words
Notes: 187
"Baklanka": Article 206 of the RSFSR Criminal Code (Hooliganism)
In Soviet-era criminal slang, the term "baklanka" referred to Article 206 of the Criminal Code of the RSFSR — "Hooliganism."
"Bukashka": the Route B Trolleybus
The nickname "Bukashka" ("Little Bug") became attached to the route as far back as 1912, when a tram on line "B" was launched along the Garden Ring…
"Chekhi" (Chechens)
The term "chekhi" in the context of the 1990s as slang for members of the Chechen people
Chik-Chirik-Pizdyk-Ku-Ku: from Pushkin's golden cockerel to a soldier's farewell to conscription
How Pushkin's "kiri-ku-ku" from "The Tale of the Golden Cockerel" morphed through generations of army barracks into an obscene demobilization chant…
"Heer": A Form of Address for a Man in Holland
The Dutch word "heer" has ancient Germanic roots, tracing back to Proto-Germanic *haira-, meaning "gray, hoary, venerable."
"Interest"
"Interest" was a term denoting the rate charged on informal loans in early-1990s Russia. The phrase "ten percent a month" reflects typical lending…
"Kerosinka": the Gubkin Russian State University of Oil and Gas
The nickname for Moscow's top petroleum institute, and the real West Siberian boomtown where Seryoga makes his money.
A Note on the Word "Manda"
The meanings of the word "manda": a vulgar term in Russian, a people and language in Tanzania, an island in Kenya, a town in Bangladesh, and…
"We Are Peaceful People, But Our Armored Train Stands Ready on a Side Track"
The story of the famous line "We are peaceful people, but our armored train stands ready on a side track," from a 1935 song by Svetlov and Dunaevsky…
"Air" in Criminal Slang
In the criminal underworld, the term "air" carried several fixed meanings, significantly different from its everyday sense. First and foremost, "air"…
"From Kalich": the Slang of Soviet Black-Marketeers
"From" (from English "I am from...") is Soviet-era fartsovshchik (black-market trader) slang for a foreigner. It came from foreign tourists' typical…
A Hand Held Parallel to the Ground
A hand raised parallel to the ground is a gesture with a rich history, one that became an international signal for hailing a taxi.
A Move with a Flourish
The word "kandibober" has a rich history of use in Russian colloquial and literary speech. Originally it denoted an ornate, often eccentric and…
Acceptance, Annuity, Notice of Assignment
A glossary of the financial and legal terms Roman is suddenly cramming — mapped, term by term, onto exactly who owes what to whom in the fund's…
Acting Head
VRIO — "temporarily fulfilling the duties of" — the Russian administrative status for a stand-in department head.
The Ambigram: The Art of the Double Reading
An ambigram (from Latin ambi, "double," and Greek gramma, "letter") is a calligraphic design that combines two different readings within one and the…
Aniline
Aniline is a chemical compound that played a key role in creating the first synthetic dyes, sparking a revolution in 19th- and 20th-century fashion…
'Apropos': a French loanword used to mimic a Western negotiating style
A linguistic look at the character's use of the borrowed word "apropos" mid-negotiation, and how it captures the legal and economic realities of…
Auftragstaktik: the German Military Doctrine of Mission-Type Tactics
Auftragstaktik is a tactical concept of decentralized command, letting junior officers independently interpret a situation and act according to the…
Axle Box
Axle box
Back Without a Hat and Missing a Boot: the Golden Calf allusion behind Roman's border-crossing fantasy
The famous final scene of Ilf and Petrov's "The Golden Calf," where Ostap Bender's escape abroad ends in disaster at the Romanian border.
Bandar-log: from Kipling to Youth Slang
The Bandar-log (Hindi बन्दर-लोग) are a fictional monkey people from Rudyard Kipling's "The Jungle Book." The writer described them as creatures who…
Batter
What a baseball batter actually does — the role Zhorik's unlucky BMW owner apparently moonlighted as.
Bittek Malay, Alga: the Tatar phrase for Chicha's disappearance
A linguistic note on the Tatar euphemism used in the novel for a criminal killing near Bugulma.
