translating colloquial word

[Dan Newton]

grouch?

John Dunn wrote:

>Shlyakhov and Adler* (p. 225) suggest 'an unpleasant person' and (in an example) 'sourpuss'.
>
>Juganov and Juganova** (p. 239) offer 'neprivlekatel'nyj, ugrjumyj chelovek; podozritel'naja lichnost' and refer to Dal'.  I have only the second edition of Dal' to hand, but there are entries there for xmarit' and xmyrit'.
>
>John Dunn.
>
>*Dictionary of Russian Slang and Colloquial Expressions, Barron's, Hauppage, N.Y., 1995
>
>**Slovar' russkogo slenga, Metatekst, M., 1997.
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Steven Hill <s-hill4 at UIUC.EDU>
>To: SEELANGS at LISTSERV.CUNY.EDU
>Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005 00:42:22 -0500
>Subject: [SEELANGS] translating colloquial word
>
>Dear colleagues:
>
>Does anyone out there know a good English equivalent for KHMYR'?***  Is it possible
>that "Sad Sack" would work?  Or "Poor Sap"?
>
>Although a number of dictionaries I looked at seem not to include the word at all, I have
>a general impression it means a hapless fellow, a loser, someone who messes up
>anything he gets into.  In other words, an individual who can be counted on to snatch
>defeat from the jaws of victory.  If that's so, then perhaps it's similar to "Sad Sack" or
>"Poor Sap" in English?
>_ _ _  _
>
> *** In my Russian film studies I've run across this curious word, used like a name, on
>two  occasions :  (1) SCHASTIE ('35 Medvedkin), where Khmyr' is played by Petr Zinov'ev);
>(2) DZHENTELMENY UDACHI ('71 Seryi), Khmyr' played by the late Georgii Vitsin).
>
>Gratefully,
>Steven P Hill,
>University of Illinois.
>_ __ __ _ __ __ __ __ __ __ _ __ _
>
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>John Dunn
>SMLC (Slavonic Studies)
>University of Glasgow
>Hetheringon Building
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>Glasgow G12 8RS
>U.K.
>
>Tel.: +44 (0)141 330 5591
>Fax: +44 (0)141 330 2297
>e-mail: J.Dunn at slavonic.arts.gla.ac.uk
>
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