_"Pussi" naiznanku_ ["_Pussy_ Inside Out"]

Douglas G. Wilson douglas at NB.NET
Thu Jul 5 04:22:14 UTC 2012


On 7/4/2012 11:53 PM, Wilson Gray wrote:
> ---------------------- Information from the mail header -----------------------
> Sender:       American Dialect Society<ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU>
> Poster:       Wilson Gray<hwgray at GMAIL.COM>
> Subject:      _"Pussi" naiznanku_ ["_Pussy_ Inside Out"]
> -------------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> May be of interest to those who can make out what it's about in
> Russian. There exists a a Russian punk-rock girl-group that calls
> itself "Pussy Riot," currently in the news and on trial for breaking
> into the Cathedral of Christ the Savior and singing a song called,
> _Bogoroditsa, Putina Progoni_  "Mother of God, Get Rid of Putin."
> Anyway, the obscene meaning of _pussy_ as used in the group's name is
> well-understood and is presenting a linguistic problem. Russian media
> have been leaving the group's name in the original English, without
> even transliteration. But, since everybody already knows what _pussy_
> as used in "Pussy Riot" means, well, you know, like, WTF? Is there any
> point? But the polloi aren't ready to see/hear _p…da_, i.e. _pizda_
> [peezDAH], in/on the news.
>
> http://mn.ru/columns/20120704/322076140.html
--

For comparison, rude Russian presented (worn) by a Russian girl-duo on
US TV a few years ago:

Russian Wikipedia page with photo:

http://tinyurl.com/7mmrryk

(English Wikipedia page exists and can be accessed from the Russian page).

-- Doug Wilson

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