[Lexicog] new idiom

[Fritz Goerling]

Dear Hayim,

 

Thanks for your explanation of the Slavic ideal woman. I am familiar with
the Hebrew ideal. I just wonder why you say "Hebrew ideal woman". Does
Proverbs 31:10-30 not talk about the ideal "wife"? 

I am surprised to hear that in Russian, if a husband is "under the boot" of
his wife, that is *not* negative. In German we make many jokes about such a
marriage, about both spouses, but especially about the man. In West Africa
where I have worked for about 25 years, a good wife is a submissive one.

As you talk about criteria of attractiveness of women in a fairly
generalized way, here is one criterion about the attractiveness of men which
I have heard widely in West Africa: "No matter how ugly a man is, what
counts is that he has a full wallet.";-)

 

Le Chaim,

 

Fritz

 

Dear Fritz,

 

This is usually positive description of woman who knows how to appeciate
herself and who would fulfill her goals even if they are difficult. This is
a Slavic ideal of a woman in difference, let say, to Hebrew ideal woman
(diligent, industrious [read laborious] and wise) as it described in
Proverbs 31:10-30, even there there is verse 17, where it is said, "She
girds herself with strength and performs her tasks with vigor" and in verse
25 "She is clothed with strength and splendor." In the verse 30 it is said
that beauty and grace are rather not important, because they are deceptive
and illusory, which older people know that this is true. However most of
men, both Hebrew [read Jewish] or Gentiles, are attracted to beautiful women
rather than the industrious or wise ones.  

 

For bossy woman, who rules over her husband in Russian there is an idiom !
that was already cited by my Polish colleague. They say in Russian "On u
neyo pod sapogom", i.e. he is under her boot. This is also not negative.
This is just a frequent situation recurrent when a woman has stronger mind
or character than her husband. 

 

Cheers,

 

Hayim Y. Sheynin

Fritz Goerling <Fritz_Goerling at sil.org> wrote:

Hayim,

Is this boy baba a positive or negative term? 'Strong' and 'bossy' do not go
together for me.  A 'strong woman' sounds positive to me, while 'bossy' does
not. So if this boy baba is not a 'Kampfhenne' (= fighting hen), a German
term for a 'malicious woman with a fierce temper; a vixen', what is it?

Fritz

Another idiom describing a very strong and bossy woman in Russian is "boy
baba" (here is boy not like in English 'boy', and not Tom boy girl, but 'a
battle', and there is non-idiomatic parallel to this expression 'boevaya
zhenstchina" ) so the literary meaning can be translated approximately as
'warrior woman'. This is a metafor and has nothing to do with war or battle.

Hayim Y. Sheynin


! 

 

  

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