BK, the "Bull," and a Combat Load
A paratrooper's standard combat load was limited to two grenades and two magazines, but the Chinese "Chi-Com" chest rig extended it. The gear spread…
Blockfuhrer
The Blockfuhrer (German Blockfuhrer) was an official in the system of Nazi concentration camps, one of the key links in the machinery of mass killing…
Bogdykhans: China's Ming and Qing emperors in Russian usage
Bogdykhan, the old Russian term for China's Ming and Qing emperors, and why Roman calls provincial 1990s bosses that.
Boondocks: from a Filipino mountain word to London taxi slang
From a Tagalog mountain word to American war slang to Roman's dialect for the outer edges of London: the history of 'boondocks.'
Britpop at its 1996 peak
Britpop at its commercial and cultural peak in 1995-96, from the Blur-vs-Oasis chart battle to its odd usefulness as a pickup line at a Russian…
Cash: the Term's Etymology and Tax-Evasion Schemes
From a Latin word for a strongbox to the defining tool of Russia's early-1990s shadow economy — why paying "cash in hand" mattered so much to men…
"Ringing It In at Nine, Novosibirsk Time": Celebrating New Year on Your Hometown Clock
In 1993, Russia had a complicated system of timekeeping inherited from the USSR. "Decree time" was in effect — standard zone time plus one hour…
CIF Moscow: Trading Schemes of the Early 1990s
The international shipping term behind a warehouse-free import business built on customs connections and quick turnover — the kind of operation that…
Clothing Size Charts in the USSR and Europe: Differences in Labeling
A detailed comparison of the Soviet and European clothing size systems. What "size 48" means, its equivalent to M, size conversion, and practical…
Combustiology: the medicine of burn treatment
Combustiology, the narrow medical specialty of treating burns, and what it meant to be treated by a combustiologist in 1990s Russia.
Contemporaries of Romulus
The novel's phrase alludes to Pushkin's "Eugene Onegin" ("from Romulus down to our own day"); who Romulus's contemporaries actually were.
Cro-Magnons and troglodytes: from anthropology to insult
Why calling a bodybuilder a 'Cro-Magnon' or a 'troglodyte' was 1990s intelligentsia shorthand for brawn without brains.
Cyan and Magenta
Cyan is a shade of blue that sits between blue and green, associated with water and purity. Magenta is a rich purplish-red tied to creativity and…
Death on the Marsh: Unfiltered Cigarettes
In the USSR smoking was widespread, and cheap cigarettes were sold everywhere. They stood out for their low price, plain packaging, lack of filter…
Differential Equations: the Mathematical Apparatus for Describing Processes
A complete guide to differential equations: definitions, classification, solution methods. Studying differential equations in MEPhI's second year…
Discourse and Epistemology: the Philosophical Foundations of Knowledge and Speech
Discourse is one of the most polysemous and influential terms in modern philosophy, linguistics, and the humanities generally. Epistemology is the…
Golf Clubs: A Note on the Word "Driver"
A driver is the type of golf club built for the most powerful, longest-distance shot. In the 1990s, 1997 included, the driver was a symbol of a…
What a Dukan Is
A dukan is the Afghan word for a shop or stall, playing a key role in the economy and social life. During the Soviet occupation (1979-1990) it served…
The Moai of Easter Island: History and Mystery
Easter Island and the enigmatic moai statues: the story of their discovery, the mysteries of an ancient civilization, the birdman cult, the…
The Eclogue: History and Characteristics of the Genre
The eclogue is a genre of bucolic poetry: short pastoral dialogues. It began in Ancient Greece and flourished in Rome with Virgil. It was popular in…
En Masse
The French loanword "en masse" — describing collective, herd-like action rather than a deliberate individual choice.
"Eureka!": the Story of a Legendary Discovery and Archimedes's Legacy
The phrase "Eureka!" (Ancient Greek heureka — "I have found it!") went down in history as a symbol of sudden insight. According to legend, Archimedes…
The Bolshevik Expropriations: "Loot the Looters!"
