Russian Rainbow - part 2A - WHITE
Feb. 11th, 2005 10:35 pm![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
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learn_russianLet's now review the set expressions with the word БЕЛЫЙ - WHITE
WHITE = OF WHITE COLOR OR BRIGHT OR COLORLESS
белая рыба - "cartilaginous fish" says the dictionary and makes a very common mistake. "Белая рыба" is a group name for all small fishes in scales (scales=чешуя). The white sturgeon (beluga - белуга), sturgeon (осётр), stellate sturgeon (sevryuga - севрюга), starlet (стерлядь) (that all are cartilaginous and at the same time all have white flesh) are not «белая рыба» - they are «красная рыба». But the mistake is so widespread that many native speakers call sturgeon "белая рыба".
белый гриб - cep, Penny Bun; Boletus edulis
беленькая - tender name for vodka; less frequently - simply "белая". Note that there is even a brand name "Беленькая" - see photo.
белое вино - white vine
К рыбе лучше идёт белое – The white (vine) is right for fish
белые фигуры (в шахматах) - White (chess)
Белые начинают и выигрывают - White to play and win
белый свет — this/the world, the (whole) wide world, the wide, wide world, the great wild world
палить в белый свет как в копеечку – shoot without distinction
скитаться по белу свету — to knock about the world
шито белыми нитками - it is evident and striking
белая кость (ironically, rarely used) - blue blood
белое безмолвие - the white silence (the expression became popular after a story by Jack London)
белый шум - white noise, a mixture of sound waves spreading over a wide frequency range
белые ночи – white nights
From late May to early July nights are bright in St. Petersburg (Russia), but the real White Nights normally last from June 11 to July 2. The nature of the White Nights can be explained by the geographical location of St. Petersburg. It is the world's most northern city with a population over 1 million. St. Petersburg is located at 59 degrees 57' North (roughly on the same latitude as Oslo, Norway, the southern tip of Greenland and Seward, Alaska). Due to such a high latitude the sun does not go under the horizon deep enough for the sky to get dark. The dusk meets the dawn and it is so bright that in summer they do not turn street lighting on. If the weather is cloudy you might not see any White Night, though on a clear day you can get a feel for a White Night even in mid-July.
белорыбица - a salmon fish with white flesh (Salmo leucichtys)
камень бел-горюч – it is an expression in ancient legends, songs, fairy tales (sometimes with an addition «алатырь» or «алабырь») - literally a white inflammable stone – many sources suppose that it is amber.
белым-бело – very white – usually in the expression «вокруг белым-бело (от снега)» - all is white around (because of snow)
белые – whites (the forces that were against the Socialist Revolution in 1917) – the expression is in use since the Great French Revolution, when the white uniform was used by Bourbons supporters – (That's not about whiskey - The Bourbons were the French Kings in 1589-1715)
белый день (archaic) - daylight; more frequently used in the expression "среди бела дня" - in broad daylight
белый воротничок (usually plural белые воротнички) - white-collar worker
белые тапочки - from the expression "видеть кого-либо в гробу в белых тапочках" - see someone in the coffin in white slippers, which is used in the sense "What do I need it for? Let it go to hell!" Historically is from an old verse (1920) by N.Antsiferov "Я сегодня во сне вас видел // В белых тапочках и в гробу..."
белая ворона - rara avis
белый халат - usually in the expression "люди в белых халатах" - people in white smocks, i.e. doctors
беляк - 1) "заяц-беляк" - a hare, that in winter changes his fur's color to white; the one that remains gray is called "заяц-русак" 2) a supporter of whites (the anti Revolution forces in 1917)
белый и пушистый - this expression literally is "white and fluffy" and means "harmless, ingenuous, naive, innocent"; warm and fuzzy; lily-white
белила - whitewash, whiting
белый металл - a bureaucratic expression "из белого металла" is used in the official documents (mainly by the police) to describe silver-like metals. Since the police is unable without a special examination oficially confirm that the exempt thing is silver, they write in the protocol "из белого металла", leaving the examination for the future. Example: На трупе обнаружен крест из белого металла - There is a cross of white metal found on the body.
