUT! - one of the most Odessa words, can include almost any feeling and experience.
WHAT WE SEE ABOUT is the result of life observations.
OYC is a tragedy in life.
NOW HALF OF MANI IS LEFT, AND WHAT SIDES SHE HAD! - discussion of appearance.
OTSYM-POTSYM (OTsN-POTSN) - inopportunely, suddenly. An expression indicating extreme irritation.
OTSYM-POTSYM, TWENTY-EIGHT - the next, stronger degree of otsim-potsym.
STOP SAYING - and don't speak; don't talk nonsense.
THE FLOOR STANDS ON END UNDER HIM - he can barely stand on his feet.
LOOK AT DUKE FROM THE HATCH - go to..
LOST (AYA) - a rude curse word.
WORKING ON THE TOILET is a job whose earnings are only enough for food.
SPREADING PORridge - talking a lot in vain.
CRAPEASTS - shrimp.
ROGOMET - comes from a village.
SAM - one.
FREE EARS - grateful listener.
SIT AND RIDE - approximately, “relax, and don’t bother serious people with their work!”
TITS AND PUSSIES - Meat pies or pasties, for the production of which minced meat was used from beef selected for these purposes.
DRAIN THE WATER! - stop unnecessary conversation.
SPECIALIST - portach.
A QUESTION IS ASKED - a question arises.
AMONG HERE - in this place. Opposite - IN THE MIDDLE OF THERE.
SO ON SO - for no reason.
TAKI is an intensifying particle.
GOODS TO THE HOMELAND - return the items.
To vomit on your nerves - to reprimand.
THIRD TOAST - traditional. "for those who are at sea."
GET KILLED WITH A BROOM! - pleasant surprise.
ALREADY OR ELSE - a traditional question at the bazaar, it means: you have already reduced the price, it is taken into account that the day is ending, or the product costs the same as in the morning.
WASTE WITH MONEY - waste it.
A POUND OF RAISINS is a unique measure of measurement.
HA - you will tell me.
COLD PHOTOGRAPHER - shooting on the street.
WELL LITERATE - smart, businesslike.
WANTING WELL - wanting too much.
CENTRAL LAUNDRY - you can send any complaint there, bypassing the authorities, the result is the same.
CIRCUS is funny on the one hand, and sad on the other.
THROUGH WHY - because of what?
WHAT WILL I HAVE FROM THIS? - the main question of philosophy.
Just so YOU KNOW, cut it on your nose.
SO THAT YOU DIE - a universal Odessa wish.
SO YES, SO NO - not entirely true.
SO THAT I SEE THIS THROUGH MY EYES - an oath.
SHA! - quiet!
CATCH SHAMILA - drink up to the squirrel.
SHANETS is a chance, but a small one.
WHAT IS THIS? - What’s all the noise, but there’s no fight?
NECK WASHED - readiness No. 1.
GRIND YOUR EARS - lie.
WHAT I KNEW SO I DON'T KNOW - I don't have the slightest idea.
RIGHT NOW! - “ran away!”
Y is a letter that many Odessa residents cannot pronounce.
EXPRESSIONISM - the Odessa-Moscow express train, on which the “Zionists” traveled to the capital of Russia to fly from there to Israel.
IT'S YOU IN Kyiv GROYSE HUCHEM, AND IN ODESSA - BARELY POTTS - you're a big man in Kyiv, and in Odessa.
I BEG YOU - 1) don’t worry; 2) there would be something to talk about (ironic)
I FOUND YOU OUT - I found out everything about you
I KNOW? - I find it difficult to answer.
In recent years, many different texts have been published that in one way or another relate to the biography of Odessa slang. Assessing their quality is not the reason for these notes - my time is valuable to me. I just want to draw the reader’s attention to the obvious fact that language is a pulsating, pliable, moving thing. This fully applies to slang as a component of it, again, without a qualitative assessment. Slang has always lived actively, has not complained about its health and will continue to thrive, whether we like it or not.
Another thing is that not only its vocabulary is evolving, but also its semantics, and quite energetically. Therefore, it is necessary, for example, to distinguish Odessa criminal slang chronologically: say, in the second half of the 19th century it was not at all the same as in the 1910s, and even more so had little in common with the slang that was formed at different stages of the Soviet era. Consequently, when compiling etymological dictionaries and other phrase books, one must always make allowances for time, clearly indicating the retrospective. The current composition of the “Odessa language” is continually replenished with neologisms and is not at all what it was yesterday, much less the day before.