A historical background note on Bolshevik expropriations of 1905-1910: the 1907 Tiflis bank robbery, the activities of Kamo and Leonid Krasin, the…
"A Grand and a Half in Greenbacks" in 1993: What It Meant
What $1,500 could buy in 1993 Russia, in a year when the ruble lost two-thirds of its value and inflation ran at 840 percent.
Fille de Bourgeois: the French phrase for the girl watching over the fence in Roman's dream
A short note on the French phrase "fille de bourgeois" and the social class it denotes.
Five Kopecks for a Phone Call
The racketeers' method relied on deception: a merchant would voluntarily hand over some small change for a phone call, but this would later be…
The Ration-Coupon System in 1980s USSR: the Return of Shortages
In the 1980s, the Soviet Union saw the return of a card-based system of distributing goods — a phenomenon many considered a relic of wartime.
Four Franklins
The US dollar is the currency of the United States and one of the world's reserve currencies. In 1993 it was the most important currency in Russia…
The Fourth Position of the Feet in Classical Ballet
The fourth position of the feet is performed as follows: one foot is placed in front of the other, with the heel of the front foot facing the toe of…
Full Gallop, Three Crosses
"Full gallop, three crosses" is an expression denoting the fastest horse gait (gallop). It comes from the lexicon of 18th-19th century coachmen, tied…
Gold Embroiderers and Gold-Thread Embroidery
Gold-thread embroidery (also known as gold embroidery) is an ancient technique of hand embroidery using gilded metal and silver threads. The value of…
Grenadiers: from Elite Bomb-Throwers to a Symbol of Martial Valor
Grenadiers (from the French grenadiers, where grenade means "grenade") were elite units of infantry and cavalry, originally created to storm enemy…
Grigorovich's Nickel
A literary anecdote about Dostoevsky and Grigorovich illustrates the great writer's drive for expressive prose. He criticized the dry phrase "the…
Freely Convertible Currency (SKV) in Russia in the Early 1990s
Freely convertible currency (SKV, from the Russian "svobodno konvertiruyemaya valyuta") is a currency subject to no restrictions on foreign-exchange…
Hoochie Coochie: from the American Carnival to Soviet Rock Culture
Zhorik's throwaway nickname, tracing a strange path from 19th-century carnival dancers through Muddy Waters' blues standard to a badge of musical…
House on the Embankment: the Moscow landmark Roman faces during the interview
The history of Moscow's House on the Embankment, the elite 1931 apartment complex that became synonymous with the Great Terror.
Hyperrealism and Its Development in the USSR
A detailed article on hyperrealism, an art movement of the 1970s-80s, and its development in the USSR. History, key figures, the features of Soviet…
Illy Coffee in Early-1990s Russia
illycaffè is an Italian company founded in 1933 in Trieste by Francesco Illy. By the early 1990s, it was already a recognized producer of premium…
Imbeciles
The word "imbecile" comes from the Latin imbecillus, meaning "weak, feeble." In 19th- and 20th-century psychiatry, "imbecility" denoted a moderate…
In the Noisy Balagan: the Willy Tokarev song behind Roman's New York club-hopping
Willy Tokarev's 1981 album and its title metaphor for Soviet-emigre life in America, and the singer's own journey from the USSR to the streets of New…
Indiana Jones
A full article on Indiana Jones, the legendary adventurer-archaeologist. The origin, films, characters, and cultural impact of the famous franchise.
Investment Banking and Marketing in the Context of the 1990s
In the early 1990s, at the dawn of market reforms in Russia, Western financial terms rapidly worked their way into business vocabulary, often used…
Investors, Angels, and Shareholders: a Confusion of Terms in the Age of "Wild Capitalism"
An investor is a person or organization that puts capital into a project in order to earn a return. A business angel is a private investor who not…
Kama Itil
Note to the chapter: Yurik, the Ideal Manager
Kann ich mit Ihnen sprechen?: the German phrase that pulls Roman back from the brink
A grammatical breakdown of the polite German phrase "Kann ich mit Ihnen sprechen?" and the phonetics behind its Cyrillic transliteration in the novel.