белое золото - 1) cotton 2) white gold
белая смерть - (ironically) either sugar or salt, white substances which are dangerous for the health
белый флаг - white flag, a symbol of surrender or peaceful intent
белая капуста - much more frequently "белокочанная капуста" - white cabbage; Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata
WHITE = FREE FROM A DUTY OR AN OBLIGATION
белый - (usually in combination with импорт, техника, etc.) legally imported goods, equipment etc. Example: Я думал, что тот мобильник, что я купил на толкучке - серый, а он оказался белым. I thought that the cellular phone I bought on the flea market is illegaly imported but it's not.
белая сборка - literally "white" assemblage; a PC that was assembled in Europe or the United States
белая зарплата - literally "white salary"; salary that is paid officially, its amount is known to the tax authorities and taxed.
белый стих - blank verse; free verse, vers libre
белое духовенство - secular clergy.
In the Russian orthodox church the clergy is divided in two groups: white clergy and black clergy. The former is allowed to marry (though only once) and when not involved into the liturgical process can spend their time with the family. The latter is fully dedicated to the service and is celibate. The white clergy cannot reach the top positions in the church hierarchy. The cassock's color outside of the liturgy can be black, dark blue, gray or brown for the white clergy, and only black for the black clergy. During the liturgy the participating clergy wears bright robes (white, green, gold, purple and other colors). Thanks to![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
oryx_and_crake for the clarification regarding the colors.
белый билет – the dictionary Lingvo says “white chit” though it sounds a bit weird for me. If a man does not fit for the military service for any reason, he gets a military service card that confirms his inability to serve. Probably the expression takes place from the ancient meaning of the word "белый" - free from obligation to pay to the church
WHITE = CLEAN
беловой – clean, fair
беловой экземпляр – fair copy
переписать набело - to write out fair
белый лист - clean sheet
Начать с белого листа – Start from scratch
белая совесть - rarely used, clear conscience; typically in the expressions like "Моя совесть бела" - My conscience is clear.
белоручка - softie, person shirking rough or dirty (physical) work
белая изба / изба по-белому / изба с печью по-белому - (ancient and rarely used) "white" hut, where the stove has a chimney, and the hut's ceiling and walls remain clean.
The same meaning have the expressions белая баня / баня по-белому // топить по-белому
белая зависть - literally "white envy", an envy that does not produce bad feelings but instead motivates to become better. Я так по-белому завидую, что тебе прибавили зарплату - I am quite happy about your salary increase.
белошвейка – seamstress, while dressmaker is «портниха»
белая горячка - delirium tremens
TOPONIMS AND PERSONAL NAMES
Белое море - White Sea
Андрей Белый – Boris Bugaev, Russian poet and writer who wrote under a pseudonym Andrey Bely (1880-1934)
Белый Бим - Чёрное Ухо - a popular book by Gavriil Troepolski, a tragic story about a hunter's dog
Белые Столбы - a small town near Moscow; according to a popular opinion there is a widely known madhouse at this town, which is another big mistake. The name comes from Alexander Galich's verse «И отправился я в Белые Столбы на братана да на психов поглядеть!..» where Galich confuses two different places - the town Белые Столбы and the madhouse №5 at the railroad station Столбовая near the town Чехов which is 70 km away from Moscow. In the current language, metaphorically - an asylum, a madhouse
Белая Русь – historically part of Ancient Rus, included cities Mogilev, Vitebsk, Minsk, currently forms part of Byelorussia
Белый дом - White House
In Russia we have our own White House on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment in Moscow, it is the House of Russian government (The President is settled in Kremlin, the prime-minister resides in the White House):
Белый Город - White Town, historically part of Moscow limited by Kremlin and an imaginary line from (using contemporary toponims) the Bolshoy Ustyinski bridge, along the Boulevard Ring till the Temple of the Christ Savior; big wall and ramparts were constructed in 1587 and existed till 1792; now the name is very rarely used and almost unknown by the young generation.
Белокаменная - an alias name for (old) Moscow - literally means "of white stone". The ancient Moscow was known by its white stone buildings.
P.S. All corrections and additions are welcome.
