Grossman - Mama - teryat' v vese

[Robert Chandler]

Dear all,

The following is from the story ‘Mama’.  The story was probably written in
1960, but this section is set in the mid- or late-1950s.

  Говорили, что в домах отдыха  некоторые  девушки позволяют  себе  лишнее,
гуляют по ночам,  теряют в весе,  а в мужских комнатах народ пьянствует,  не
соблюдает мертвый час, режется в карты.

I am not sure how literally to understand ‘teryayut v vese’.  In another
story by Grossman а Ukrainian woman teases the heroine, who has fallen in
love, with the following words:
   Станюк, усмехнувшись, сказала ей:
  - Дывысь, Горячева, как бы тут не схудла кила на два чи на три.

In the second example, at least, a clear link is being made between
falling-in-love/having sex and losing weight.  Is something similar going on
in the first example?  Is the phrase just a euphemism?

Two possible translations for the first passage, then, are:
1. ‘staying out late at night and so losing weight’
2. ‘staying out late at night and getting up to goodness knows what.’

Will be grateful, as always, for help!

And A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!

Robert


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