Khanka
"Khanka" was a slang term for vodka and moonshine, common in the 1990s. It comes from the Chinese "hanshin" (baijiu) — a strong alcoholic drink. In…
The Soviet "Adidas" from Kimry
The "Kimry" sneaker was the Soviet answer to Adidas, made at a factory in the town of Kimry from 1979 under license from the German brand. Released…
La Toussaint: The Catholic Feast of All Saints
La Toussaint (French for All Saints' Day) is one of the most important Catholic feasts, honoring all the saints, both those canonized by the Church…
Landsknechts (German: Landsknechte), Elite German Mercenaries of the Renaissance
The flamboyant, brutally effective German mercenaries of the Renaissance — Zhorik's jokey nickname of choice for his own office staff.
Lave: 1990s Russian slang for money, from Romani to Pelevin
The word 'lave' (money) — from a Romani root, through prison slang, to the defining vocabulary of 1990s Russian get-rich-quick culture.
Life turned out great
"Life turned out great" is a joke from the early 1990s and a poster from the mid-90s
Limitchik
Limitchiki were migrant workers granted temporary residency permits in major Soviet cities (Moscow, Leningrad) during the 1960s-1980s. They worked at…
Mandala and Kaleidoscope: Symbols of Order Within Chaos
A kaleidoscope is an optical device for viewing colorful, symmetrical patterns. A mandala is a symmetrical design carrying deep spiritual meaning in…
Marionettes and Puppet Theater
The history of marionettes from Ancient Egypt to the present day: puppet-theater traditions, control techniques, and the symbolic meaning of the…
Marmosets
Marmosets are small primates of the family Callitrichidae, living in the coastal forests of Brazil. They're adapted for life in trees, with fluffy…
Master: the word behind "the Master passed it along"
The many meanings of the word "master" in Russian and English, and the crucial connotation of dominance the English word carries that the Russian one…
Mentor: from Ancient Greek Myth to Modern Mentorship Practice
"Mentor" is a term originating in ancient Greek mythology. In Homer's *Odyssey*, it is the name of the wise friend of Odysseus, who guided his son…
'Minimum minimorum': 1990s tax-dodging slang
The 1990s business-slang term for paying taxes at the bare minimum, and the prison-slang word for 'a tenth' behind it.
What a Mirage Is
A mirage is an optical phenomenon caused by light refracting through layers of air of differing density, creating the illusion of objects, or their…
"Money Out of Thin Air"
The English phrase for value conjured with no real backing behind it — a fitting description of the promissory-note schemes flourishing amid Russia's…
Mustangs: a Symbol of Freedom and Independence
The mustang (from Spanish mestengo/mesteno, literally "mixed" or "stray") is a feral domestic horse that became a symbol of freedom in the culture of…
The Dionysian impulse and the life of Friedrich Nietzsche
Nietzsche's Dionysian/Apollonian split and his own tragic biography, invoked when Roman recognizes his own craving for sex stripped of transaction as…
Nordic Corpse: From Archaeology to Cinema
The "Nordic corpse": Viking burial rites and the cult Soviet phrase "Nordic character, composed" from Seventeen Moments of Spring.
What an Oasis Is
An oasis is a patch of desert land where water creates conditions for life, from groundwater, rivers, lakes, or rainfall. Oases serve as key survival…
Officer's salute
A drunk officer's salute.
German Order and Latin Wisdom
"Ordnung muss sein" (German — "There must be order"). "Ordo anima rerum est" translates as "Order is the soul of every undertaking." Semantics is the…
Overnight: the short-term interbank loan Roman is trying to make sense of
How banks borrow and lend cash to each other until the next business day, and why the rate is always the lowest on the market.