WHITE = OF WHITE COLOR OR BRIGHT OR COLORLESS
белая рыба - "cartilaginous fish" says the dictionary and makes a very common mistake. "Белая рыба" is a group name for all small fishes in scales (scales=чешуя). The white sturgeon (beluga - белуга), sturgeon (осётр), stellate sturgeon (sevryuga - севрюга), starlet (стерлядь) (that all are cartilaginous and at the same time all have white flesh) are not «белая рыба» - they are «красная рыба». But the mistake is so widespread that many native speakers call sturgeon "белая рыба".
белый гриб - cep, Penny Bun; Boletus edulis
беленькая - tender name for vodka; less frequently - simply "белая". Note that there is even a brand name "Беленькая" - see photo.
белое вино - white vine
К рыбе лучше идёт белое – The white (vine) is right for fish
белые фигуры (в шахматах) - White (chess)
Белые начинают и выигрывают - White to play and win
белый свет — this/the world, the (whole) wide world, the wide, wide world, the great wild world
палить в белый свет как в копеечку – shoot without distinction
скитаться по белу свету — to knock about the world
шито белыми нитками - it is evident and striking
белая кость (ironically, rarely used) - blue blood
белое безмолвие - the white silence (the expression became popular after a story by Jack London)
белый шум - white noise, a mixture of sound waves spreading over a wide frequency range
белые ночи – white nights
From late May to early July nights are bright in St. Petersburg (Russia), but the real White Nights normally last from June 11 to July 2. The nature of the White Nights can be explained by the geographical location of St. Petersburg. It is the world's most northern city with a population over 1 million. St. Petersburg is located at 59 degrees 57' North (roughly on the same latitude as Oslo, Norway, the southern tip of Greenland and Seward, Alaska). Due to such a high latitude the sun does not go under the horizon deep enough for the sky to get dark. The dusk meets the dawn and it is so bright that in summer they do not turn street lighting on. If the weather is cloudy you might not see any White Night, though on a clear day you can get a feel for a White Night even in mid-July.
белорыбица - a salmon fish with white flesh (Salmo leucichtys)
камень бел-горюч – it is an expression in ancient legends, songs, fairy tales (sometimes with an addition «алатырь» or «алабырь») - literally a white inflammable stone – many sources suppose that it is amber.
белым-бело – very white – usually in the expression «вокруг белым-бело (от снега)» - all is white around (because of snow)
белые – whites (the forces that were against the Socialist Revolution in 1917) – the expression is in use since the Great French Revolution, when the white uniform was used by Bourbons supporters – (That's not about whiskey - The Bourbons were the French Kings in 1589-1715)
белый день (archaic) - daylight; more frequently used in the expression "среди бела дня" - in broad daylight
белый воротничок (usually plural белые воротнички) - white-collar worker
белые тапочки - from the expression "видеть кого-либо в гробу в белых тапочках" - see someone in the coffin in white slippers, which is used in the sense "What do I need it for? Let it go to hell!" Historically is from an old verse (1920) by N.Antsiferov "Я сегодня во сне вас видел // В белых тапочках и в гробу..."
белая ворона - rara avis
белый халат - usually in the expression "люди в белых халатах" - people in white smocks, i.e. doctors
беляк - 1) "заяц-беляк" - a hare, that in winter changes his fur's color to white; the one that remains gray is called "заяц-русак" 2) a supporter of whites (the anti Revolution forces in 1917)
белый и пушистый - this expression literally is "white and fluffy" and means "harmless, ingenuous, naive, innocent"; warm and fuzzy; lily-white
белила - whitewash, whiting
белый металл - a bureaucratic expression "из белого металла" is used in the official documents (mainly by the police) to describe silver-like metals. Since the police is unable without a special examination oficially confirm that the exempt thing is silver, they write in the protocol "из белого металла", leaving the examination for the future. Example: На трупе обнаружен крест из белого металла - There is a cross of white metal found on the body.
белое золото - 1) cotton 2) white gold
белая смерть - (ironically) either sugar or salt, white substances which are dangerous for the health
белый флаг - white flag, a symbol of surrender or peaceful intent
белая капуста - much more frequently "белокочанная капуста" - white cabbage; Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata
WHITE = FREE FROM A DUTY OR AN OBLIGATION
белый - (usually in combination with импорт, техника, etc.) legally imported goods, equipment etc. Example: Я думал, что тот мобильник, что я купил на толкучке - серый, а он оказался белым. I thought that the cellular phone I bought on the flea market is illegaly imported but it's not.