Among them, for example, “The Experience of the Southern Russian Dictionary” by the Ukrainian writer, publisher, linguist, teacher and ethnographer Kalenik Vasilyevich Sheikovsky (“A-B”, Kiev, 1861; “T”, Moscow, 1884; “U”, Moscow, 1886), linguist-lexicographer Fortunat Mikhailovich Piskunov “Slovnitsa Ukrainian (or South-Russian) language” (Odessa, 1873) and a number of others (M. Levchenko, 1874; M. Umantsa and A. Spilka, 1893 - 1898, etc.).
You and I, of course, are most interested in Piskunov’s dictionary, which absorbed many retrospective “Odessisms” and was republished in 1882 in Kyiv under the symptomatic title “Dictionary of the living folk, written and official language of Russian southerners of the Russian and Austro-Hungarian Empire.” Commenting on these publications, Soviet historians of Ukrainian lexicography will later write that Piskunov blurred the boundary between real and fictitious elements of the vocabulary of the then Ukrainian language, since, say, there are a lot of words borrowed from other languages. But what kind of sterility of vocabulary could we be talking about in these territories, which represented a truly ethnic conglomerate?
The first edition of the dictionary quite contrastingly characterizes the vocabulary of the language of a significant part of the Odessa common people at the turn of the 1860s - 1870s. Censorship permission followed on March 15, 1872, and in 1873 “Slovnitsa” was published by the famous Odessa bookseller E.P. Raspopov. On September 25, Odessa Vestnik reported that the book costs 1 ruble 50 kopecks and is sold in the book warehouses of Elisey Raspopov. From June 5, 1868, his store operated in the house of the Greek family Mimi on the corner of Preobrazhenskaya and Grecheskaya (now the Mirage club), and on November 25, 1871 it moved to Deribasovskaya, to the Vedde house (now the House of Books).
So, let's start with the seemingly criminal "ATAS" noted in the title. The comment is very simple - “shouting at ducks”, that is, in this way they chased (drove away) poultry. It’s the same with Sheikovsky. True, the latter illustrates his comment with the following characteristic rhyme:
Atas, atas, kagure, go home!
I will sell you Jewish ore.
If you turn to the “Glossary of dialecticisms of Ukrainian languages of the Odessa region” (Odessa, 1958) by the remarkable researcher A.A. Moskalenko, we will find that “ATAS” even after a hundred years remained in its former semantics: “whikuk, as a jock looks like.” It becomes obvious that in criminal jargon this cry was used practically for its intended purpose, which did not confuse the simple-minded villagers at all, and they continued, as if nothing had happened, as usual to “scare” geese and ducks.
"BALAGULA"- a surname that is often encountered to this day is “covered Jewish van.” From Sheikovsky: "A covered road cart, which the Jews usually ride with. A Jewish cabman. A cabby by trade (...) the king of the Balaguls in Zhitomir (...) A round bell, with which the Balaguls usually travel."
"BBEHI": - 1) animal entrails; 2) pillows and feather beds. Sheikovsky again corrosively clarifies: “Insides (...) Zhidivski bebekh = Jewish pillows (...) Gamuysya, bebekh nadirvesh!”
"DUSHMAN": in Piskunov - “despot, tyrant.” Interesting, isn't it? Both authors, however, do not particularly think about the languages from which many of the words they cite were borrowed, including many distorted Turkic, Polish, German, Hebrew, Greek, Italian, French, etc.
"GAMUZ"- “PUSH”, that is, grape pulp. Compare the modern: “to take with a gamuz.” Now at least it’s clear what we’re talking about.
"GITZEL"- “flayer”, a word that apparently came from Austria-Hungary, was found in the publications of the Odessa Bulletin in the mid-1870s.
"ZINGER"- "pulse".
"KAPETS"- the same thing that in thieves' vernacular means "and kaput, and kayuk, and khan." In fact, this is a “sign on the field boundaries”, like a border owner’s post, that is, the same “end”.
"RAVLIK"- not a snail at all, but a “mole”.
"SHASHLIK"- not a meat dish, but only a “skewer” (nowadays they say: “skewer”).
"BAKLAGA"- not a flat bottle, but a “flat barrel”.
"WET"- it turns out that it’s not a “wet matter”, but simply “vodka”.
"LEACHMAN"- not cash in a “shovel”, but a “medallion”, or, as it is called in Western Ukraine, “dukach” (an elegantly framed silver or gold coin), from the word “ducat”.
"PRITON"- not a dubious establishment, but a “leash”, “hitting post”.