Oxytocin
Oxytocin is a hormone and neurotransmitter that influences love, attachment, trust, and empathy. It's released through physical contact, producing a…
The Pallet: Fundamentals of Warehouse Logistics
The pallet (pallet board) is transport packaging for mechanized warehouse operations. Types, sizes, materials, and requirements for pallets in…
Pat and Patachon: the Comic Duo Who Conquered Silent Film
The Danish silent-film comedy duo Pat and Patachon (Fyrtårnet og Bivognen), international cinema's first "tall-and-thin, short-and-fat" double act.
Pawnshops and Fences
A "lombardyer" was a pawnshop owner or employee — a business that issued loans against pledged property. In the 1990s, pawnshops became an important…
Performance Management
The Western management buzzword that landed in early-1990s Russian offices like an artifact from another planet — dressed up as novel, though many of…
"Performing Oral": a 1990s Joke
A reference to a 1990s joke that existed in various versions.
Ph.D. in Engineering
The Western doctoral degree printed on Roman's fake business card — a credential still exotic enough in 1993 Russia to open doors on its own.
Pidgin English: the "forehead, yeah, forehead" haggling with a Beverly Hills surgeon
How Zhorik and a plastic surgeon communicate through a stripped-down pidgin English, and why the magazine-photo method was a common workaround in the…
The Soviet Pioneer Camp
The Soviet Pioneer camp was an educational and recreational institution for children aged 7 to 15 -- its history, types, organization, and role in…
Prêt-à-Porter
The French term for ready-to-wear fashion that early-1990s Russian entrepreneurs, dazzled by newly opened borders, saw as a business opportunity…
Procrastination
Procrastination (from Latin procrastinatio, from cras "tomorrow" + pro- "for, in favor of") is a psychological tendency to habitually put off even…
Profit, Three Ends
1990s Russian business slang for a 300% return — the superprofits of "wild capitalism" in the early post-Soviet economy.
Prussian Blue: the History of a Legendary Pigment
The accidental 1706 Berlin discovery of Prussian blue, the pigment that democratized the color and later became the basis of the blueprint.
Reception: a Western Novelty in Post-Soviet Russia
This English word (from "reception" — welcome, greeting) entered Russian usage along with the first international hotels, foreign companies' offices…
Red Directors: the provincial factory bosses Roman and Zhorik target for takeover
Who the "red directors" were: the Soviet-era industrial managers who rode 1990s privatization into ownership, and the split fates -- successful…
Relocant or Resident?
The novel's own two-tier status system for inhabitants of this world: temporary, displaced relocants versus fully adapted, permanent residents.
Renting a Car in Europe, 1998: how Yana would have booked that "bottomless barn" by phone and fax
What renting a car in Europe actually looked like in 1998 — the major agencies, the paperwork, and booking by phone and fax before the internet took…
Rhododendron
The rhododendron is a popular ornamental shrub of the heath family, known for its vivid blooms and wide variety of species, widely used in gardening…
Scoring the Pulka in Preferans
What "scoring the pulka" means in preferans. A complete guide to the card game's rules, terminology, and cultural significance in Russia.
The Apparatus of FSB-Seconded Officers
The practice of attaching retired and active intelligence-service officers to civilian enterprises and organizations has deep roots in the Soviet…
Shalashovka: the Gulag-era slur behind a security guard's callous threat
A historical note on the Gulag camp-slang term "shalashovka," its origins in Solzhenitsyn's writing, and the coercive sexual exploitation it…
Shalman: the Polysemy of a Russian Slang Word
A detailed article on the word "shalman": the history of the term, its dual meanings (drinking establishment and brothel), and its connection to the…
Sharik: the affectionate Moscow nickname for Sheremetyevo Airport
The history of Moscow's Sheremetyevo Airport, from its 1950s military origins to its nickname "Sharik."
