ISO innocent expletives

[Elena Mikhailik]

If you want an absolutely innocent Russian expletive, try "holera",
"zaraza" (pestilence) or "vot zaraza", or "chert poberi".

Elena

At 02:04 23/02/00 -0500, you wrote:
>-These are euphemisms (and there is a number of others); their
>approprietness depends on the speakers' distance (in socio-cultural terms).
>
>VZ
>
>>Yes, I'd been told that many people see xren as simply a less graphic
>>version of another word that begins with x. However, the contexts in which
>>I heard both words were such that I think the speakers considered them
>>quite harmless. Perhaps I was mistaken.
>>
>>DK
>>
>>At 09:22 PM 2/22/00 -0800, you wrote:
>>>> I seem to remember hearing "blin" and "xren" when people wished to curse
>>>> without being nasty.
>>>>
>>>> DK
>>>
>>>I was scolded by a teacher in Voronezh once for saying blin in polite
>>>company (i.e., in front of teachers).  i assume this is because it evokes
>>>the other bl' word.  'xren' is also probably not *technically* all that
>>>polite, since it's shape evokes a connection to a certain body part...
>>>anybody else hear this?
>>>
>>>Dawn
>>>
>>>
>>>******
>>>
>>>we are the music-makers
>>> and we are the dreamers of dreams...
>>>
>>>arthur o'shaughnessy
>>>
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>>
>>"A shared purpose did not claim my identity.
>>On the contrary, it enlarged my sense of myself."
>>        Senator John McCain
>>
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