Teffi - Skazochka - a leshii in a French forest

[Robert Chandler]

Thanks very much, Hugh and Sveta and others offline!

I think that in England we may use the word hysteria/hysterical more
casually than in the USA.  In a context like this, I don't myself hear it as
a pychiatric diagnosis.  I certainly did not intend it as such.

But I still don't quite know what to do with this sentence:
Волосы надо лбом двумя мохрами взбиты, губы толстые.

At present I have ' He had thick lips and two tufts of hair sticking up over
his forehead.'
OR
 He had thick lips and two forelocks above his forehead.'
Do these seem ok?

Offline, I have received this helpful pointer:
У Тэффи это, скорей всего, контаминация.
http://etymolog.ruslang.ru/vinogradov.php?id=mohri&vol=1
Ср. мохрастый - вихрастый у современников
http://esenin.niv.ru/esenin/text/yar1.htm
 <http://esenin.niv.ru/esenin/text/yar1.htm>
http://www.chelsea.com.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23350
 <http://www.chelsea.com.ua/forum/viewtopic.php?p=23350>
Best,

Robert




>  Видеть невозможно, до того самому смешно делается.
> 
> Dear Robert, 
> 
> I agree with Hugh McLean that the above sentence refers to the boy, but I
> don't think "videt' nevozmozhno" means that he literally shuts his eyes. It's
> just means "nevozmozhno videt' bez smekha".  I also agree that  У Гриши так в
>> горле и защекотало и ноги задрыгали --probably shows how Grisha can't help
>> himself from laughing and shaking.  Like Hugh, I cannot put a psychiatric
>> diagnosis (like 'hysteria') on it.
> 
> Best, 
> Svetlana
> 
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