белая сборка - literally "white" assemblage; a PC that was assembled in Europe or the United States
белая зарплата - literally "white salary"; salary that is paid officially, its amount is known to the tax authorities and taxed.
белый стих - blank verse; free verse, vers libre
белое духовенство - secular clergy.
In the Russian orthodox church the clergy is divided in two groups: white clergy and black clergy. The former is allowed to marry (though only once) and when not involved into the liturgical process can spend their time with the family. The latter is fully dedicated to the service and is celibate. The white clergy cannot reach the top positions in the church hierarchy. The cassock's color outside of the liturgy can be black, dark blue, gray or brown for the white clergy, and only black for the black clergy. During the liturgy the participating clergy wears bright robes (white, green, gold, purple and other colors). Thanks to
oryx_and_crake for the clarification regarding the colors.
белый билет – the dictionary Lingvo says “white chit” though it sounds a bit weird for me. If a man does not fit for the military service for any reason, he gets a military service card that confirms his inability to serve. Probably the expression takes place from the ancient meaning of the word "белый" - free from obligation to pay to the church
WHITE = CLEAN
беловой – clean, fair
беловой экземпляр – fair copy
переписать набело - to write out fair
белый лист - clean sheet
Начать с белого листа – Start from scratch
белая совесть - rarely used, clear conscience; typically in the expressions like "Моя совесть бела" - My conscience is clear.
белоручка - softie, person shirking rough or dirty (physical) work
белая изба / изба по-белому / изба с печью по-белому - (ancient and rarely used) "white" hut, where the stove has a chimney, and the hut's ceiling and walls remain clean.
The same meaning have the expressions белая баня / баня по-белому // топить по-белому
белая зависть - literally "white envy", an envy that does not produce bad feelings but instead motivates to become better. Я так по-белому завидую, что тебе прибавили зарплату - I am quite happy about your salary increase.
белошвейка – seamstress, while dressmaker is «портниха»
белая горячка - delirium tremens
TOPONIMS AND PERSONAL NAMES
Белое море - White Sea
Андрей Белый – Boris Bugaev, Russian poet and writer who wrote under a pseudonym Andrey Bely (1880-1934)
Белый Бим - Чёрное Ухо - a popular book by Gavriil Troepolski, a tragic story about a hunter's dog
Белые Столбы - a small town near Moscow; according to a popular opinion there is a widely known madhouse at this town, which is another big mistake. The name comes from Alexander Galich's verse «И отправился я в Белые Столбы на братана да на психов поглядеть!..» where Galich confuses two different places - the town Белые Столбы and the madhouse №5 at the railroad station Столбовая near the town Чехов which is 70 km away from Moscow. In the current language, metaphorically - an asylum, a madhouse
Белая Русь – historically part of Ancient Rus, included cities Mogilev, Vitebsk, Minsk, currently forms part of Byelorussia
Белый дом - White House
In Russia we have our own White House on Krasnopresnenskaya Embankment in Moscow, it is the House of Russian government (The President is settled in Kremlin, the prime-minister resides in the White House):
Белый Город - White Town, historically part of Moscow limited by Kremlin and an imaginary line from (using contemporary toponims) the Bolshoy Ustyinski bridge, along the Boulevard Ring till the Temple of the Christ Savior; big wall and ramparts were constructed in 1587 and existed till 1792; now the name is very rarely used and almost unknown by the young generation.
Белокаменная - an alias name for (old) Moscow - literally means "of white stone". The ancient Moscow was known by its white stone buildings.
P.S. All corrections and additions are welcome.
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no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:14 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:18 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:26 pm (UTC)Hi Mom, wake up!!! Where is my white card....
Date: 2005-02-11 08:50 pm (UTC)White card is white paper added to military card shown above.
My white card does NOT blank inside! It has notices "не служил" (did not passed military service), "рядовой" (common soldier), "годен к нестроевой" (qualified for non-combatant)... signatures and stamp
no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:51 pm (UTC)Thank you!
no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 10:45 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 05:40 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-12 05:52 am (UTC)"“белый билет” - так назывался документ, который освобождал от службы в царской армии"
http://www.svoboda.org/programs/RT/2001/RT.050801.asp
no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 08:27 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2005-02-11 09:06 pm (UTC)