Shmurdyak
Shmurdyak is one of the many popular names for the cheap fortified wines that were widespread in the USSR from the late 1950s to the mid-1980s. In…
Who the Shuravi Were
"Shuravi" was the Afghan term for Soviet citizens and soldiers, which appeared during the 1979-1989 war. It comes from the Persian "shura" (council)…
Si Vis Pacem, Para Bellum: the Latin maxim behind the "parabellum" pistol
The Roman military maxim "if you want peace, prepare for war" -- its origins in Vegetius and Epaminondas, and its link to the Luger "Parabellum"…
Sic Transit Gloria Mundi: "Thus Passes the Glory of the World"
The Latin catchphrase "Sic transit gloria mundi" translates as "Thus passes the glory of the world" and is one of the best-known philosophical…
Sidewalk Cabbies
The elaborate caste system of Soviet taxi drivers — airport men, station men, hotel men, and, at the bottom, the sidewalk hacks flagged down by a…
Skillfully Wielding Bayonet and Rifle Butt
One of the core documents studied in military training was the Charter of Garrison and Guard Duty of the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation…
Sourcing, Shipping, and Customs Clearance of Imported Goods in 1996
In the mid-1990s, importing goods into Russia involved complex logistics and customs procedures. Entrepreneurs had to account for a wide range of…
Sprechstallmeister
The circus ringmaster/compère role, its history in German-speaking countries, and its use as a metaphor for a theatrical master of ceremonies.
Spumante: Italian Sparkling Wine
The early 1990s brought a genuine revolution to the Russian alcohol market. After decades of shortage and limited choice, Soviet consumers were…
Spumante, Bols, Cin&Cin, and Popov
The flood of cut-rate, often counterfeit Western liquor brands that hit Russia the instant the state alcohol monopoly fell — including an American…
The Stipend: History and Development of Student Financial Support
A detailed history of stipend systems in the USSR, Russia, and the world. From medieval traditions to modern student support programs. The Lenin and…
Stolichny Bank Sberezheniy (SBS-Agro): The Story of One of Russia's Largest Banks
The novel's "Smolensky Bank" is a fictionalized nod to the real Stolichny Bank Sberezheniy, better known as SBS-Agro, one of the largest private…
Structural Linguistics and Ferdinand de Saussure
Structural linguistics is a school of language study that examines language as a system of interrelated elements. Its core principle: meaning arises…
SWAT
SWAT is a special police unit created in the 1960s in the US to fight crime and terrorism and carry out hostage rescues. The first was formed in Los…
Sycophant: Historical and Modern Context
The Ancient Greek sycophant, a professional informer and blackmailer whose name evolved into the modern word for a flatterer.
System Hitchhikers
System hitchhikers were a subculture in the 1970s USSR, tied to the "System" movement, the Soviet counterpart to Western hippies. They rejected…
The "Democrats": Soviet slang for the Eastern Bloc, and what it revealed about the USSR itself
Why Soviet citizens called Eastern Bloc neighbors 'the Democrats' — and what that word's slow curdling into resentment revealed about the USSR itself.
The "Half-Box" Haircut in the Context of the 1990s
The half-box is a short men's haircut with a gradual taper (from 3 to 8 cm on top, shorter at the temples and back of the head). Unlike the classic…
What "in a Pig" Means: a Battle Formation in Russian Historiography
"They moved in a pig formation" refers to the supposed battle formation of medieval armies, traditionally associated with an attacking wedge. In…
The Addict's Scheme: the collateral-chain financing pattern that leaves Proma exposed
A financial-literacy explainer drawing the parallel between drug addiction and a debt spiral built on borrowing against assets bought with previous…
The BTR-80: Russia's standard armored personnel carrier
The BTR-80 armored personnel carrier: its Soviet development history, design, armament, and combat use, from Afghanistan to the present.
The Assortment Matrix
The BCG-derived retail planning tool that was cutting-edge business jargon in 1993 Russia — Stars, Cash Cows, and Dogs, dressed up as the retail…
The Baguette: French Bread and the English Slang for Frenchmen
The baguette (from French baguette, ‘stick’ or ‘wand’) is the traditional elongated French bread that has become a symbol of French culinary culture.
