на дух не принимал

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

Мемуаристы утверждают, что Ерофеев на дух не принимал Булгакова и не мог прочесть “Мастера и Маргариту” дальше пятнадцатой страницы. Я знаю людей, которые бросили “Петушки” еще раньше.

я не понимаю фразу "на дух не принимал"
что это значит?

I don't understand the phrase "на дух не принимал"
what does it mean?

thank you

t.

UPDATE

the phrase literally means "could not stand the smell of it"
and is an idiom for "really disliked it"

thanks everyone

Comments

[dalyeth-ok.livejournal.com]

couldn't understand and disliked

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

I get that idea from the context
but I cannot understand the phrase on its own (it makes me think of dying people)

t.

[dalyeth-ok.livejournal.com]

Actually, it is an idiom. Word for word it means "couldn't stand the smell of". As for me, it never made me think of anything of the kind :)

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

exactly what I wanted to know

I was thinking of "испустить дух" I guess

thanks

[penguinny.livejournal.com]

Literally: could not stand the smell of it. Often used as "на дух не переносил". It means that he didn't like it at all.

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

дух = smell?
weird
I was thinking "soul" and got strange associations with dying people

t.

[slim-sh4d3.livejournal.com]

It's like... the word "дух" means both "soul" and "smell of smthng". But the second variant is the old one and is used rarely. But the phrase "на дух не переносил" is an old standalone phrase like "наплевать" or smthn like that :).

[dalyeth-ok.livejournal.com]

I wouldn't say наплевать. Наплевать means not to care at all. The meaning of this phrase, however, is different.

[slim-sh4d3.livejournal.com]

Наплевать was just an example of how a phrase which means literally one thing could mean the other thing in speech.

[nat-bton.livejournal.com]

yeah i'd agree with you on the diffenition of the "дух" but would say the phrase "на дух не переносил" = to loathe someone, and it is still commonly used and understood...(some might disagree of course)

[wolk-off.livejournal.com]

In 18-19th century Russian, духъ could mean "smell" or even "stench" as well as "spirit." A five examples:
"Там русский дух... там Русью пахнет!" (Пушкин, "Руслан и Людмила") - There's Russian smell/spirit [he plays with both meanings here], it smells Russia there.
"Ну у вас тут и дух, девки, - закрутил носом боярин" (Алексей Толстой, "Петр Первый") -- "What kind of a stench you have here [inside the working room], maidens,", [and] the Boyar knitted his nose.

[oryx_and_crake]

also in the phrase "чтоб духу твоего здесь не было!" (I don't want to see neither hide nor hair of yours!)

[noser.livejournal.com]

дух is not "soul" (that's душа). дух is "spirit"!

[gera.livejournal.com]

I would say that originally it meant "couldn't stand even the smell of it/him/her" etc. Which is to say "really couldn't stand".
It's used for emphasis and nobody really thinks of where it's coming from.

[serialcondition.livejournal.com]

I find that it's easier to understand idioms after understanding the literal meaning
the "smell" part made sense
but when I thought it meant "soul" in this phrase, I couldn't wrap my mind around it

[nat-bton.livejournal.com]

yeah, when words have two meanings it could be rather confusing! i think it got sorted out in the end :)

[slim-sh4d3.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah :). English was first difficult to me cuz of the quantity of meanings of one word :).