Some weight-related issues

[oryx_and_crake]

(inspired by the discussion started by red_kitti)

Russian words for gaining weight are потолстеть/растолстеть (from толстый meaning fat) and also поправиться.

Russian word for losing weight is похудеть.

An overweight person is called толстый or полный (-ая).
А slim/thin/skinny person is худой (-ая) or стройный (-ая).

It is interesting that поправиться also means "to get well", and худой is a synonym for "bad". Most often you see it when you use the word хуже (worse) which is one of comparative forms for худой. Also there are proverbs:

Худой мир лучше доброй ссоры
A bad agreement is better than a good quarrel.

Добрая слава лежит, а худая бежит
The good reputation stays put; the bad reputation spreads around.

Please note that полный also means "full" or "complete".

It is clear that our ancestors identified body mass with health and thought that a thin person is sick or missing something.

Makes you think, eh?
:-)

Comments

[vaguevogue.livejournal.com]

right)
but it must be mentioned that полный/полная is more polite so it's better to use it instead of толстый/толстая.

[ars-longa.livejournal.com]

Где толстый сохнет, худой сдохнет.

Probably that was the case. :)

[oryx_and_crake]

Sure - the ability to survive famines was a very important quality, especially in a future partner :-)

As far, as i know...

[rottenshworz.livejournal.com]

...95% of medieval population suffered from permament hunger.

[apollotiger.livejournal.com]

Perhaps худой is closer to “scrawny”, if it has a negative connotation?

[wire-shock.livejournal.com]

No, it's a neutral word now. It used to have a negative connotation long ago. Although sometimes... But generally худой is good, especially if applied to men.

[oryx_and_crake]

I don't think it has negative connotations any more; that's the point. Many people nowadays desire to be thin. For a slightly negative connotation you can use тощий(-ая)/отощать.

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Excellent! Reminds me of the German thought that a man shouldn't marry a skinny woman, as it was evidence that she couldn't cook.

[tikvi.livejournal.com]

Haa, those Germans are hilarious!

[suku-vse.livejournal.com]

Wow! Exactly what I used to have been told sometimes!

When a boyfriend was trying to eat the fried eggs, enjoing the sound of smoke-alarm at the same time "Right now I understand why you are so thin ..."

[nadyezhda.livejournal.com]

Oh no! That's no good! :)

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

I thought "gaining weight" was simply толстеть? What does it uh... really mean?

I thought the normal form of хуже was худший.

[oryx_and_crake]

толстеть is imperfective, потолстеть/растолстеть is perfective.
it means literally "to become fat"

Худший is another comparative form and it means "worst". Most of the time.
Some examples:

Вася - худший повар на свете! Vasya is the worst cook in the world.
Маша - худший повар, чем Вася. Masha is a worse cook than Vasya.
Вася готовит хуже, чем Маша. Vasya cooks worse than Masha.

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Grrr... when does one use потолстеть as opposed to растолстеть?

So... would it be incorrect to say Вася - самый худший повар на свете?

[oryx_and_crake]

потолстеть vs. растолстеть is probably a matter of taste (maybe there is a difference but I am unable to explain it right now)

Вася - самый худший повар на свете - this is more or less OK, but in general you should use either самый + ordinary form or the superlative, very much like in English where you say either "the worst" or "the most awful", and not "the most awfullest"

e.g.
Вася - самый плохой повар на свете
Вася - худший повар на свете

[wolfie-18.livejournal.com]

Is that also the case with лучший? I've always seen it like: Он - самый лучший президент, not он - самый хороший президент.

[oryx_and_crake]

you are right, самый хороший sounds wrong and самый лучший is right.