What Barkhans Are
A barkhan is a crescent-shaped sand dune formed by wind in desert regions. Its convex side faces the wind, while its "horns" stretch out in the…
The US $100 Bill, Featuring Benjamin Franklin
The history of the American $100 bill bearing Benjamin Franklin's portrait. Its security features, counterfeits, and why Russians in the 1990s…
Who the "Blues" Were
In 1990s Russian criminal slang, the term "the blues" denoted a distinct category of criminal groups made up mainly of previously convicted…
The Cheshire Cat's Grin in Lewis Carroll's "Alice"
The Cheshire Cat's grin is an expression from "Alice in Wonderland," tied to the image of the Cheshire Cat, which vanishes leaving only its…
The Chiton and the Chlamys: Don't Get Them Confused
Ancient Greek clothing included the chiton, himation, and chlamys, combining simplicity and elegance. These garments influenced Roman fashion…
The Condottieri
The condottieri (from the Italian condottiere, literally "leader") were mercenary military commanders in Italy from the 14th to 16th centuries…
The Deputy: Yevgeny Leonov and "Gentlemen of Fortune"
Footnote to the chapter: By the Proma Building.
The Eight-Bit Beep: Sound Signals of the First Mobile Phones
The eight-bit beep of early mobile phones: the technical features of these sound signals, the evolution from analog to digital systems, and the…
The Faceted Glass
The faceted glass is one of the most recognizable symbols of the Soviet era, firmly tied to 20th-century Russian culture, daily life, and aesthetics…
The Floppy Disk: the Era's Primary Storage Medium
In 1993, the floppy disk was the primary and most accessible way of transferring digital information between computers. For businesses of the time…
The Former State Duma Deputy: from Literary Image to Historical Reality
The history of deputies of Imperial Russia's tsarist State Dumas, and the fate of the character Kisa Vorobyaninov from the novel "The Twelve Chairs"…
The Guillotine
The guillotine and the "little sheep": from the French Revolution to popular slang.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit - the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, of equal honor and one in essence with God the Father and the Son.
The Integral
An integral is a core concept in calculus, expressing a sum or an area. An indefinite integral is a family of antiderivatives; a definite integral is…
The First Interplanetary Mathematical Symposium in the History of the Universe
The phrase about "the first interplanetary mathematics symposium in the history of creation" is a direct allusion to a famous episode from Ilya Ilf…
Kiosks and Kiosk Vendors in 1993 Russia
The station kiosk owners of early-1990s Russia — the improvised merchant class born overnight from Soviet shortage economics, working in…
The Lectern: the Orthodox church stand behind Roman's "not left empty" metaphor
The Orthodox lectern (analoy), its liturgical uses, and its revival in Russian churches during the 1990s.
The Malosemeyka (Housing for Small Families)
The malosemeyka ("small-family building") was a distinctive type of apartment block that became widespread in the USSR from the 1960s to the 1990s…
The Mathematics of Infinitesimals
An infinitesimal, in mathematics, is a function or sequence whose limit equals zero. In simpler terms, it's a quantity that, as it changes, becomes…
The P.O. Box
"P.O. Box" (Pochtovy Yashchik) was a code designation used for Soviet defense-industry enterprises, organizations, and research institutes…
The Picaresque Novel: the genre Zhorik jokes is "all written in London now"
From Lazarillo de Tormes to Ostap Bender: the picaresque novel genre, born in an earlier age of upheaval, and why 1990s Russia produced its own…
The Quadriga
The quadriga was an ancient Roman two-wheeled chariot drawn by four horses, a symbol of triumph and mastery. It was used in ceremonial processions…
The Respected Businessman
The journalistic euphemism coined in 1994 by Kommersant to describe a businessman suspected of criminal ties — and the older idea of "authority" it…
Retouching and Retouchers: Sorcerers of Photographic Perfection
The art of retouching before the age of Photoshop: how master retouchers created flawless images by hand. The history of the techniques, tools, and…
The Stakhanovite Movement and Alexei Stakhanov
The Stakhanovite movement in the USSR: the story of miner Alexei Stakhanov, who set a record in 1935. The methods of the Stakhanovites, the…
The Three-Ruble Angle: the Soviet cameraman's term for the classic Kremlin shot
The Soviet film-crew slang term for the iconic view of the Kremlin from the Stone Bridge, named for its appearance on the three-ruble banknote.