"SCRATCH" And "SKEDADDLE" They did not change their old semantics: they also meant “to leave, to save themselves” and “to run away”.
transom corresponds "FARMUZA"- that is, "alcove".
In the common vocabulary of that time there were generally a lot of snorting Polish words: “filizhanka” - “tea cup”, “flerka”, “flinka”, “findyurka” - swear words, feminine. "Figlya" - "trick".
Let's remember the textbook "figli-migli". The German “spatsir”, “spatsiruvati” - “to walk” was also used.
A.A. Moskalenko traces the ethnic origin of some dialectisms that have been preserved in the Odessa region in the vernacular and professional slang of fishermen, sailors, artisans, and gardeners for many decades.
"ANCERADA"- Italian "fisherman's cloak"
"BAKRACH"- Turkic "bucket"
"GAFUWATI"- German "to preen"
"DESEIN"- French "pattern on carpet paper"
"DUVAN"- Turkic "fisherman's share",
"DUFTATI"- Polish "to expect, to hope"
"KOLUDAR"- Tatar "lowland, valley"
"KUKAN"- Turkish “thread for stringing caught fish”, etc.
Until now (I heard it myself) some fishermen in the lower reaches of the Danube and even hydrographers call the north wind in Italian, “tramontana”, and the North Star - “stele tramontana”.
And how many Greek words entered our vocabulary in the 19th century! Let us turn, for example, to a common Russian-Greek phrasebook, “printed in Russian script,” specially published in Odessa in 1866 by the printing house of Ludwig Nitche.
Without much effort, you will find out where dozens and hundreds of words came from in our vocabulary.
"KARAPUZ"- modified Greek "watermelon"
"KIOSK"- "gazebo"
"BORA"(northern wind in Novorossiysk, causing powerful icing) - “thunderstorm”,
"MANGAL"- "brazier"
"FRANZOL"- “kalach” (how many times have I been asked why in old Odessa rolls were called franzoly!),
"PILAF"- "porridge",
"CLIMAX"- "ladder",
"BESTIALITY"- “darkness”, etc.
Not only in Italian, but also in Greek, “BESZMEN” is “kantari”, which is why the verbal Odessa version of the steel scale - “KANTER” appeared.
And what about our dear “BLAIM”, that is, discussed behind our backs? In Greek it meant “to weigh”, “to take by weight”. In our case, actions are weighed. And the myriad of terms from the then criminal jargon?
I recently wrote a script for the adventure film “Odessa Catacombs” based on the novel of the same name by V. Pravdin (1874). Pravdin made, and very ineptly, a parody of the popular book by V. Krestovsky “Petersburg Slums”, which was recently adapted into a very good television series “Petersburg Mysteries”.
I felt somehow offended for Odessa, and I, using the outline of “Odessa Catacombs” only dottedly, transferred the plot onto the rails of real events that happened here in the first half of the 1870s. Now this script has been prepared as a separate book, and in parallel, negotiations are actively underway for its film adaptation. So, in my text there are a lot of dialectisms associated with the criminal jargon of those years. And in this case, I didn’t have to invent anything, because I collected a whole collection of authentic words from the then Odessa “underground.”
It’s interesting that quite a few examples of Odessa thieves’ vocabulary are of Greek origin, which, given objective circumstances, is not surprising.
Thus, various types of mazurians use the curse word “PSIRA”, that is, as it were, “dog, dog.” In fact, they did not quite accurately rethink the Greek word "psira" - "LOUSE".
"FIGA", "figaris", that is, "detective, spy", originates from the Greek "figas" - "fugitive".
Odessa was often called "Ades" and "Hades", that is, "hell" - from the Greek "o adis". “Stingy” was what the thieves then called “obshchak”, from the Greek “broom, broom,” that is, straws collected together.
"Gang" - "board".
What about the well-known “Maza”, “pull Maza”, “patriarch of Maza” and so on? “Maza” is very simple: “together”, “en masse”.
By the way, the very word “mazuriki”, “mazura” comes from the same word “maza”. The Greeks called the Jews “chifutis”, “chifutika”, hence the name of the city of Chufut-Kale near Bakhchisarai, from where many Karaites came to Odessa, who, as is known, professed Judaism. And so on and so forth.
By the way, almost all well-known Odessa surnames, first names, and nicknames of Greek origin are also easy to interpret, since they are functional.
