quote! no sugar, but clothes!

[nolicense.livejournal.com]

hello. I am looking around for a russian quote that my friend told me a while back.

it goes along the lines of:

one would rather not have sugar in their household, but have a new jacket...

i think this is what the quote is. if anyone can post this quote or a quote along these lines, that would be great!

if possible, in russian and then in english.

liana

Comments

[oryx_and_crake]

Never heard of that... There is "Без штанов, а в шляпе" meaning a person that lacks some very basic clothes but wears luxurious items. There is also a joke dated to perestroika when sugar and soap disappeared from the shops.
A guest is visiting. The host asks him:
- Have you washed your hands with soap?
- Yes, why?
- Then please do not put any sugar in your tea.

Are you sure that your friend has not mixed up this proverb and this joke?

[toh-rus.livejournal.com]

maybe:
"Лучше синица в руках, чем журавль в небе"?
"Better have titmouse in your hands, than sweep(shadoof) in the sky"

Meaning better have something for sure, than risk not having it at all.

[ex-ult-i-ma.livejournal.com]

Yeah, that's what I've thought about

[crashonthelevee.livejournal.com]

there is one with a similar meaning, but the wording is quite different:

на брюхе шелк, а в брюхе щелк

(there is) silk on (one's) belly and zilch in (one's belly)

and it's rather old-fashioned (I read it in a book, never heard anyone using it)

[oryx_and_crake]

LOL. A titmouse in hands is better indeed than "sweep(shadoof) in the sky" because the latter cannot fly (being a part of a mechanism) and will eventually fall on one's head. Just FYI, the bird you meant is called a crane.

[toh-rus.livejournal.com]

OMG LOL :)
just messed up with Lingvo :)))
http://lingvo.yandex.ru/q?text=%D0%B6%D1%83%D1%80%D0%B0%D0%B2%D0%BB%D1%8C&st_translate=1

[crashonthelevee.livejournal.com]

screw lingvo - use Multitran :-)
... pardon my French... :-)

[oryx_and_crake]

Actually Lingvo's entry on "журавль" is perfectly correct. It gives both meanings of the word and indicates the context, and after that it is up to the person who uses the dictionary to select the right one. I don't know what else can be expected of a dictionary.

[crashonthelevee.livejournal.com]

in this particular case, maybe. But I've witnessed sooo many cases when people were trying to use this dictionary and came up with particularly weird word choices.

[crashonthelevee.livejournal.com]

just checked the lingvo article. Yep, in this case it's the user who's to blame :-)

[la-sincerite.livejournal.com]

what a good proverb) i will use it from nowadays ^_^