Voucher Auctions in Russia, 1993-1995
The mass-privatization mechanism that let a handful of insiders quietly buy out entire factories while most ordinary citizens, confused or simply…
The "Baboukladchik" Cocktail
The "Womanstacker" cocktail was one of the best-known alcoholic drinks of the 1990s youth subculture. The name comes from the slang expression "to…
The Yugoslavias, or the Yugoslavs
In 1993, Russia was living through difficult times after the turbulent early 1990s. The breakup of Yugoslavia and the conflicts that followed had…
Hashish (Garik): Definition, Production, and Legal Aspects
Hashish (from the Persian حشیش; slang names include hash, garik, "the rock," "hard," "soft," khimka) is a concentrated psychoactive substance…
Why You Shouldn't Light Three Cigarettes from One Match
The superstition that three people should never light their cigarettes from a single match is one of the most widespread tobacco-related beliefs…
Thyristors, Diacs, and Triacs
Diacs and triacs are specific semiconductor devices belonging to the thyristor family. These terms are especially fitting for the technical speech of…
Toise: the old French unit of measure behind "a hundred toises from the castle"
The history and metric equivalent of the toise, the pre-revolutionary French unit of length.
Tonton Macoutes: Haiti's death squads
Haiti's paramilitary Tonton Macoutes, and how Roman's crew borrowed the name for its own corporate-raiding enforcers.
Trekhgorka and ZIL: Moscow's Largest Industrial Enterprises
Trekhgornaya Manufaktura is Moscow's oldest textile enterprise, founded in 1799 by the merchant Vasily Prokhorov. ZIL was the first automobile…
Trypophobia: an Irrational Fear of Clustered Holes
Trypophobia is an irrational fear of clustered holes. Causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment. A complete reference on a little-studied…
The tumbler glass in 1990s Russian drinking culture
The tumbler glass — a flat-bottomed, handleless glass — and its status as a marker of 'Western' sophistication in mid-90s Russian drinking culture.
"All Is Vanity of Vanities": Ecclesiastes on Chasing After the Wind
The phrase “vanity and a chasing after the wind” from the Book of Ecclesiastes expresses the idea of the fleeting and meaningless nature of earthly…
Vocabulary
Vocabulary is the sum of words used by a person or a language. Active and passive vocabulary are distinguished. In 1990s Russia, the average passive…
VOKhR: Non-Departmental Security Under the Internal Affairs Agencies
Vnevedomstvennaya okhrana (VOKhR, non-departmental security guard) — specialized units under the internal affairs agencies, created to guard state…
Volapük: the failed universal language behind Russian slang for gibberish
Volapük, the 1880s universal-language fad that flamed out — and the Russian word it left behind as slang for baffling legalese.
Volens-Nolens
The Latin legal and philosophical phrase "volens nolens" — willing or not, an action happens regardless of the subject's consent.
What a PTU Is, and Who "PTU Kids" Were
What is a PTU (vocational school)
The Criminal Group Running the District
The Lazania organized crime group — Chechen in composition — emerged in the late 1980s amid the collapse of the USSR and the weakening of law…
Widescreen Picture: the Evolution of Cinema
The full history of wide-gauge cinema, from the first experiments of the 1890s to IMAX: the difference from widescreen film, the Soviet NIKFI system…
"Zero Twenty-One" and Other Code Designations of the Afghan War
A detailed breakdown of the military slang of the 1979-1989 Afghan War: zero twenty-one (021), cargo 200, cargo 300, and other code designations. The…
Zionism: history, currents, and the Soviet conspiracy theory around it
Zionism's history and ideological currents, and how Soviet propaganda turned it into an antisemitic conspiracy theory equating it with fascism.
Кэшфлоу
Cash flow in 1996 Russia — hyperinflation, barter, and the survival math behind a buzzword
Путаны в России середины 1990-х годов
'Putana' — the loanword that defined mid-1990s Russian sex work, its Italian roots, and its place in the era's slang