"KYRIAC"- "Sunday",
"STEPHEN"- "crown",
"KAMBURIS"- "hunchbacked"
"KAPNIST"- "smoked", "
"CARAVYA"- from “karavi”, that is, “ship”,
"SKUFOS"- "cap",
"KALAFATIS"- "caulker"
"ROKA"- "pendulum"
"ARKUDINSKY"- from “arkuda”, that is, “bear”,
"SKLAVOS"- "slave"
"XIDA"- from “xidi”, that is, “vinegar”,
"KRYONA"- from “cold”,
"PAGONO"- from “freeze”, “
"GERAKOV"- from “geraki”, that is, “hawk”, etc.
We, as they say, only amateurishly, with one eye, looked into that colossal crucible in which for many, many decades the spicy “Odessa language” was smelted from a variety of ingredients. We must be aware that this topic is not only immense, but, of course, requires truly encyclopedic knowledge and appropriate skills even in order to even approach it a little. They say that happiness favors the brave.
It is only important not to overestimate your own courage, which sometimes borders on arrogance.
Odessa:
- Yesterday I saw two girls swimming on the beach! So completely naked!
- I beg you, in this cold...Probably walruses!
- Well, the older one is definitely a walrus, but the second one is still pretty...
Moishe, is it true that you are marrying Sarah just because she has?
- Abrash, and did you believe that these people were speaking for me?! Lies! I'm marrying her because I don't have a penny.
A 100-year-old Jew fell ill. His old 105-year-old friend comes to him and asks:
- What’s wrong with you, Abram, how are you feeling?
- Azokhn vey, Izya... I guess I’ll have to stand before God!
- Abram, then I have a small request for you. If he asks you: “How is Izya? What about Izya? - You haven’t seen me, haven’t heard me, and don’t know anything about me.
The airport customs officer asks the old Jew:
-Where did you come from?
- What profits are you making? Just losses...
Rose, my darling, finish with the dishes. You, not the dishwasher. So go wash the floor!
During an atheism lesson at school, the teacher gives the children a task:
- Children, shout to the sky - “There is no God!” - Everyone starts shouting together, “There is no God!”
And then she notices that one Jewish boy is standing silently. She asks him:
- Yasha, why are you silent?
To which Yasha replies:
- So, if there is no one there, then why shout? And if there is someone there, then why spoil the relationship?
So, you can come to Israel and have your own guide?
- It’s not necessary to have a guide, he’ll tell you everything about the country!
Rabinovich, remember last year you borrowed one hundred rubles from me?
- Young man, anyone will tell you for my phenomenal memory. I still remember everything perfectly, so what?
- And if you remember, then tell me when I will get them back?
- How should I know this? What am I to you, a prophet?
Father - daughters:
- Marry Abram. He definitely loves you.
-Are you sure, dad?
- Absolutely! I’ve been borrowing money from him for six months now, but he still continues to come to us.
Moishe died of a heart attack while playing cards. We need to tell his wife, but no one dares to do this. The choice fell on Aron, who was the calmest. He comes to the house of the deceased, knocks on the door:
- I'm from Katzman.
- Is this from the one whose hubby hangs around all the time playing cards?
- Yes.
- And he plays?
- Yes.
- And, probably, as always, he loses?
- Exactly, he loses.
- He's dead, you bastard!
- Yes already!
Rabinovich, would you like to come in and have some tea?
- Why not?
- Well, no, no.
Conversation between two Jews:
- Monya! Do you play the clarinet?
- No.
- And your brother?
- Yes!
- What "yes"?
- Also no.
Customer in Abram's store:
- Tell me, do you have yellow fabric?
Abram shows a roll of fabric. Buyer with a smile:
- So it’s black.
Abram takes out two more rolls from the warehouse. Buyer:
- Excellent quality, it’s just a pity that one roll is red and the other is blue!!
Abram:
- You know, maybe it’s completely yellow, but no.
Moishe, where are you going in such a hurry?
- To the stop...
- Shaw, are you going somewhere? Are you already late?
- No, Aunt Tsilya is making me a jacket, she asked me to collect buttons...
Sarochka, I beg you, don’t go outside, I’m worried about your health.
- What is it?
- Yesterday in the pharmacy I heard that a maniac had appeared in Odessa who was killing prostitutes...
- Don’t fool me, Rose, what do I have to do with it?!
- You didn’t listen to me, and neither did the bastard.
Two Jews meet. One says to the other:
- Yesterday, for the first time in my life, I listened to the Beatles live, and I absolutely didn’t like it. They are fake, they burr, it’s terrible!
Second:
- Where did you listen to them?
- Moishe sang it for me.
Do you remember Moishe, who lived opposite the prison?
- Yes, so what?
- So now he lives opposite the house...
More cool and funny jokes about Jews, Odessa and ? We do have them.
