Grossman - Mama - teryat' v vese

[Irina Dolgova]

I would focus more on stylistic effect of  теряют в весе in this 
passage. It's part of the contrast between "prostorechie" - режется в 
карты, народ пьянствует and "bureaucratic style of soviet propaganda"  - 
позволяют себе лишнее, соблюдает мертвый чаc. Neutral equivalent of  
теряют в весе would be "khudeiut". You can find tons of examples in this 
story.

Charles Mills wrote:
> In Czech, ves can be village.  Could it be as simple as that?
>
>
>
> On 1/1/10, Robert Chandler <kcf19 at dial.pipex.com> wrote:
>   
>> 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'.
>>
>>     

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